“You Fold Like a Little Girl:” (Hetero)Gender Framing and Competitive Strategies of Men and Women in No Limit Texas Hold Em Poker Games

Abstract

The formal rules, structure and practice of most sports in contemporary society prohibit men and women from competing on a “level playing field” and diminish women’s ability to launch a legitimate challenge to the masculine superiority embedded in sports competition. This study examines a relatively unique case—No Limit Texas Hold Em poker games in which men and women compete directly against one another under the same rules—to explore how the conditions under which men and women compete enable or impede the development of more gender egalitarian interactions and ideological frameworks. Drawing on ethnographic data, this examination reveals that, even in a more gender-neutral context, men and women learn to use heterogender frames to conceptualize poker. In doing so, they develop competitive strategies and interactions that predominately fit into, rather than subvert, gender hierarchy.

Appendix I: Overview of NLHE and Brief Poker Glossary

Game Overview

In NLHE, each player is dealt two cards which are referred to as hole cards. Acting in turn, each player then decides whether to play these cards. If a player decides not to play, s/he folds them by giving them back to the dealer. If a player decides to play, then s/he either calls the big blind—a forced minimum bet—by putting out chips (symbolic money) or raises the bet by putting out more chips. After each player has made a decision about his/her hole cards, the dealer puts three community cards in the center of the table. These cards are known as the flop. Another round of betting occurs. At its completion, the dealer puts a fourth community card, called the turn, in the center of the table. Another round of betting occurs. Finally, the dealer puts a fifth community card, referred to as the river, in the center of the table, and players make final bets. The goal is to win the chips that have been bet either by having the best five card hand combination (two hole cards and any three community cards) or by convincing the other players to fold.

Additional Poker Terms

Bad Beat: A term that is used to refer to when a player loses with a hand that is statistically very unlikely to lose.

Bluff: A form of deception in which a player with a weak hand convinces a player with a stronger hand to fold.

Calling: The action of matching an existing bet.

Needling: The act of making fun of another player, usually in reference to some aspect of that player’s game or a particular action in a hand.

Nuts: The very best poker hand that is possible given any five precise community cards.

Pot: The chips (money) at stake in any given poker hand.

Pre-flop: Any action that occurs before the first three community cards are dealt.

Raising: The action of adding to an existing bet. A raise can be to any amount, though it must at least double the initial bet.

Slow Play or Trapping: A strategy in which a player holds a very strong hand (often the nuts) and behaves as though his/her hand is weak in an effort to try to induce bets from opponents with weaker hands.