A Woman to be Admired............Nancy Todd Tyner

The Haters Do Not Have A Clue.........

It was a pleasure to see Nancy's name on one of the leaderboard lists in WSOP Event #3. I was reminded of the very controversial events of 2008 when she won the WPT Ladies event and was at the final table and later, heads up with Vanessa Selbst. While the discussions on the forums acknowledged the bad behavior of Vanessa, there were plenty of nasty comments about the age and look of Nancy. She just did not fit the acceptable profile of the young guns that dominate the game today.

I remember being so shocked by Selbst's rude actions and comments..... am assuming that she thought if she could get Nancy one on one, she could just run away with the title. It was not to be. Nancy just ran over her, was aggressive, focused, tough and fearless. This really put Vanessa on tilt because that was her game plan and did not expect this from the "old lady".

The contrast in these two could not have been more pronounced......NTT was dressed to the nines, feminine, heavily made up and big hair. VS was in a tight tee shirt, short hair and announcing to the world that was not aware, her sexual orientation. Nancy the complete lady, Vanessa the complete ass. Knowing that Nancy was a political consultant and judging by her appearance, it was a good guess as to what her political leanings were...... more tilt!

About a year or so before this WPT event in 2008, Mike Sexton had written about Nancy in his column in one of the poker publications. He told about a woman that had been in one of his boot camp classes and that she was a very interesting person with an interesting background and had the potential to be a really good poker player.

After the WPT event aired, I went online to find out more info on the woman. What I found was really an inspiring story. It was mentioned that Nancy Todd Tyner was a political consultant and while searching, realized that her deep involvement with political campaigns was only a small part of her inspirational and heartbreaking story.

Nancy Todd Tyner is a warrior........as though politics was not a tough enough business, her personal life is the story of a woman who has had her heart ripped out. She lost her oldest son, Hayden, in 2005 after a lengthy battle to save his life.......an odyssey that you must read in her own words. She also has younger twins with challenging health issues that require constant attention.

After you know her story, you should realize that being a good poker player is a piece of cake compared to her professional and personal life. It is funny the lack of respect that is given to the "mature" players, especially the women in the poker community......but the young, mostly male, players cannot realize how tough, smart, and determined some real life experiences can provide......... I hope none have to experience the extremes that Nancy has lived.

Follow Nancy on twitter at pokerqod and or go to her website at pokerqueenofdiamonds.com

Year of the Woman...........

This has been a banner year for women in the poker world. Annie winning the Heads Up Championship, Liv Bouree's win at San Remo, Vanessa Selbst at NAPT and Vanessa Rousso's deep runs in other events have all eyes focused on the WSOP for more skins on the wall for the girls.

We will all be watching to see how Annette fares in Las Vegas this summer and see if our favorite chicks keep the trend going and if some new stars will emerge. The Hag has some great expectations.

All of the poker world should be celebrating this trend......all you young male players that only want to see the cute, young women do well and then not give credit for their ability.......you should be cheering on all the women that play. It could possibly bring in a new wave of $$$ into the poker pool.

The great thing has been that many of these events have been shown on TV so the female presence is being seen by the general public, not just the poker players. What many do not realize is that there are more women playing and interested in poker than you think. Also what many do not realize is that women have money to spend and will spend on things that they are interested in and on entertainment in general.

Women like to play games and can be pretty competitive, some more than others. Females in general will play in a different manner...some may say are nittier. This is not to say that aggression cannot be part of the game.....it is just different.

The best thing that could happen in poker would be for an average middle aged woman to win a major event. The more " mature" women will come out of the woodwork....they are playing in pub leagues, home games and casinos all over the place and have been for years. No telling how many would come into the more high profile events if they saw a major success by one of their own.

There are many reasons that the full force of a potential female movement has not taken place yet. Some are not comfortable going to casinos and may feel intimidated in a mostly male atmosphere and that is likely to never change. For others who have read the books, gone to the web for information and join forums and read blogs which are dominated by 20-30 year old guys who have little regard for any female that is not a supermodel, the general attitude is discouraging.......and stops those who can afford to play cash games and tournaments to stay home.

You guys out there just do not realize the huge surge in players and money that would come into poker if this segment of the population was encouraged not discouraged from joining in..........boys.....it is your loss.