As 2010 comes to a close I can’t help but wonder what’s in store for women in 2011. Women have made great strides this year with Vanessa Selbst securing her future as a mainstay in poker, Breeze Zuckerman as the last lady standing during the WSOP Main Event, Annie Duke winning the NBC National Heads Up Championship and Liv Bouree becoming a force to reckoned with in Europe and around the world.
I can’t forget to mention some of the ladies who aren’t as well known but who have made great strides as well, such as Mary Lou Morielli, the LAPC main event last woman standing or Ebony Kenney, who was the Palm Beach Poker Classic Player of the Year, and the slew of other women in their local casinos winning tournaments week after week.
Women who play poker are gaining momentum and insight into the market and many sites such as PokerStars are taking notice and emphasizing the importance of women with the creation of PS Women. It is the first site that has taken the lead in actively promoting women with the creation of a PS women’s league, forum, blog and much more. Don’t be surprised if you see others following suit.
There also were many new female-owned businesses in the poker industry that launched. Eat, Play Love (eatplaylove.us.com) offers empowering seminars teaching the skills, support and spirituality to make your poker game successful. And don’t forget Poker Jet Setter (pokerjetsetter.com), Pink Ladies Poker Tour (pinkladiespokertour.com) and Peace, Love & Poker Parties (designed for new players with no prior poker knowledge of the game; peacelovepokerparties.com) to name a few.
These new businesses could use your support so play, shop, learn and grow and check out their sites. Here are some year-end words for all the women reading this: Don’t limit yourself, continue to learn and be a student of the game, continue to promote women in poker, play as much as you can and bring your friends. In the words of Beth “Betyamama” Gains, “Love what you do so you can do what you love.” Happy holidays and a healthy and prosperous new year!
