Upping the Auntie

For now, casual competitive poker fans can name all the female players they know by counting off the fingers on one hand. Let s see, there s Annie Duke, Jennifer Tilly and. . . did I say Annie Duke? Fort Lauderdale, Fla. resident Lauren Failla is trying to change that.

Less than a year ago, she founded the High Heels Poker Tour, a female-only event that aims to give women the opportunity to play for big paydays without the sneers from men in dark sunglasses. My motivation was for women to get the recognition and money they deserve, Failla said. I want the everyday player to have that opportunity.

On Friday, April 4, and Saturday, April 5, the 38-year-old married mother of one is bringing her show to the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in Verona. For $350, players can buy a seat with the hope of taking home some big bucks. Failla didn t start the tour because of some feminist agenda. She just wanted the fairer sex to have a chance to show their stuff in a live game setting. Women s poker is an untapped market, she said. Most choose to play online.



It s in the cards: The inevitability of women invading the formerly male domain of poker becomes evident this weekend at the High Heels Poker Tour event at Turning Stone Resort and Casino. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTO

She admitted that Internet-based playing is great, but there s something special about staring down an opponent face-to-face. We also use the tour as a springboard for coed events. Women are great poker players, too, she added.

Although many High Heels Texas Hold Em events take place in South Florida, the tour will soon make stops in places like New Orleans and Detroit. Failla and Co. have already sponsored two World Series of Poker women s circuit events. They ve also teamed up with businesses like All In Free Poker and Pitbull Poker Tables. The expansion and publicity are efforts to get players like Janis Strope away from the computer and into the casino.

Strope, an Ithaca resident who owns her own pet-sitting business, is one of the many hopefuls making her way to Turning Stone this weekend. I want to win, she said. Sunday s my birthday, so I hope that s my present.

Strope s journey through the world of poker typifies the involvement of many ladies interested in the sport. A player for most of her life, she became serious three years ago when mouse-clicking replaced back-room bets. While government restrictions have chopped down the number of available sites, Strope still places wagers at Full Tilt and Poker Stars. I think it s completely unfair, she said of the limitations. There are no limits on horse races. It s ridiculous.

That s why live tournaments are growing in popularity. For Strope, the two-hour drive to Verona is worth the chance to sit elbow to elbow with some of poker s rising stars. She feels that women have a competitive nature against other women that you can t duplicate online. Friday s opening round will be her first high-stakes casino experience. And, like Failla, she doesn t view the all-ladies circuit as an I-am-woman march on a traditionally male-dominated pastime.

I don t see it as being about equality, she said. I see it as another option: We can do what we want.

So, out of all the casinos in the country, why did Failla choose Turning Stone? You go for locations that have good reputations for being female-friendly, she explained. Turning Stone was very enthusiastic about promoting women s poker.

She believes that some casinos shy away from encouraging ladies to scoot up to the table. Because opening game rooms to new people can only increase profits, it s surprising that more casinos don t welcome women s poker. According to its Web site, Turning Stone withholds 3 percent of all tournament winnings. Factor in the buy-ins from the 50 to 100 players Failla expects to show up, and the numbers speak for themselves.

But this tour isn t about casinos making money (which they would do anyway); it s about women competing with women staring each other down as they try to conceal that perfect hand. And although the poker craze has fizzled somewhat, Failla predicted a bright future for the ladies game. I think any little thing can start a surge, she said. It s just beginning for women s poker.

Jason DiBenedetto, director of poker operations at Turning Stone, said the casino has wanted to hold a women s Texas Hold Em event for some time. When High Heels Poker Tour called us, we thought it would be a good opportunity.

The event begins Friday at noon with registration and a $45 buy-in game for the chance to reserve a seat at the $350 event that kicks off at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning. All the tournament action takes place at Turning Stone Resort and Casino, 5218 Patrick Road, Verona. Free limited seating for the public is available. Call 361-7469 for more information.

Jordan Edwards

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