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Poker Gender Part I: Men… From Venus?

The tension and dialogue between men and women has always been part of human history, and even though in these times technology, psychology and education have made a big difference in gender interaction, tension between the sexes is still an important aspect of human culture, and poker is definitely not the exception. Wikipedia defines sexism as "any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex of the individuals, " and it seems to have a colorful outlet when it comes to poker games, since everyone tends to forget about being politically correct when playing.

Originally a men's game, played in game rooms where women were not welcome for a long time, poker has proved a painful journey not only for women but also for many men who resent having female competitors at poker, a resentment which is still sometimes openly flaunted at the felt.

Have you ever been at a poker game filled with only male players? Have you noticed how everybody is acting normal, minding their business, but when a woman sits down to play, suddenly some of the men start making fools of themselves? According to poker player and author Gary Carson, there are three types of men who react strongly to women on the table, and who are easy to spot at a poker table when women are present: the gentleman, the chauvinists and the machos.

The Gentleman. The typical Don Juan whose heart softens when he sees a woman is always trying to let the ladies know he is there to protect and pamper them, and in poker they express that by flirtingly soft-playing their female counterparts. According to Carson, "[gentlemen players] will be much less likely to bet or raise, and with hands that others might raise with they'll call while saying something like ‘I can't fold this hand, I have to call.'"

The Chauvinist. These are textbook misogynists, and fortunately there are less every day. According to Carson if a chauvinist has to play poker with a woman, he will usually play tight and fold whenever the woman calls or raises, since they believe women's poor judgment, weakness and predictability will make them raise or call only when they have an unbeatable hand. It doesn't matter if they see women aggressively taking everybody's chips and outdoing them skillfully; chauvinists will always maintain their derogatory convictions against women.

Carson says that "Chauvinistic men can't stand to let a woman win or take control of the betting. This kind of man can't stand to lose, and especially can't stand to lose to a woman. They'll try to outplay an aggressive woman. They're usually doomed because they tend to react to aggressive women with hyperaggression of their own when they fear their hand is second best and that's an easily exploitable tendency."

The Macho. Carson defines this male type as an outspoken bully, who is willing to literally scare females away from the table because he doesn't think women belong in a man's game like poker. These males are easier to identify than the chauvinists, since they won't hesitate to throw macho tantrums every time a woman uses their lack of control to their advantage. However, Carson claims machos are not ticked when women show their aggression from the beginning of the game, but go on tilt when they think they are on top of the situation and suddenly realize they were being fooled by female wit.

Carson notes, though, that macho men don't necessarily behave in a macho way exclusively towards women; they "believe blind aggression is the key to success and actually don't behave that much differently whether playing against men or women."

Player and author Steve Badger claims men tend to lose more at poker than women because "men bring all sorts baggage to the table that counteracts any possible genetic mathematical advantages that some insist exist: they drink more, they smoke more, they eat more --- and they let their egos get in the way of how they play far, far more. In most circumstances, men blindly throw themselves into things without thought or study far more than women.

The examples above don't speak so well of the rational mindset men are supposed to have according to what culture has always attributed to masculinity. We can see how emotions drive certain men out of control, making them fail at a game that initially was designed by men for exclusive male entertainment.

Next: Women…from Mars!

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