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Man Wins Ladies Event In Florida

Ladies events are common throughout poker series in the world. It’s a no-brainer that these events are meant exclusively for female poker players. But can men play this event too? Sounds silly, we know, but what if we tell you they can?!

No, we’re not kidding! It actually happened recently at the World Poker Tour (WPT) $3,500 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown event at the Seminole Hard Rock in South Florida. It was a ladies exclusive event that gathered 83 entries generating a prize pool of $17,430. Among them, one of the entries was that of Dave Hughes, a male player from Florida. Not only did Hughes enter the event, but he also went on win the event for $5,555. Sounds bizarre, right? Here’s the entire truth…

Reportedly, Florida casinos follow anti-discrimination laws, due to which they are not permitted to restrict men from entering a women’s special event. 

The incident gathered a lot of attention at the venue as well as on social media. Female pro Ebony Kenney was one of the users to share the complete incident and the buzz around it on her social media handles. 

Playing the @WPT ladies event today, and Dave here is the only man. (Filmed w/permission!)

While we appreciate the dead money, I really wish men would get what these events stand for.

So I put a $300 bounty on his head and Tamra & Noah Piderit matched it. 🥳🥳

Let’s get him. pic.twitter.com/dXVZVlriAP

— Ebony Kenney | Poker & Purposeful Pleasure (@Ebony_Kenney) April 29, 2023

Other notable names from the industry, like Kevin Martin and Matt Glatz, also shared their opinions via their respective Twitter handles. 

70 year old Dave entered a World Poker Tour Ladies Event at the Seminole Hard Rock.

The ladies + Internet gathered a $2k + bounty on him.

He went on to win it…he is the ladies event champion.

Thoughts on this whole thing? pic.twitter.com/B2JoBOtStB

— KMart (@KevinRobMartin) April 30, 2023

So a guy won the Ladies Event at Hard Rock and everyone pissed. I'm sure the guy is an asshole and for sure it's a dick move. But what I don't get is if this same guy decided he wanted to 'identify' as a woman and then played, nobody would say shit about it. You'd all clam up. pic.twitter.com/bLqJxXS3Wp

— Matt Glantz (@MattGlantz) April 30, 2023

Can Men Play Ladies Event?

As strange as it may sound, it is actually very common for male players to enter ladies events. Like Florida, many other states follow the same law, including Nevada, the home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Nevada state laws also prohibit barring men from playing women’s tournaments. However, in 2013, the WSOP found a solution to this. Since then, the series offers a 90% discount to female players entering the event to discourage men from entering. This means that females playing this $10,000 buy-in event get a 90% discount and get to play for just $1,000, while men who wish to play will have to pay the full $10,000. 

What do you think of men playing ladies events? Should men be allowed or is equality a thing? Let us know your views in the comments below!

For more news and the latest updates in poker, keep reading Gutshot Magazine. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram.

Image credit: CardsChat

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