Wednesday, July 13, 2005

More Women Than Men Play Online?

Quick post here, looking for feedback. There's an article in today's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that says more women play poker and gamble online than men. A quote from the lead-in blurb states "women now outnumber the guys at Internet casinos...". I don't believe it. I don't believe that more women gamble online than men. I have no evidence to support this conclusion than my own experience, so I throw the question out there to the world and ask, what do you think?

I ask in part because in my latest column at Barstool Sports I say that I hope a woman wins this year's Main Event because it might bring a massive influx of new female players to the game. The article in the P-G says I'm behind the curve. I don't buy it.

For those of you who aren't much interested in my poker thoughts, the girl on the cover is yet again very easy on the eyes. If you like lissome, bikinied blonde ex-Patriot cheerleaders, you are in luck.

Think ESPN is happy with how the Main Event is shaping up for them? Raymer chip leader after Day 3 (and still very much in the hunt), Mike Matusow 2nd in chips and no doubt behaving like a Red Bull-addled Tasmanian Devil. And looming like a big...looming thing, the preternaturally calm figure of Phil Ivey, who's only the Best Poker Player On The Planet Earth.

Lots of folks have mentioned the fact that Jay Lovinger is about done writing his column for ESPN's Page 2, and in general the response has been a hearty good riddance. Not me. I wanted more from Jackpot Jay's column--the fact that he was stamped with the ESPN imprimateur gave him access and opportunities beyond the mere blogger--but too many of his columns reminded me of blog posts I'd read (and written) a hundred times before. His "Toxic Mailbag" columns at times seemed an exercise in self-flagellation--after one I emailed him that he should publish the 10 most noxious screeds and at the end write, "Fuck all of you, I'm gonna play and write what I want".

But if I'm jealous that he got such a tasty gig, well, tough luck for Mean Gene. And after reading about the brutal year Lovinger had, I can't help but feel bad for the guy. He started strong...and then went into a 10-month death spiral. Everyone goes through adversity playing poker, but that monkey got on his back and would not hop off. Some of the reasons I can understand--he played a lot against professionals and got his lunch handed to him. Some of the reasons I can't--he complained over and over that he couldn't beat online games, yet I don't think he ever played at Party Poker, the online version of the Tsukiji Fish Market. Game selection, it would seem, was an issue not properly addressed.

So I, for one, will not pillory Jackpot Jay for reaching beyond his grasp, if that's the phrase I'm looking for. The column could've been better, should've been better, and I would've given up sizable chunks of my body and one or two mid-level organs to have the assignment, but I think there was a wee bit of piling on at the end. Mean Gene does not pile on. It is beneath him. Mean Gene gets in a quick kick to the nuts and then runs away to hide.

posted by Gene @ 10:03 AM   |