Poker should be the ultimate equalizer, but sexism often lurks beneath the surface, taking various forms, including creating narratives that perpetuate harmful stereotypes. PokerNews organization stooped to a new low, flagrantly exploiting women for clickbait with their latest attempt to stay relevant by publishing an article about the Wynn Classic Ladies event.

This so-called “article,” which seems more like a thinly veiled promotion for their podcast, was released on June 21, 2024, under the misleading title ’15-Way Chop in Wynn Ladies Event Sparks Debate’. It is evident that Pokernews only became interested in covering the ladies event when they saw an opportunity to garner more attention and publicity due to its controversial nature.

The $600 No Limit Hold’em Ladies event at the Wynn Summer Classic is a significant poker event meant to celebrate women and kick off Ladies Week. Women from around the world come to participate in this week. There were 209 female players, and the total prize pool was $107,635. Out of these players, the top 27 won cash prizes, and the final 15 reached an agreement using the Independent Chip Model (ICM).

ICM chops are a very common part of poker. While researching this topic, Women Poker News found it challenging to locate professional players without involvement in an ICM chop. Established brands such as UP Swing Poker and Pokercoaching.com profit from teaching how to negotiate ICM chops, which is widely considered smart tournament play. The general rule for ICM chops is that they need to make sense, be situational, and come into play after the bubble. Considering these factors, the chop in question meets all the criteria.

Instead of celebrating these women for negotiating a smart ROI, PokerNews decided to be antagonistic by highlighting a social media post from a popular, outspoken player, Lindsay Kludt, also known as @Lindseyisrad. In her post, Kludt suggested that because of the number of women who decided to chop, it could hurt women’s image and their credibility as serious competitors.


However, her statement was broad and without merit, as a quick bit of research would have shown that many of these women are veteran players and beasts of the felt. The field included legendary women such as the title winner Lisa Childers, who binked her second large cash this year. Icon JJ Lui, an accomplished player with an impeccable fashion sense, has earned an impressive $3,839,457 in live cash reported on Hendon Mob. International player Siriwan Sukmekerd $393,510 in live cashes. Lena Evans, Poker League of Nations (PLON) owner, and former Women’s Poker Association (WPA) board members Theresa Hatcher and Leslie Grodin all cashed in at this event.

Although Kludt later apologized for her remarks and acknowledged their lack of inclusivity, the damage had already been done. PokerNews exploited her and capitalized on this narrative, fueled by sexist undertones, to draw listeners to their podcast “The Muck” through a shameful promotion that was cleverly disguised as a news article. This blatant disregard for the achievements and capabilities of women in poker is a clear example of the sexism that still pervades the industry.

The article concludes with a sensational video title screen that intentionally widens the divide and misleads its audience. The staged image depicts Chad Holloway looking shocked and pulling out his hair because the woman decided to chop the tournament. Ironically, besides being the podcast host, he holds the Public Relations & Media Manager position at PokerNews. He should be more aware of the negative impact on women in the game and, above all, manipulative tactics to captivate his audience.

In the podcast episode of The Muck, the host Chad Holloway kicks off with a series of self-promotions and introductions of his co-hosts, Conner Richards and Kyle Anderson, before delving into the discussion. Their opening statement, “The audience is here to hear three men talking about a ladies event,” followed by a feeble attempt at fairness by mentioning a female co-host who was unable to participate due to illness, rings hollow. It is clear that true fairness was never on their agenda, and their attempt to appear balanced is nothing more than a facade.

Neither the article nor the podcast made any effort to include input from any of the 15 women involved in the chop. This glaring omission underscores the need for genuine interest in their perspectives. During the podcast, the hosts acknowledged that there have been larger chops in poker history and that an ICM chop is a common practice in today’s game. Given that it was ladies week, they could have easily found women to provide a female perspective on the matter, but they chose not to, further highlighting the lack of female representation in poker media.

While attempting to backtrack, the hosts tried to create the illusion that they were concerned about these women missing out on valuable experience. However, they failed to delve into the accomplishments and successes of the final 15 women, instead glossing over their achievements. They did not use their platform to discuss the unfair bias that seems to be that if men do an ICM chop, they are smart, GTO, and well-studied, while women deciding to do the same are perceived as weak.

In a twist of irony, hours after filming “The Muck” Podcast at Level 9 Studios in Las Vegas, our podcast, The Real Poker Girls Of Las Vegas‘ was recorded in the same studio where my co-hosts Tatiana Fox and Lupe Soto focus on the experiences and perspectives of women in the poker. During our preproduction meeting, Tatiana Fox mentioned that PokerNews had covered the chop, but at that time, neither Lupe nor I fully grasped the extent of the harm caused by PokerNews. The topic of chopping was indeed pertinent to the conversation, yet the responses would likely have been markedly different had we been aware of the misogynistic content promoted by PokerNews.

Even though PokerNews staff members have openly acknowledged that they are brand ambassadors rather than journalists, this does not justify their unethical methods of leveraging negative biases to promote their brand in a harmful manner. Such behavior not only diminishes the accomplishments and talents of women in the poker community but also perpetuates the normalization of sexism within the industry. It is crucial for media outlets and brands to be held responsible for their conduct and to actively strive towards advancing gender equality and inclusivity in their coverage and marketing efforts.