WSOP Day 20 Update - Who is the Best Female Poker Player and Are Events Running too Long?

Day 20 of the 2010 World Series of Poker is underway and by 5 p.m., six tournaments will be underway. Over in the Pavilion we have Day 1 of the $1,500 NL Holdem. Here in the Amazon Room we have the final tables of the recent $1,000 NL, $2,500 Six-Handed NL, and $1,500 Stud 8 or Better. We also have Day 2 of both the $2,500 PLO and the $10,000 Limit Holdem Championship. Finally, at 5 p.m. the $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. Event kicks off. All in all, there will be a lot of action going down with three bracelets awarded.

Who’s the Best Female Player?

The Ladies Event over the weekend has been hammered to death, especially by both Daniel Negreanu and Annie Duke. Both have their opinions of not only the event, but of each other. However, Annie made a claim lately that I would like to address. She stated that she is “The Best Female Player” in poker. Daniel did a blog about this but I would like to put my 2 cents in.



First, I love Annie. When I first started playing, I met Duke over in the UB booth and she was very gracious and has never given me any problems whatsoever. However, I do not feel she is the best female poker player. I think she is a great player, but I think there are a few that are better.

Who is Better than Annie?

For my money, Jennifer Harman is the best all-around player in the world. I have no personal anecdotes to share about why I like Harman because I have not really had any dealings with her other than professionally. Her results speak for herself. In addition, she plays in the biggest cash games in the world and wins.



If we want to get specific and talk NL Holdem, the best female NL player is Kathy Liebert. Just look at her record and the amount of money won. Since money is how players keep score, all you have to do with NL is point to the scoreboard to see who the best female player is. Of course, Annie is right behind her.



I am not saying that Annie isn’t one of the best. We all know better. Annie is a phenomenal player. While we all want to think we are the best, it isn’t always the case. Another point I would like to make is that for a person to really claim that they are the best, they need to play with the best and be in the biggest games. Annie was nowhere to be seen in the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship. Jennifer was. Reinforcing my claim about Liebert, she wasn’t there either. However, I also said Liebert is the best NL player.

I would still rank Annie in the top five females in the world in just about any category. With that said, I cannot do the same with Daniel. In fact, there are many events where I can’t even rank him in the top 5 players for that event. Yes, Daniel is a great player and highly popular, and 2nd all time on the money list.  However, there are many players that exceed his ability in most games. About the only thing he might be in the top 5 of is popularity. For many that would be enough, but if I were Daniel, I would focus more on winning poker tournaments than calling out people on whether they are as good as they claim.

Are Events too Long?

In years past, Day 2 of many three day events saw long days with some going into the morning hours. Some players complained and Harrah’s decided to change the WSOP 2010 schedule to where events end at a certain time every day. What has resulted is that many events still have to play down to the final table and then to the bracelet. In some cases, such as the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo World Championship, the final day has stretched well into the morning hours and even until 7 a.m. the next morning.



Today is a great example. The Six-Handed NL Event still has 15 players left in the field. The Stud 8 or Better has a whopping 23 players still left. This makes the Day 3’s much longer than needed. While Harrah’s is looking after player health in one aspect, I think they are sacrificing the quality of play for the final in some events.

Is there a better solution? Extending play on Day 2, while a pain, I think should be revisited. If the event goes all night on Day 2, move the final table to a later start time. This will allow the players to get some rest and allow them to come back.

Another solution would be adding another day to certain events. I know this wouldn’t be as popular an option either, but I would rather see a short Day 3 and a strong group at the final table than come back with 25 players having to play to a bracelet.

Action continues over here at the Rio with three events playing down to winners tonight. I will be back a little later to bring you more from the 2010 World Series of Poker. Stay tuned.