In writing the latest article about Annette's huge win I was thinking about what effect it will have on the participation of women in poker.

I wanted to make the claim that this was the first ever NLHE win by a woman in an open field. (WSOP)

I was mighty close, but then I found this:

1. Aubrey Day

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=4 width="100%" align=center bgColor=#b0b3b7 border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=center bgColor=#edf3f9><TD>1978 9th Annual World Series of Poker
No Limit Hold'em (Event 5)
$1,000 buy-in</TD><TD align=middle>5/11/1978</TD><TD align=middle>1st</TD><TD align=middle>$42,600</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
It was a winner take all event too! (45 players)

So that's one FIRST that Annette can't claim, but there are plenty of others.

What effect do you think her win will have on the numbers of women participating in poker over the next few years?

the WSOPE needs to be broadcasted on ESPN

Annette needs to be marketted properly.

In europe it's already done, this will have a great effect.

In the US, they need to get her on Leno and Letterman, and tell her story. Then you'd start to see some interest! They have stuff like this on late night talk shows all the time, and her story is very intriguing even to a non-poker audience.

amarillo slim once said that he would slit his own throat if a woman ever won the main event

The problem is her age, you can send her to Leno and tell her story, but its going to be another two years until she can actually play in America, so im not sure if that may hold her back abit.

Great article Lenny! And for the record, I am not a feminist and I hate that movement with a passion - there is no way I am burning my pretty braws. As for being a woman who plays poker, something very favorable can be said about being underestimated. However, I won't say it (eventho I <3 it). Annette rulez - that's all that needs to be said. ;-)

Last night during the F.T. broadcast of Raymer's win Tom McEvoy didn't even know that the winner of WSOPE was a women! When he was told by his sidekick he didn't even recognize who she was. Embarrassing for pokerstars as he again was told she plays "night and day" on their site. He still didn't rocognize who she was! Another example of the old pro's ( who are on contract for an online site ) discounting the accomplishments of top online players through pure ignorance .

(this is mrtimcaum on randal's laptop)

im about 99% sure aubrey day is a guy (or was a guy, could very well be dead by now)

I'm sure also MTC. I found this...

"In 1969 Tom Moore bought the Holiday Hotel in Reno and held what he called "The Texas Gamblers Reunion." Essentially a who's who of the gambling fraternity, including Benny and Jack Binion, and several of the Texas Rounders - Amarillo Slim Preston, Doyle Brunson, Treetop Straus, Johnny Moss, "Corky" McCorquodale, <span>Aubrey Day</span>, Puggy Pearson, Jimmy Casella, Bill Boyd, Syd Wyman, Long Diddie, and Jimmy the Greek. Even Minnesota Fats, who was in town giving a pool exhibition showed up."

There's no way a woman was part of the gambling fraternity in the late 60s and early 70s. The culture then just wouldn't have allowed it.

I dont think having her come onto Leno or Lettermen, or even having her profiled on ESPN would telling her story would be such a good idea.

Just think about this for a minute people.. she tells her story of how she started at 15, which is illegal in all online poker sites. With the online poker trying to get legislated here in the states, do you really think it would be a good idea to market her here in the US with her telling how she got started? I don't think it would be a good idea.

You cant play in the WSOP until your 21 and while some of you will use Ivey as a reference when he sneaked into AC casino's to play while underage, please keep in mind the new tax law that went into affect. If someone wins more than 5k and has to fill out tax forms and they have a fake id, then that person isn't getting a dime of that money.

I honestly dont think her win is going to have any affect at all here in the states other than underage kids playing on poker sites even more so then they are now. I could also see it being a negative influence to be honest. If her story airs on ESPN, and kids see how successful she has been online before she graduated HS, how many kids are going to think they can accomplish what she has online wise and give up on the idea of going to college?

Im not trying to slam anything here and I think her win is absolutely fantastic. I could see it as def. bringing out more women to play. Double edge sword here.

In Europe though, it could be huge if they are marketing her properly.

i dont think its going to have the effect people think. If you dont hang out on poker forums like this everyday, you wouldnt even know who annette is, which is the majority of casual players on stars and other sites. these casual players are the people that your talking about coming to poker now because of annettes win. I play homes games with guys that play casually, due to life outside (wife,girlfriend, etc..) of poker, these guys could take a look at the leaderboeard and not have a clue who these players are, and could care less. I agrre with last post, wsope does not compare to wsop in vegas. I really hope that espn picks it up, it would be nice to see, but i think if ESPN was going to they would have planned for it and you would see thier presence thier, just my thoughts.

Ken Smith, Gabe Kaplan and Barbara Freer (the first woman player).

<sup id="_ref-UNLV_2">
<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978_World_Series_of_Poker#_note-UNLV" title="">t says this on wikipedia for tthe 1978 wsop. so aubrey day probably isn't a woman too.
</a></sup>

Thanks for the follow-up, I was pretty sure Aubrey Day wasn't a female as well...but someone would have to ask the likes of Doyle, Gabe Kaplan, Amarillo Slim or Mickey Appleman to know for sure.

Honestly I don't think it would be smart for ESPN or anyone to market Annette's win that much in the United States. If Annette is marketed hard, every interview she does will inevitably turn to the fact that she has been doing this since she was 16 (or whatever age she was, as she was obviously underage). In the United States this will give the opponents of internet gambling the easiest fuel ever in their continuing fight to stop online poker.

Edit: I just read mesa's response and I said the same thing as him.

Yeah, Aubrey is not necessarily a female name. Take for example, former Tampa Bay Devil Ray and current Baltimore Oriole Aubrey Huff. I can assure you, he's a guy.