As the ladies’s occasion unfolds at this yr’s PokerStars European Poker Tour Monte-Carlo pageant, one noticeable absence is Spanish poker participant Soraya Estrada. Although she’s not on the desk this time, it isn’t for lack of enthusiasm. She’s simply busy operating deep within the EPT Monte-Carlo Open Cup.
A former EPT Ladies’s Occasion champion, having taken down final yr’s instalment at EPT Barcelona, Estrada holds a deep appreciation for women-only tournaments and the significance they’ve throughout the reside poker schedule.
“I actually love taking part in the ladies’s occasion,” Estrada says. “It is normally such a pleasant atmosphere. I do know some women are taking part in for the primary time, so we attempt to assist with all the things – whether or not it is understanding the foundations or working with the sellers. It is a pleasant atmosphere. We’re affected person. It is an amazing place to begin.”
These occasions aren’t only a first step for gamers aspiring to enter bigger, mixed-gender fields, additionally they supply an area the place many ladies really feel snug merely having fun with the sport.
“We’re all completely able to taking part in with males, with as much as eight different males on the desk,” says Estrada. “However some ladies simply wish to play the ladies’s occasion as a result of that is the place they really feel good. And that is advantageous.”
Nonetheless, the gender hole in poker stays seen, particularly because the buy-ins improve. Estrada believes the problem is not nearly talent or curiosity.
“Socially and emotionally, ladies typically method cash in a different way. It may be tougher to view poker as an funding and to separate emotions from monetary swings. That is a barrier.”
Regardless of the challenges, she stays optimistic. “There’s numerous work being executed by ladies in poker. There are numerous sponsored ladies in poker, and so they’re making an attempt to succeed in totally different audiences – not simply feminine audiences – and encourage others to play.”
As for her personal journey, Estrada stays grounded and passionate. “After all I need a massive title – that is what everybody needs,” she says. “However what I really need is to maintain taking part in. I will be completely happy so long as I can maintain coming to tournaments.”
“I keep in mind taking part in on the Irish Open in Dublin, within the Mini Principal Occasion, and I misplaced an enormous pot and somebody requested me why I nonetheless seemed completely happy. I advised them, ‘I am completely happy as a result of I am nonetheless right here. I am nonetheless taking part in.’ That is an important factor.”
Estrada hopes that when the day comes she stops taking part in, it is as a result of she chooses to, not as a result of she has to. “If I can maintain taking part in, I do know the outcomes will come. Whether or not it is in Dublin, Monte-Carlo or wherever else – I will be prepared.”
Will Shillibier
Managing Editor
