She's a Man, Baby!

Ladies, if you sit down at a table in a women-only poker tournament, check your opponents for Adam’s apples.  This is because recently, six men successfully made their way to the felt at the California State Championships in the ladies event.  One of the infiltrators was future-hall-of-fame-baseball-player-turned-steroid-bloated-washout, Jose Canseco.

How were men allowed to play in an event for women?  Easy.  It is illegal for the tournament staff to discriminate against anyone who wants to play, as the tournament is open to the public.  This is the case in pretty much any major poker tournament, including the World Series of Poker.  It’s just that most men would either be too embarrassed to play in a ladies event or would simply have respect for the rules and their fellow female poker players.  The same is the case for seniors tournaments.  Even if the rules state that you must be fifty or older to play, if you are thirty years-old and want to stick it to your elders, you are technically allowed to do so.

Now, if the tournament is held by a private organization, that’s a different story.  But as long as it is open to the general public, everyone is really on their honor to abide by the rules set forth by the tournament organizers.

This is not unheard of.  Years ago, Phil Gordon, Rafe Furst, and Perry Friedman were among a group of friends who dressed up as women and played in a ladies-only event at Bay101  Furst actually placed fifth.