Man sparks big debate after entering women’s poker event and wins

A man in Florida has entered a women's poker tournament and won, snaking the USD$5,555 (£4,419, AUD$8,361) kitty from his female opponents.

Dave Hughes, 70, decided to ignore the 'women's-only' caveat and entered the $250 (£198, AUD$376) no-limit Texas Hold’em event at the World Series of Poker’s Ladies event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood.

The event had a total prize pool of up to $17,450 (£13,883, AUD$26,263).

Tournament organizers unable to stop him from playing as Florida casinos are prohibited from banning men from entering women’s tournaments thanks to the state's anti-discrimination laws.

Of the 83 players who signed up to the tournament, Hughes was the only male to enter.

Hughes wound up winning the tournament, defeating Dayanna Ciabaton in the final hand to take home $5,555.

Playing the @WPT ladies event today, and Dave here is the only man. (Filmed w/permission!)

While we appreciate the dead money, I really wish men would get what these events stand for.

So I put a $300 bounty on his head and Tamra & Noah Piderit matched it. 🥳🥳

Let’s get him. pic.twitter.com/dXVZVlriAP

— Ebony Kenney | Poker & Purposeful Pleasure (@Ebony_Kenney) April 29, 2023

And it did not go down well with many.

Professional player Ebony Kenney lashed out at Hughes on social media for entering the women's tournament.

"Playing the World Poker Tour ladies event today, and Dave here is the only man," she wrote.

"While we appreciate the dead money, I really wish men would get what these events stand for."

Professional poker player Charlie Carrel also weighed in.

"It pokes fun at the idea that anybody can identify as a woman and be allowed to enter women’s spaces," she wrote.

"It's a real issue that people are taking advantage of in many different areas, including sports, prisons, and changing areas. This has lead to some horrific repercussions (female inmates being raped in prison, or women getting destroyed in MMA fights by somebody who spent 95% of their life as a man).

1) Hilarious that he won.

2) It pokes fun at the idea that anybody can identify as a woman and be allowed to enter women's spaces.

It's a real issue that people are taking advantage of in many different areas, including sports, prisons, and changing areas. This has lead to… https://t.co/EKgnPgU9sO

— Charlie Carrel (@Charlie_Carrel) April 30, 2023

"It does suck that it comes at the expense of the women's only space. I wouldn't do it, even though I probably share the same criticisms.

She added: "Female only spaces in poker are really needed. Mixed poker can often be absolutely horrendous environments for women to be a part of."

Other states, such as Nevada, also have anti-discrimination legislation that allows men to participate in female-only tournaments.

Some competitions, such as The World Series of Poker, offer a 90 per cent discount for women playing in women's-only events in an attempt to deter men trying to enter.

The World Series of Poker’s Ladies event costs $10,000 (£7,955, AUD$15,052) to buy-in, so that discount is rather significant.

And this isn't the first time a man has bulldozed his way into a women's game.

As per the New York Post, former World Series of Poker champion Abraham Korotki entered the women's-only tournament.

He wound up taking home the pot of $20,982 after defeating his female opponents.