The Ladies Diamond Poker Club specializes in all-female events throughout the country. Founded by John George and political consultant turned poker aficionado Nancy Todd Tyner, the Club now has its sights set on the World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Rio and events at other Harrah’s properties. Poker News Daily sat down with George to learn more about the Ladies Diamond Poker Club.
Poker News Daily: Talk about the development of the Ladies Diamond Poker Club.
George: Ladies tournaments are a little bit different than typical events. They play differently. They have social aspects. Our Club is focused on providing a forum to allow women who are new to poker the opportunity to get involved and start playing. The fastest growing demographic in poker is women. It’s one that we’ve targeted and our response has been 2,500 to 3,000 ladies logging into our website each week. We’re about ready to expand into several hundred markets.
PND: Members of the Ladies Diamond Poker Club are slated to receive one share of stock each. What’s involved in making that a reality?
George: We’ve gotten the approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission. They just wanted to make sure that we’re not selling stock. Instead, we are giving it away with a membership. I want people to understand they’re getting a membership and the stock is just a bonus. If people have ownership in an organization, it will perpetuate itself much further than if you are an employee and the company calls the shots. Our ladies already feel like they have ownership. They’ve felt that way by the sheer fact that they’ve become members. We’ve even had members ask to put our membership links on their personal websites.
PND: What learning and developing opportunities do you offer for aspiring female players?
George: We start with the very basics. Part of the membership is our newsletters. We try to have them encompass many levels of players. The first newsletter is basic. It tells people who don’t understand poker how to play. It takes years to develop the game and even the pros will tell you they’re still learning. The newsletter also includes poker tips from Nancy Todd Tyner, who equates life circumstances with playing poker and gives a whole new perspective to different ladies.
PND: Talk about the turnout at the events held so far. Are there any rule differences or prize structures that make them unique?
George: We’ve held a few test tournaments and have casinos waiting for us to book dates from Florida to Canada. These events are geared towards providing a practice run for those entering the world of tournament poker. The ladies love the fact that there are a bunch of other women in it. I hand out prizes, make jokes, and these ladies laugh their heads off. If they have fun in a tournament, they’ll come back for more. It’s entertainment and that’s our emphasis. At the end of the day, 100% of the ladies walk out with prizes. We have fire alert stickers, candles that provide different fragrances, and always tie in the local spa. We’ve given away manicures, pedicures, and hotel rooms. We’ve given out all sorts of candy. Psychologically, a prize has a lot of value. We had 50% of the ladies walk away with cash, but we’re changing that to 20% for future events.
PND: What charities does the Ladies Diamond Poker Club support and why?
George: There are three different charities: the Children’s Heart Institute Fund, the Hat Box Foundation, and the Hayden Scholarship Foundation. We take $1 out of every buy-in and split it among the charities. If we could give more, we certainly would.
PND: Talk about reaching out to WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment CEO Mitch Garber. What message would you like to pass onto them?
George: They’re in the world of entertainment and we happen to have a niche. Women are the fastest growing segment in poker. Part of their mission statement is that they’re exploring new areas of gaming. We happen to be getting such a huge response that I don’t think anyone would have envisioned. The women are passionate and it would be nice to partner with a company like Harrah’s to support the ladies. They have a fun and if people are entertained, they’ll come back time and time again.
When Nancy and I first met in Las Vegas, the idea that started this was to get our Ladies Diamond Poker Club Tournaments on television. I remember expressing to the table that, to be honest, I would much rather be watching a table filled with ladies playing poker on television than a bunch of men. The entire table agreed. If you think about it, all of the men would watch and the ladies would also watch. It would be of interest to both genders.
I played in an LDPC event at the Peppermill. What a joke – and that’s putting it mildly. They used the a portion of those entry fees to buy the prizes they award. I don’t know about other women, but personally, I play tourneys to win $$$ not junk like scented candles. Notice that he doesn’t mention that the prize pool of his tourneys are reduced. That was never mentioned at the Peppermill either – no payout sheets were provided. I certainly hope the WSOP does NOT do this.
I played at their tournament at the Tulalip Resort & Casino! We had the Best Time Ever! It was wonderful to have a tournament filled with other ladies! Although I didn’t win the top cash prize I ended up with a Day At The T Spa! Every player received a gift bag filled with oils etc. Me and my friends can’t wait for the next tournament!!!