WPT Plans First-Ever Women’s Poker Summit

Poker is a sport that has long been dominated by men – but that has been changing over the past few years. More and more women are becoming poker powerhouses, and a new conference organised by the World Poker Tour aims to help boost this burgeoning market.

Attracting More Women to Poker

The first-ever Women’s Poker Summit will take place at the end of August in Los Angeles, alongside the WPT500. Many industry professionals will be in attendance, including casino partners, poker media, and representatives from women’s poker organisations.

The goal of the event is to get more women involved in the poker world. Currently, only a small portion of professional poker players are women, and many are deterred from giving the game a go because poker rooms and tournaments tend to be a bit of a “boys club”.

At the summit, attendees will discuss issues that women in poker commonly encounter and try to develop solutions for them. The WPT wants to attract more women to the game, and the Women’s Poker Summit is the first step in doing so.

Too long has the lack of women in poker been a topic of conversation in our industry, and it’s time we work to both attract more women to the game and keep them playing poker for years and years to come.

The WPT is one of the leading poker bodies when it comes to working with women. Half of the executive team consists of women, and the organisation’s commitment to equality was highlighted when three WPT employees were shortlisted for induction into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame earlier this year. The organisation hopes to make the summit an annual event, as the issue won’t be solved overnight.

Some Great Women Poker Role Models

There are already many successful poker players who are women, and it would be wonderful if many more joined the ranks. Currently, Vanessa Selbst is at the top of the game, having amassed over $11 million in tournament winnings over the years. She is #1 on the All-Time Money List, with three WSOP bracelets. She has made the money in major tournaments 20 times and two WPT final tables.

Other well-known female poker players include Annette Obrestad, Annie Duke and Live Boeree. Each player has over $3 million in tournament winnings to their names, and they certainly have made a name for themselves in the poker world.

It would be great to see more women getting involved in the poker market. There is always room for more inclusivity, and it’s important that everyone feels welcome on the felt. We hope that the WPT Women’s Poker Summit will make a difference in the game so that we will begin to see more women at poker tables around the world.