Wow.  All I can say so far is that I have been getting some really insightful and considered input on the women and poker front.  And I can see this might turn into a series of separate entries on Women’s tournaments, cultural acceptance, mentoring, marketing, sports participation, and competitive drive.

While I want some more input before I start to sort this all out, I thought I’d just give a brief update on the kind of input I’ve gotten so far.

I'm getting a fair amount of input, mostly, but not exclusively, from the guys, along the lines of "Men are from Mars.  Women are from Venus."   In fact, I’m now thinking of writing my own book, "If There Weren't Some Women on Mars, There Wouldn't be Any Men" or "Men are from Mars.  Women are from Venus.  And Women Poker Players are from Pluto." The basis for this argument mostly revolves different priorities between men and women; with the observation that women have stronger urges and responsibilities on the home front.  But I was glad to see this wasn't just a “barefoot and pregnant” argument, as many of the guys conceded that there were able, aggressive, and competitive women out there that just haven’t used poker or other games/sports as their outlet. Both men and women noted the number of women channeling those skills in the workplace.  And many of the guys mentioned that women would have an edge if they would exploit their "differences" on the felt.  Again, I was impressed by the thoughtful and considered approach of the input so far.  But of course, I am greedy and I want more!!

I was happy to see this theme get picked up by other bloggers.  I noticed that Lou Krieger has weighed in with discussion on his blog.  And it reminded me that the first exchange that Lou and I ever had was about a post I had made about the menstrual cycle and poker.  This was definately TMI for most guys.  But Lou's response was a pithy, “With all my experience in poker, yours was a post I can honestly say I had no information, no logic, no insights, no wisdom, and nothing intelligent to contribute.  My conclusion is that I don’t know any more about women now, than I did when I was 14.”  A friendship was born.

On the woman blogging front, I saw that change100 had a brilliant and candid post on her site.  I think when you read that, you really sense that even if women are in the minority, they are out there and ready to do what it takes to get the job done. 

Another woman emailed in, mentioning one of my pet peeves.  Have you ever noticed that even when sites have forum headings, "women and poker," it is filled with posts by guys wanting to discuss "the hottest women in poker?"

But to continue on the blogger input, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that mine wasn't the first blog to comment on the McManus article.  And if I thought my reaction was a little on the knee jerk side, AlCantHang’s knee was aimed squarely at Jim’s balls.  His response can be found here.

OK folks.  Like I said, I am a greedy thing and want more input – from both the guys and gals on this issue.  I would also like to hear from women who haven't caught the poker bug.  So guys, if you’ve got spouses or girlfriends (too much to ask?) that don’t get the poker thing, I'd be interested in their perspective, as well.

amy@pokerpages.com