They’re already massive business in the United States and now all-female tournaments look set to be the next big thing in the UK.
Star City in Birmingham will host the first ever all women live championship this summer, with an estimated prize pool of £100,000 and the promise of ‘poker celebrity status’. Whether anyone will enter solely for the latter prize remains to be seen.
The number of women playing in live tournaments has been the focus in parts of the mainstream news media, with a poll appearing in The Daily Telegraph showing that 5% of casino players are women. This may seem pitifully small, but considering it was only 1% until fairly recently, that’s a decent proportion.
By contrast, it is believed that around 40% of online players are women. It seems that most of those taking part in the Star City tournament will have switched from playing online, with the winner more than likely to be playing in their first live tournament.
They’re already massive business in the United States and now all-female tournaments look set to be the next big thing in the UK.