The History of the WSOP Ladies Event
In 1977 the World Series of Poker, then in its eighth year, began what would become an annual tradition. On Friday, May 6th, at 12:00 PM, the first ladies-only championship poker event began, and since that date the World Series of Poker's Ladies Event has been the largest women's-only tournament in the world. The event has grown annually and now features a truly international field that has turned hobbies into long lasting careers and turned dreams into a reality.
According to legend, the WSOP Ladies Event was started in order to give the wives and female companions of the male poker players something to do in order to bring a bigger draw to the other tournaments that were predominately male. The WSOP has not been able to deny or support this rumor, as past records for the event were not very accurate and no complete history exists.
As a result, the number of women who entered into that initial 1977 event is also unknown. The buy in for the seven-card-stud event (the switch to no-limit came later) was a minimal $100, the lowest buy-in in the history of the WSOP - it also produced the smallest prize pool in WSOP history as a result. The top three women were paid, with Jackie McDaniels taking the top spot..
From 1979 to 1981 the buy-in for the Ladies Only Event was bumped up to $400. The game was still seven-card stud. The field continued to grow in numbers, albeit small compared to today's tournament fields, but there was no denying the steady growth of women wanting to try their hand at the poker tables. 1982 saw a jump in the buy-in to $500, where it remained through 1991. The field steadily grew from 64 entrants in 1982 to 110 in 1991.
In 1992, the WSOP brought the women's-only event to new heights. Although the event has been a bracelet event since its inception, raising the buy in to $1,000 made the ladie's event more of a championship event, and moved it past the image of housewives playing in the back room to keep them occupied. The increased buy-in gave more credibility to the event, but seven-card-stud still ruled the feminine side of the felt.
The event changed to a Hold'em/stud mix in 2000 and remained that way through 2003. The number of entrants remained steady at about 100 throughout the early part of the decade. In 2004, the WSOP changed the format over to limit hold'em only. The poker boom was in full swing but had not fully grasped the potential of the ladies market and its growth. The field grew to 200 that year, a record number, but nothing prepared the WSOP tournament directors for things to come.
2005 was the year the ladies' event hit the big time. No one expected the 601 women who flocked to the tables at the Rio, the new home of the World Series of Poker. The event switched over to no-limit hold'em that year as well, and combined with the growth of online and televised poker; women received far more exposure to the game and turned out in massive numbers as a result. By 2006, the ladies WSOP reached a form similar to today. About 1,000 women enter the tourney annually.
Over the past few years, the World Series of Poker staff has taken into account many suggestions from players and industry professionals alike to make improvements to the Ladies Event. These changes make it not only more inviting to women but also make it more competitive as compared to previous years. The event now spans across three days with 60-minute levels and 3,000 starting chips.
This year's event looks to bring much more to the table than in the past. In 2010, more than ever women are proving their merit on the felt. Big wins by top women in the field have shown that female players are stepping up to the challenge and are willing to bring a competitive spirit out in themselves as well as in each other.
In 1977 the World Series of Poker, then in its eighth year, began what would become an annual tradition. On Friday, May 6th, at 12:00 PM, the first ladies-only championship poker event began, and since that date the World Series of Poker's Ladies Event has been the largest women's-only tournament in the world. The event has grown annually and now features a truly international field that has turned hobbies into long lasting careers and turned dreams into a reality.
According to legend, the WSOP Ladies Event was started in order to give the wives and female companions of the male poker players something to do in order to bring a bigger draw to the other tournaments that were predominately male. The WSOP has not been able to deny or support this rumor, as past records for the event were not very accurate and no complete history exists.
As a result, the number of women who entered into that initial 1977 event is also unknown. The buy in for the seven-card-stud event (the switch to no-limit came later) was a minimal $100, the lowest buy-in in the history of the WSOP - it also produced the smallest prize pool in WSOP history as a result. The top three women were paid, with Jackie McDaniels taking the top spot..
From 1979 to 1981 the buy-in for the Ladies Only Event was bumped up to $400. The game was still seven-card stud. The field continued to grow in numbers, albeit small compared to today's tournament fields, but there was no denying the steady growth of women wanting to try their hand at the poker tables. 1982 saw a jump in the buy-in to $500, where it remained through 1991. The field steadily grew from 64 entrants in 1982 to 110 in 1991.
In 1992, the WSOP brought the women's-only event to new heights. Although the event has been a bracelet event since its inception, raising the buy in to $1,000 made the ladie's event more of a championship event, and moved it past the image of housewives playing in the back room to keep them occupied. The increased buy-in gave more credibility to the event, but seven-card-stud still ruled the feminine side of the felt.
The event changed to a Hold'em/stud mix in 2000 and remained that way through 2003. The number of entrants remained steady at about 100 throughout the early part of the decade. In 2004, the WSOP changed the format over to limit hold'em only. The poker boom was in full swing but had not fully grasped the potential of the ladies market and its growth. The field grew to 200 that year, a record number, but nothing prepared the WSOP tournament directors for things to come.
2005 was the year the ladies' event hit the big time. No one expected the 601 women who flocked to the tables at the Rio, the new home of the World Series of Poker. The event switched over to no-limit hold'em that year as well, and combined with the growth of online and televised poker; women received far more exposure to the game and turned out in massive numbers as a result. By 2006, the ladies WSOP reached a form similar to today. About 1,000 women enter the tourney annually.
Over the past few years, the World Series of Poker staff has taken into account many suggestions from players and industry professionals alike to make improvements to the Ladies Event. These changes make it not only more inviting to women but also make it more competitive as compared to previous years. The event now spans across three days with 60-minute levels and 3,000 starting chips.
This year's event looks to bring much more to the table than in the past. In 2010, more than ever women are proving their merit on the felt. Big wins by top women in the field have shown that female players are stepping up to the challenge and are willing to bring a competitive spirit out in themselves as well as in each other.
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