What?! That is the kind of article title that could get a stiletto winged at my head. But there is a point if you’re willing to hear me out.

No-limit hold’em poker tournaments are the most popular of all poker events held around the world because of the action, the all-or-nothing nature that requires skill mixed with a penchant for the art of the gamble.

One of the elements that makes poker such a mainstream game is the fact that anyone can play. No matter one’s age (legally, of course), gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, or physical aptitude, anyone with the buy-in is welcome to participate and compete for money, prizes, and sometimes fame. So why, then, are the overwhelming majority of tournament fields comprised of men? On average, less than five percent of any given open NLHE tournament field is female. And that puts the odds of a woman winning a major NLHE event on the slim side, thus the sparse list of female tournament winners.

Cowboys Full, the recently released book penned by Jim McManus, dedicates a chapter to the subject of “The Biology and Eros of No-Limit Hold’em Tournaments.” With the help of other authors and a few studies, McManus considers the reasons that women are few and far between in NLHE tournaments. He notes that the no-limit aspect “rewards an aggressive approach” and gives an edge to risk-takers, and studies have shown that women are much less prone to engaging in competition then men. Though he comments on “what is often called women’s intuition, the empathetic ability to read what others are thinking or feeling,” he adds that they do not have the high levels of testosterone that stirs men’s propensity to be aggressive and competitive. In addition, young men have fewer family obligations than women and better handle the physical toll that it takes to travel the major tournament circuit.

All valid points. And ironically, ladies-only tournaments corroborate some of those points. A walk-through of any all-female tournament will often find women laughing, making small talk with opponents, apologizing for bad beats - or even proper play when the outcome produces no bad beat but eliminates a player. Those qualities of empathy, compassion, and kindness are fine for most things in life but do no good at the poker table. Therein lies the problem with women in major tournaments. In order to compete on an even keel with most men, one can’t feel bad about forcing another player to put his or her chips at risk, or wonder if an opponent needs this tournament win more, or hesitate to bluff a player whose super nice wife is smiling over from the rail. Pure aggression and absence of emotional ties are key to competing and winning NLHE tournaments.

All women do not act in the ways described above. Some are as competitive and aggressive as any male player at a poker table. But even those who could bring that seriousness to the game may not because of familial obligations or other financial realities. Women tend to be more pragmatic about money, bills, and responsibilities than men, and the idea of throwing down $10,000 for the chance at a big payday is less appealing to many women than investing the money or putting it toward family needs.

Keep in mind that the points made here are generalizations, but they go furthest in explaining why a game that requires no battles of physical strength or gender-based contests continues to lack the participation of women. And until more women play tournaments, the number of winners of the female persuasion will remain extremely low.

As this topic was being decided upon, a major victory was claimed by a woman at the PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour Mohegan Sun Main Event. Not only did two women make it into the final ten out of a 716-player starting field, but Vanessa Selbst defeated a tough final table that included stacked players and tournament regulars. She took home $750,000 for the win, which she can add to the sizable payday she received for winning a 2008 World Series of Poker bracelet less than two years ago. That WSOP victory was in an open event, and it was pot-limit Omaha, no less, that came down to a heads-up battle in which her opponent appeared very drunk and moved all-in blind numerous times. Selbst, still only in her mid-20s, has proven that her aggression and desire to win matches any of her opponents.

There are other women in poker with skills and motivation similar to Selbst’s, but they make up such a miniscule portion of any tournament field that their odds to win are diminished by basic math. Women have taken down major events, such as Jennifer Harman, Annie Duke, Kathy Liebert, and even newcomers like Sandra Naujoks and Annette Obrestad have made their mark and gained much respect for their poker abilities. But will the numbers ever reflect the actual percentage of women who could compete in major NLHE tournaments? Probably not. When it comes to the urge to compete, the willingness to gamble, and the aggression to win, most women don’t have what it takes.

Prove me wrong, ladies. There’s nothing I’d like more.

Read: He Said