Girls dealt out of boys' poker night

The way Stacey Stefanich sees it, being female has nothing to do with knowing whether a full house beats a flush.

So she was puzzled to see the second rule of the Washington State Poker Tour: "No girls are allowed." (Right after "Please put all garbage in garbage cans.")

And when she was told she might be allowed to join if she sent photos of herself in a bikini, Stefanich felt the group's humor had crossed the line. "I thought that was really inappropriate, especially in this day and age," said Stefanich, 28, a Puyallup nurse who has played in a weekly poker game with friends for about seven months.

Stefanich heard of the tour from a friend who showed her information circulated by e-mail about a tournament expected to draw more than 100 players tomorrow at a community center at Redmond Ridge.

But despite its official-sounding name, members of the Washington State Poker Tour say it's just a private social gathering, not a formal organization, and a state gambling-commission agent says the male-only event is legal.

"It's just a men's group ... a guys-night-out type of thing," said Dan Gorman, a Redmond mortgage broker who said the sessions grew from "basically just me and a few other guys."

The tour's monthly tournaments, which started about a year ago, have usually been played in someone's home, not a public facility, cardroom or casino. Because of the increasing number of players, the group is renting a room tomorrow in the private housing development.

Gorman, 33, acknowledges sending Stefanich the "bikini" e-mail but says that at the time he thought her message was a prank sent by a man. "We basically just kid around with everyone. I thought it was from one of the guys in the group."

When he realized Stefanich was actually a woman with a serious inquiry, he sent a follow-up e-mail saying, "The actual reason that no girls are allowed is because a lot of us are married and we need the one night off a month from our wives. Hope you can understand. But if we ever allow women to play, you'll be the first girl to know about it."

An e-mail promoting tomorrow's event told the group's members "if anyone has a buddy (guys only) who may want to come join us feel free to forward this flyer to them & have them RSVP themself a seat."

One thing Stefanich and Gorman agree on is the growing popularity of poker. Texas Hold 'Em, in particular, the most common tournament game, is being played everywhere from frat houses to social clubs to Las Vegas casinos. Televised poker tournaments draw high ratings, and thousands of poker players are converging on Las Vegas for this summer's World Series of Poker.

One aspect of the poker boom has been an increasing number of women drawn to the traditional male pastime. Portland's Annie Duke is one of the country's best-known tournament players.

At the Muckleshoot Casino, cardroom manager Dennis Willits said women now make up about 20 percent of the field at tournaments he hosts. "For years, people thought it was a backroom game. ... Now that it's got so much national attention, with all the TV and everything, we're getting a lot of younger players and a lot of women."

Although there may have been some obstacles for the first wave of women to break into the game, Willits said the attitude among most players today is simple: "Money's money."

But the Washington State Poker Tour isn't about the money, said Gorman, it's about the camaraderie. The buy-in for tomorrow's event is $60, and there is no "house cut," meaning that all the money taken in is paid out in prizes and refreshments.

Another tour member, clothier Jeff Collins of Kirkland, who wasn't involved with the e-mails from Stefanich, said it appears to be largely a misunderstanding. "The people who keep the tally of who is and isn't coming tend to lead with their sense of humor. It is apparent to me she failed to recognize sarcasm in its purest form."

Actually, the group has had one female player, Gorman said. In November, when a player showed up with his wife, she was allowed to play rather than being sent home.

Another player, Travis Coursey, a mortgage loan officer, said the group has discussed allowing women, but the idea "always goes down in flames. ... Socially, this event is not a ladylike place to have a good time."

He said members of the group would be willing to help women plan and coordinate their own parallel organization.

The group's e-mailed announcement of tomorrow's event calls it "The 2005 Bear Creek Casino & Bingo Hall Invitational," but the name is largely a spoof; there is no such casino.

Mark Harris, a special agent with the Washington State Gambling Commission, said that although the spoof name is probably not a good idea, the group's events fall within what is legally allowed in private, residential poker games, particularly because all the money is paid back to the players.

And even if it were a licensed casino, Harris said, special events, such as men-only and women-only competitions, could be allowed.

Stefanich said when she first contacted the group, she didn't want to change the rule, just have it explained.

Gorman's reply said the "WSPT board" would consider her as a potential member if she sent four photos, "one from the front, one from the back, one of your left side & one of your right side. The photos should include your entire body (not just a head shot) & wearing a 2 piece bikini is preferable."

In her response, Stefanich sent an e-mail saying, "Let me keep this simple so you can understand, one, are you afraid of losing to a girl? And two, I'll put on a bikini for you as soon as every single member of the WSPT does. Sound fair?"

After subsequent e-mails, Stefanich said she can understand the group's desire for a men's night out but still questions excluding women from poker tournaments. Personally, though, she is not seeking admission. "There's no way I would want to be associated with it now."

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@settletimes.com