These women who are gaining chips!

For many men, playing poker against a woman is far from fun. Too unpredictable, too cautious, sometimes even too charming; women players use everything they can to beat their appointments. It's a woman's world now!

For those of you who still think that poker is a man’s game, invite a woman to play with you and you will not be disappointed…Even if there have not yet been enough women to really break into the middle of the poker scene, they have over time become as experienced and capable as men. The reasons for this are multiple, for example the explosion of the poker hold’em phenomenon, the opening of women only tournaments and the media’s promotion of American female players such as Jennifer Woods or even Kathy Liebert as well as the coaches of the Hollywood stars such as the actor James Woods. Women have in the past won a tournament called “the battle of the sexes”. This is proof that even in poker, ladies and kings do not always get on well.

Partouche Poker Tour has its princesses

In France, there are still no international “poker ladies” like Shannon Elizabeth or Liz Lieu, but their presence as talented players in the Partouche Poker Tour is helping to counter balance this. At the first Super Satellite of the season in Pasino de Saint-Amand-les-Eaux, there were certain women who brilliantly stood out, such as the gorgeous actress Alice Taglioni who gave one of the best female performances of the tournament and who was only eliminated just before reaching one of the qualifying places. The Swiss woman Margareth Kuno became the first female player to qualify for Cannes finishing 26th at the Super Satellite in Divonne after a superb run. Of course there are not as many female players as there are male. 9 out of 334 players at Saint-Armand and 6 out of 347 players at Divonne. But this did not stop them from lighting up the evening with wins that were each more spectacular than the last. When watching them play, one might wonder if it is the female nature in general that helps their poker talent. Whether it is bluffing, intuition or prudence; they have formidable skills.

“The majority of “winning” players are not effected by the physical appearance of their opponents” - Liz Lieu

So formidable are these female players that men don’t loose in the same way against them. This is a problem in the unmerciful world of poker: do women just play differently or do men insist on reading them differently? Both questions can be answered. But in this Valentines period, the gorgeous and talented Liz Lieu thinks that certain men play differently against women and it is these men that sometime make bad decisions. In an interview with our colleagues from pokernews, she adds that male players will do anything to eliminate female players before they take their money. According to the American champion, this is an error: “From my observations, I have noticed that the majority of “winning” players are not affected by the physical appearance of their opponents, no matter what their sex, age or race is. But if the fact that you are a woman gives you an advantage, grab it!”

They are ready for anything!

According to Liz Lieu, some men insist on playing differently against women. Various testimonies from players, taken throughout the tournament, claim that this is because men and women play the game differently. According to these testimonies, women place more importance on intuition than men do. Some even take big risks, often after the flop, where they will persuade themselves that on the Turn or the River a combination will arise to make them win. They also equally claim that women will do anything to win a game; they have the use of their charm and can be more tolerant and restrained. In effect, despite that there are more men in the cruel world of poker than women, the women feel like they are at home around the table. So good are they that they can take the taunts and jibes of other players better and do not unnecessarily loose their chips under the pressure of “if you don’t have it, leave the table!” Female players never get worn down.


INTERVIEW
Margareth Kuno, the iron woman!

Margareth Kuno is the first woman in the Partouche Poker Tour to qualify for the Main Event in Cannes. This Swiss woman, originally from Hungary, finished 26th out of 347 participants after a magnificent run. In her first big tournament, Margareth has proved that women have a place around the poker table. Unassuming and mysterious, she talks about her very first time.

Hi Margareth, so how does it feel to be the first female player to win a place for the Main Event in Cannes?
I am very proud to have got this far. It proves that all other women can also get here. I am also extremely happy to go to Cannes! It was my main aim for my first big tournament. I have never been there so I am very excited to explore the town and the Palm Beach.

As your first big tournament, how have you found this Super Satellite at Divonne-les-Bains?
Very exciting and very nerve wracking! I heard about Partouche Poker Tour on the radio and I said that I would participate in it. I registered for a satellite tournament in Divonne and I qualified, it was as simple as that. Next I found myself here in this huge room, it was really awesome.

How long have you played poker for?
I started to play closed poker privately with friends about 5 years ago. I started to play Texas hold’em only a year ago. The first time that I played for money, I had such an adrenaline rush and really strong feelings, things that I had never experienced before. I liked it straight away.

And how much adrenaline will you have at the Main Event in Cannes? 2,000,000 are in play!
Olalla…I don’t want to think about it (laughs).

CLOSE UP:
Margareth Kuno was knocked out by one of the seven Divonne Super Satellite finalists, Jonathan Khalifa. They found themselves locked in a game between just the two of them where at the end Jonathan Khalifa had the last word. This is what happened:

The blinds were 6,000 and 12,000. Margareth had no more chips and had no other option than to go all in with . Everyone folded except Jonathan Khalifa, the chipleader at the table. “The man of aces” as Margareth likes to call him, put down . Several matches had already been played in the past between the two young players, all in good humor, but this ultimate head to head ended this love affaire.

The Flop:
Khalifa had a pair. But Kuno could still get a flush.
The Turn and the River:
The Turn and the River gave Jonathan Khalifa a full house. The man from Casino le Pharaon in Lyon eliminated the last women left in the Divonne Super Satellite with an impressive full house.