The WPT Ladies Championship will be played next week but not without controversy. A number of players are upset that the World Poker Tour has decided to withhold 15% of the prize pool for a donation to charity and some of them have decided to sit this event out.
One player most certainly sitting the event out will be former WSOP Ladies Champion Susie Isaacs, who has been quite vocal about the situation on her blog. Isaacs has been clear to state that she is not anti-charity; she in fact donates a percentage of her winnings to two charities right now in the Nevada Cancer Institute and The American Heart Association. She also is not disputing that the charity the WPT has chosen (Susan G. Komen for the Cure (SGK), a breast cancer charity) is a good cause. The issue is entirely about the method the WPT has chosen to donate to the charity.
Poker Radio hostess Lisa Adams expressed her concern by saying “I believe you are taking advantage of women, especially novice women who have no idea about prize pools and their equity in an event.”
A poster on a popular poker forum had this to say:
“The entire situation seems counter productive to what should be the World Poker Tour’s primary purpose. If you’re going to start a league for ladies wouldn’t it make sense to attract as many professional lady players as possible? It don’t take a poker genius to realize there is not much expected value in a tournament that cost $1500 to enter if of that $1500 only $1230 goes to the prize pool. Honestly, while no one is being forced to play this tournament, what could they possibly have been thinking to structure the “championship” event (the one that should carry the most prestige) this way? It’s just not the type of tournament that will attract the professionals who are grinding it out at poker trying to make a living.”
While the debate is likely to continue until the event next week, one thing seems certain. Next week a WPT Ladies champion will be crowned while at least some of poker’s top female players are home competing for PokerStars Battle of the Planet Points, washing their hair or doing whatever else it is female poker players do when they’re not playing poker.
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