As a female poker player in the UK I thought that my first article for Woman poker player should be about what its like for women to player poker in the UK.  Well it wasn’t as easy as I first thought it would be, because frankly there aren’t many differences between playing poker in the UK as a woman compared to most other countries.  But What I can tell you is that I LOVE playing poker in the UK.  One of the good things about playing in the UK is that you can play poker legally in casinos from the age of 18.   

I’ve been interested in card games for as long as I can remember.   I used to watch my father playing every Sunday night at his ‘card school’ which basically meant his friends would come round and play cards while he taught them how to lose their money. 

Intimidating is not the word, out and out scared is how I felt.  Back then there wasn’t a smoking ban and the poker was in a small room downstairs away from the main casino floor.  Smoke and lots of sweaty, noisy men filled the room.  I was the only female in the room including staff and it was my first game, I nearly ran out but something told me to stay, ego perhaps – I wasn’t going to let these men intimidate me away from a game I loved.  But boy did they try!   Being so young and clearly scared didn’t stop them from trying to intimidate me even more, every time I did something even slightly wrong they would shout, sigh, moan and get angry with me.  Shouting things like “NO YOU SHUFFLE THEM, THEN PASS THEM TO HIM LUV’ rolling their eyes at the other players on the table.

I got through my first tournament, I didn’t make the money but I lasted long enough to quickly pick up the rules and etiquette of the card room.  Before long I was a regular there and that’s when I realised...they weren’t shouting at me and rolling their eyes because I am a woman it was just because I was new and I wasn’t following the rules properly, which is pretty frustrating for an experienced player.  Now I know how frustrating it is to have players that seemingly don’t know what they’re doing at the table and I have occasionally been known to have a sharp tongue and a short fuse with these players myself, mainly because it happened to me and it was the best way to learn the game the fastest way possible - you don’t splash the pot more than once when there are eight frustrated looking men staring at you.

My point is, once you get to know the rules of the game and how it’s played, the UK casino experience becomes wholly enjoyable.  Don’t just take my word for it, I asked Kara Scott for her opinion too.

Me:  What do you think it’s like for females playing poker in the UK?

Kara: “I've always really enjoyed playing poker live in the UK. It's a good atmosphere and I've never had to deal with anybody being a pain in the ass except for this one guy up North who asked me to autograph his penis. I said no thanks of course. I'd barely have been able to fit my initials on there!" 

"Playing as a female in the USA or the UK can be a great advantage though. There are still a few players (generally the older ones) who feel a bit conflicted when you sit down with them. They want to take your money but at the same time, it just doesn't seem gentlemanly. Long may that continue.”

I have no doubt that playing poker in a UK card room for the first time as a woman is still daunting and that’s why I reviewed my opinion on women only poker tournaments.   No they are not the best game out there and perhaps they are a little sexist but they do give women a chance to be introduced to live poker in a much more gentle way, making them feel less intimidated when they sit down at their first mixed poker game and that can only be a good thing.

I asked recent EPT winner and well known UK player, Liv Boeree what she thought.

Liv: "The best it about playing poker in the UK is the banter! I used to have so much fun playing down the Gutshot in London just listening to the back and forth between the players. Otherwise I don’t think there’s that much difference between play in the UK and the rest of the world – you always get the good players and the bad players at the table, regardless of where you are."

I am here now to say to all female poker players thinking of playing live in the UK for the first time, Don’t be intimidated, things aren’t how they used to be.  There is now a smoking ban meaning you won’t have tears streaming down your face from other peoples smoke.  The casinos and card rooms are much friendlier; staff are always there to help you.  What about those scary men?  Well all I can say is... their barks are worse than their bites.

I have a theory, remember when you were small and you were scared of spiders and little bugs and grown ups said to you, “don’t be so silly he is more scared of you than you are of him”?  I think its the same with a lot of men poker players, they may be hairy and scary looking at first but if you look closely you will see that it is actually them that is intimidated by you.  So next time you enter a card game and feel intimidated just remember that and soon you will be like the black widow, taking what you want and then leaving triumphant, I don’t recommend biting off their heads once you’ve won the tournament though.