Many more women are beginning to play poker online and hundreds of women are rising in the ranks as professional poker players.

Poker has traditionally been a male dominated sport. The reasons offered for this are varied. Some people contend that this is because poker is by nature an aggressive game and men tend to possess this personality trait more so then women. Others believe that women were simply never invited to play and subsequently were never really exposed to the game until recently. Today, the game is changing. Many more women are starting to play with a few of them really making a name for themselves. Many poker fans and players from around the world are well aware of female stars such as Annie Duke, Clonie Gowen and Sandra Naujoks. As a sign of the changing times, many of the up-and-coming female players are in their twenties.

Some people believe that the internet has played a major role in the increased numbers of female players. Being able to step out of one’s comfort zone and try a new game can be much less intimidating when sitting behind a computer screen. Also, it is much easier to learn the game then it was 15-20 years ago. There are tons of free websites and online poker schools designed to help interested individuals learn as much as they want. With so many young persons with access and interest in the internet (of both sexes), it is no wonder that many women have taken advantage of these resources.

Today, there are more female poker role models for women. With many poker tournaments being broadcasted on television and females taking prominent roles whether hosting or participating, female viewers are beginning to be able to potentially see themselves in those roles. Annie Duke was recently chosen as a contestant on the Celebrity Apprentice. Many individuals who tuned into this show were not necessarily poker fans. Consequently, females who had never thought about poker as a woman’s game might now think differently.

One of the best things about playing poker, women are quickly discovering, is the potential to make big money. Whether a person plays in live games or online, there is money to be made by people who are serious about the game and who have developed strong skills. With so many online poker websites, it is not incredibly difficult to find weaker players and earn a decent amount of money.

For many years, there was an assumption that women could never be good poker players because they did not have the personality for it. Many thought that women weren’t naturally aggressive enough. Some may have even believed that they weren’t smart enough either. The truth is that there are many different types of women, with some being very aggressive and others not so much. Studies have shown that when compared to men, women may not be as directly aggressive but can be extremely indirectly aggressive and often use this to their advantage when playing. Many are choosing to play online rather then in live tournaments. The anonymity of online poker and the ability to skip playing face-to-face, allows women to be much more aggressive then they might be in person.