A decade ago the most popular online poker forum (or “newsgroup,” as they were then called) was RGP or rec.gambling.poker, although a couple of other ones were already emerging to challenge its primary status. One, called the United Poker Forum, managed at the time to grab a few participants away from RGP. But it was the forum hosted by the Two Plus Two publishing company that soon emerged to become the most popular by far.

In the same way online poker sites need a sufficient player base to thrive, poker forums need a certain level of participation by registered users in order to maintain sufficient momentum to continue. Since starting in late 1999 as a small, intimate gathering of poker players mostly focused on discussing hands and theory, the 2+2 forums have experienced remarkable growth over the years, today boasting over 250,000 users and a whopping 30 million posts spread across nearly 100 different categories and subcategories.

While RGP’s lack of moderation is cited by most as the reason for its having receded in popularity, the 2+2 forums have always had numerous moderators on hand attempting to ensure discussions remain on topic. It’s a daunting task, akin to herding cats, given the high volume of traffic that occurs on a daily basis at 2+2 among its many forums dedicated to poker strategy, other gambling games, sports, “other topics” (travel, politics, religion, etc.), and more. But generally speaking the moderators seem to do their job well, and thus have had a lot to do with the site’s continued growth.

That said, not everyone is a fan of the “culture” of the 2+2 forums, although to be fair there are really dozens of different “cultures” or “communities” spread out among the site’s numerous subcategories, each with its own identity. As is the case elsewhere in poker, women in particular are often less represented than men on 2+2 (regardless of the particular forum). And as we all know, the “virtual” nature of online interactions can additionally lead to a lack of restraint or manners by some, thereby making things potentially less comfortable for women who have wished to participate in the various discussions on 2+2.

It was interesting, then, to see 2+2 launch a new forum (in the “General Poker Discussion” category) in early March 2011 in which women in particular were invited to participate. To quote from a moderator’s introduction, the forum -- cheekily labeled “That’s What She Said!” -- was created as “a troll-free zone wherein women can discuss issues germane to them which directly relate to poker, tangentially relate to poker, or even non-poker issues.”

Of additional note, while women were expected to be the primary contributors in the forum’s threads, men would be allowed to post, too, although they would “be granted far less latitude than women” with their posting. In other words, the moderators wanted to make clear from the start that untoward behavior/abuse directed toward the participating women would not be tolerated.

Interestingly, the moderator’s introduction further explains how anyone seeking “poker advice on a generic situation unrelated to gender” should post elsewhere -- i.e., all of the threads/discussions in “That’s What She Said!” should have something to do with the significance of gender in poker.

Incidentally, while many interchange the words “sex” and “gender” in common parlance, the latter really more accurately refers to cultural roles or expectations and not biological identity. Even though this distinction is in fact quite important -- especially if we are discussing the difference between what is “natural” to us and “cultural” influences upon our behaviors/personalities -- it often gets overlooked, with the words frequently used as synonyms for one another.

Keeping that common, loose usage of “gender” in mind, I think it’s safe to assume that the moderator’s intention is to say that the new forum is where one should go to discuss issues in which one’s identity as a man or woman, or where cultural expectations regarding masculinity and femininity, are of relevance.

So far the forum has had a decent amount of activity, with over 60 threads having been started in less than three months. And it appears all of the threads thus far are indeed focused on issues in which sex and/or gender are of relevance.

Setting the “NC” (no content) threads aside, some of the most popular topics discussed thus far have been the pros/cons of women-only tournaments, the prospects for a woman ever winning the WSOP Main Event, and threads focusing on (to cite the title of one) “How to Take Advantage of Being a Woman Poker Player.” A few non-poker threads -- including several having to do with dating and/or relationships with men -- are attracting numerous replies, too.

While I’m not necessarily too curious about those latter threads, I’ve found several of the ones appearing in “That’s What She Said!” to be worthwhile. For example, a thread was begun last month in response to an especially ill-conceived blog post over on the Card Player site in which the author, inspired by a hand played by Vanessa Selbst in the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event (which she eventually won), appeared desirous to argue that those hoping to defend poker as a skill game are less able to make their case when players get “lucky” and beat pocket aces with hands like 8-4 (as happened in the NAPT event).

It’s an especially immature, even silly post. And offensive, too, both in terms of its occasionally profane content and its many surface-level errors and logical/organizational flaws. Meanwhile, the discussion of it in “That’s What She Said!” is quite thoughtful, with some posters responding with well-reasoned explanations regarding the particular hand that inspired the article and others addressing the larger argument raised in the article regarding luck and skill in poker. Selbst herself joined in the conversation, too, lending her insights regarding both the hand and some of the larger issues being debated.

While the significance of sex/gender wasn’t necessarily primary here, some in the thread do address whether or not the Card Player author (a man) might’ve been motivated to write the piece because Selbst is a woman, an attitude perhaps further indicated by dismissive comments in the article regarding another successful female player (Vanessa Rousso).

Interestingly, the Card Player article inspired another thread -- over in “News, Views, and Gossip” -- in which posters also debated its quality, the consensus there being highly critical of the author as well. However, while one poster did bring up the idea that the author “clearly hates women,” that particular aspect of the debate about the piece wasn’t pursued in the NVG thread the way it was in “That’s What She Said!”

I personally like the idea of 2+2 creating a forum such as “That’s What She Said!” where I think the possibility of sex- or gender-specific issues being discussed in a constructive manner is more likely to occur than elsewhere on the site. Then again, maybe I’m not necessarily representative of most men who read 2+2, given that I am particularly interested to know what women are saying about certain poker-related issues.

Which reminds me... I wonder what Jen said about this one...

See also: She Said: 2+2 Makes Effort with That’s What She Said Forum