Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman…

[kvnstv]

I usually play on my own accounts on stars or party but a combination of running bad and just feeling like a change saw me log on to Karen’s account on Titan yesterday. For those who have not used this truly awful site (dreadful structure’s, 1000 starting chips in S+G’s and quick clocks in non turbo’s) the avatars are gender specific and coupled with the wife’s girly sounding account name it was obviously a woman playing.

I don’t think I have ever suffered so much unwarranted abuse playing poker and to be honest I’m the annoying type and have been involved in my fair share of online banter (and to be fair, the way I play the abuse is usually deserved). Down to six in a $10 three tables sit and go I flat call from EP with K 10 of hearts, BB and SB call and the flop comes down all hearts. SB pushes all in and of course I call he show’s a queen for top pair and his left crippled. Immediately the abuse starts, ‘typical woman player, playing hand they don’t need to think about’  so I reply back with something like ‘did a lot of thinking with top pair no kicker on a flushing board, didn’t you’ then all of a sudden the whole table starts in on me about playing K 10 from EP and how bad women players are YADA YADA. So the original abuser is on the blind with barely enough to cover it, I have A 7 from EP I raise enough to put him all in and of course he calls, He show A 2 of clubs and hits a flush on river. He immediately starts typing in ‘SCHOOLED U BITCH’ over and over again, I point out that he in fact was a 3/1 underdog and in a terrible spot but the whole table start criticising my play! Very weird.  A hand or so later a small stack moves in and only just covers the blind, I’m on the BB and its something like 200 chips to win a 2.5K point. Instant call for me, I have 3 5 off but river a 5 to take down his AJ shove. The players at the table immediately GG him and start ripping into me for the call! I called the main protagonist’s small stack shove with 3 4 off later on just out of spite and eliminated him and went on to win it quite easily. The guy I called with 3 4 proceeded to follow me around calling me all the worst types of thing’s you can say to a lady!

The whole thing was very strange; I started another tournament and flopped a boat with K 10 again in an un-raised pot. I check expecting action behind or hoping to let them catch up a little bit. No biters but an ace falls on the turn, lovely. I weak lead out and get re-raised by a straight, I put him all in (with the structure on Titan the re-raise committed him anyway) and he calls. The abuse starts again straight away, ‘Slow playing beyatch’  ‘lucky donkey’. I spend the rest of the tournament just bullying them around and taking there abuse but only finish second.

Found playing as a woman a little disquieting, I generally found players respected my raises more but tried harder to bully me of pots when they where involved. Also found the abuse appalling might just be the site (Titan being the last refuge of the damned) but Karen has always told me she has to put up with quite a lot of verbal. She also said she does not get quite the level of abuse I managed to achieve!

[boldie]

I don't understand why you would have chat switched on when you get abuse like that.

Of course it's bang out of order and I have never seen anything like that on bet365 where I do most of my playing but why not switch chat off?

[Sheriff Fatman]

The irony for me is that when I see a female avatar with a female name sat at a table I generally picture a 400lb bearded redneck with a name such as Billy Bob as being the person behind it!

Assuming that a female looking player is actually female is normally a good sign of a bad player!  I'd be inclined to search out these players (and then switch off their chat!)

Sheriff

[kvnstv]

I was speaking to the wife as I mentioned and she said the abuse I sufferd was a lot worse than usual. She had a theory that it might have been caused by a combination of a me playing a very agressive game (although limping with suited K 10 short handed does not sound to agressive I was playing quite a high tempo game) and the time of the day 10am (early hours in the states) and drunk men not taking kindly to being pushed around by a woman.

[Claw75]

I've been on the receiving end of this a lot, and posted something about it recently. 

I usually ignore it, but there does seem to be this group mentality where if one starts with the sexist comments they all join in.  A guy got upset with me the other day for check/calling his all-in with top pair/top kicker with a flopped set and said something like "forgot i was playing a female hoping to get lucky".  he carried on a bit and I ignored it (as I generally do).  A few hands later the short stack (who had been silent in chat) went all in and I called with AK, and hit one or the other to beat his pp.  I said something like "ul gg" and got the reply "f***ing lucky bitch".  I wondered if he would have said that if the other guy hadn't started up in the first place.

That's just the most recent example but, sadly, I find it all too common - I probably come across a similar situation about once a week. 

I have seriously considered changing my profile so I look male, but I don't see why I should just because of a minority of ignorant players.

[thetank]

To be fair claw, the abuse you get could be nothing to do with gender.

It might just be coz you're a big fizzy fish. 

[Claw75]

To be fair claw, the abuse you get could be nothing to do with gender.

It might just be coz you're a big fizzy fish. 

fair point

[matt674]

pppppfffffffffftttttttttttttttt!!!!

You think its hard being a woman in poker, you should try being a monkey!!

Its none stop abuse from the word go and thats usually from my "best friend" in poker BigArmo - then the rest of the table goes to town on me!!

you got it easy i tell ya

[suzanne]

I too often get abuse at the table for being a female but I have found Titan to be the worse by far. It got so bad I actually stopped playing there. I am all up for a bit of table banter but these guys cross the line big time.

[ifm]

I don't remember getting abuse at a table (apart from Mugly of course ) and i have played under my daughters name for a very long time on most sites.
Even playing like a nutter at times doesn't draw out the abuse
I've been chatted up a few times though

[Ginger]

I agree that Titan are bad for the abuse, but the bad players more than make up for it 

[thetank]

Good point Ginger

Folk who give abuse generally arn't making too many cash outs. (with the possible exception of the famous Dale)

[Claw75]

I don't remember getting abuse at a table (apart from Mugly of course ) and i have played under my daughters name for a very long time on most sites.
Even playing like a nutter at times doesn't draw out the abuse
I've been chatted up a few times though

perhaps it's because of your 'sexy' avatar.  Maybe I'll try that one for a bit!

[Ironside]

hey your lucky i got a stalker in the APAt event on stars and he threaten to kick my head in at the next live event

problem is everyone knows who i am i have to go round looking for some lanky lad who might jump me from behind

[turny]

funny that i see the title of this thread and thought it mustve been written by flushy