PokerStars Joins Forces with Poker Power to Give Women More Opportunities in Poker – Currently Just 4% of Players are Women

Leading global online gambling and entertainment brand PokerStars has today announced it has partnered with women-led organisation Poker Power. The first initiative the power duo will launch together is a poker bootcamp aimed at women with a keen interest in the game who want to strengthen their skills and evolve their experience. The initiative and partnership is a key part of PokerStars’ commitment to the growth of the game and to supporting women in poker, encouraging more to sit down and have fun at the tables, as well as ensuring all players have a comfortable and safe place to play whether live or online. The news also follows recent research that has highlighted the stark gender gap still within the game – with just 4% of the 100 million players in the world being women.

PokerStars has teamed up with Poker Power to help women build their confidence and skills in the game as part of a stream of activity focused on highlighting women in poker and presenting more opportunities both for women already active within the community, and for women who would like to be a part of it. The four-week bootcamp will see novice women players around the globe learn gameplay skills that translate to real world success including negotiation, strategic decision-making and capital allocation. The curriculum will include practice sessions on Poker Powers’ teaching app, Poker Power Play, as well as specialised tournaments and home games at PokerStars. Modules are tied to themes of confidence, boldness, determination, perception and discipline.

Rebecca McAdam Willetts, Director of Partnerships, PR and Consumer Engagement said: “We’re incredibly excited to join forces with such a progressive organisation like Poker Power. They are the perfect partner to collaborate with on this project as the work they do with women in poker transcends the gaming table – their programmes teach skills of strategy and leadership that can be applied to the boardroom and beyond.

“Despite some great progress over the years, we know there’s still a long road ahead to make poker more inclusive, but a lot can be done when we row in the same direction together. We also know women-only events and activities are not for everyone, but we’ve listened to players and this is one of many activities we have planned that comes from direct feedback. These bootcamps are an essential first opportunity to pique interest in women who have never played the game before and to motivate those that play poker, to continue to evolve their skills and gain confidence at the tables. We’re committed to making poker as inclusive and accessible for everyone and it’s our mission to create equal opportunities and a safe space for the poker community.”

Erin Lydon, Managing Director, and General Manager of Poker Power added: “We are honoured to be working with PokerStars on this milestone project. PokerStars shares our strategic mission and vision for the future of women in poker – and it’s thrilling to curate a special bootcamp with PokerStars that will encourage more women to join this amazing sport. Our mission at Poker Power is to teach one million women business and life skills through the game of poker.

“Our four-week course will not just teach women about poker but equip them with important life skills that can be applied to business, parenthood and general life.

“I hope through this partnership, we can create more opportunities for women, and that perceptions of poker will begin to shift and more women will feel empowered and safe to step up to the gaming table.”

The bootcamp will run for four weeks and the participants will be further supported by one-on-one tutorials with PokerStars’ Ambassadors including Jennifer Shahade, GJ Reggie and Lali Tournier to help prepare the women to play to win a place at a special event at European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague event. Participants were selected for the bootcamp via an anonymous survey. The individuals surveyed had limited poker ability and a keen interest in a poker related bootcamp to further their learning and knowledge of the game.

Further tools such as PokerStars Learn  will be available 24/7 for participants to advance their skills in their own time, enabling them to learn hand rankings and familiarise themselves with the format of online poker, for those who haven’t played before or for those in need of a refresher session.

Following the four-week programme, the participants will have the chance to play for a Platinum Pass at EPT Prague (December 7-18, 2022) and join recent female Platinum Pass winners, including Giada Fang and Rishya Iyer, in the Bahamas.

A Platinum Pass includes:

• Buy-in to the $25,000 PSPC, taking place in the Bahamas in January 2023
• Six nights of hotel accommodation for the winner and a guest in a 5-star hotel
• Airport transfers
• $1,900 expense money
• Platinum Pass Winner experiences during the event