David Hughes: Bearded man, 70, stirs outrage after winning women-only poker tournament in Florida
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA: A 70-year-old bearded man has sparked outrage after winning a women’s poker tournament in Florida on Sunday, April 30. David Hughes, from Deltona, Florida, was the only man to participate in a $250 buy-in 'Ladies No-limit Hold’em' event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Hughes, who was photographed taking part in the ladies' tournament, took home a whopping $5,555 after defeating 82 other contestants, including poker player Dayanna Ciabaton, who came in second. The entry fee was $10,000, with women receiving a 90% discount to discourage men from attending, according to New York Post. Hughes is thought to have been allowed to play in the Texas Hold'em event for women because of Florida's anti-discrimination laws. Per the legislation, the state's casinos cannot ban men from entering a women’s tournament. Other states, such as Nevada, also do not prohibit men from competing in women's tournaments, according to DailyMail.
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70 year old Dave entered a World Poker Tour Ladies Event at the Seminole Hard Rock.
— KMart (@KevinRobMartin) April 30, 2023
The ladies + Internet gathered a $2k + bounty on him.
He went on to win it...he is the ladies event champion.
Thoughts on this whole thing? pic.twitter.com/B2JoBOtStB
'The insanity'
Hughes’ disregard for the all-female competition has sparked a wave of outrage from his fellow competitors. After he reached the final, professional player Ebony Kenney, who was also participating in the event, recorded him sitting in a room full of ladies. “We have Dave here and I don’t know if you can tell, he is the only guy in this ladies’ event,” Kenney said in the video that she posted on her Twitter handle. “So I put a $300 (£239) bounty on his head and then Tara (another contestant) matched it, so there is a $600 (£478) bounty on his head. He’s already busted twice, so we thank him for that, thank you, Dave.”
Playing the @WPT ladies event today, and Dave here is the only man. (Filmed w/permission!)
— Ebony Kenney | Poker & Purposeful Pleasure (@Ebony_Kenney) April 29, 2023
While we appreciate the dead money, I really wish men would get what these events stand for.
So I put a $300 bounty on his head and Tamra & Noah Piderit matched it. 🥳🥳
Let’s get him. pic.twitter.com/dXVZVlriAP
Other professional poker players, such as Charlie Carrel, also took to Twitter to express their disapproval. “It pokes fun at the idea that anybody can identify as a woman and be allowed to enter women’s spaces. It does suck that it comes at the expense of the women’s only space. I wouldn’t do it,” the British player wrote, adding, “It does speak loudly to the insanity that’s playing out on a larger scale. Female-only spaces in poker are needed. Mixed poker can often be horrendous environment for women to be a part of.”
1) Hilarious that he won.
— Charlie Carrel (@Charlie_Carrel) April 30, 2023
2) It pokes fun at the idea that anybody can identify as a woman and be allowed to enter women's spaces.
It's a real issue that people are taking advantage of in many different areas, including sports, prisons, and changing areas. This has lead to… https://t.co/EKgnPgU9sO
'Looking for attention'
Poker Hall of Famer Linda Johnson said via Poker News, “I love ladies-only poker tournaments. I would have no problem with them having a men’s only and I wouldn’t enter it as I would not qualify for it. They are usually looking for attention, so why give it to them? Maybe we should just ignore them and play our best. This is just my two cents and you are welcome to your own thoughts on this.” However, Hughes isn’t the first man to participate and win a women’s poker tournament. Former World Series of Poker (WSOP) champion Abraham Korotki entered a $300 buy-in competition at the Borgata Poker Open in Atlantic City in 2009.