This Thursday, October 17, Bally Live Poker will run a special $5/10/20 edition of its livestream from the Commerce Casino, fittingly dubbed the Ladies Cash Game. Bally's has put together a star-studded lineup of women for what promises to be an exciting and entertaining night of poker. Kasey Mills, Veronica Brill, Caitlin Comeskey, Christina Gollins, Jenny Ding, Julia McBride, Claudia Salinas, and PokerOrg's own Tiffany Michelle are all confirmed as playing and, as of this article's publishing, are likely en route to the Commerce Casino.
PokerOrg's Craig Tapscott will be in the commentary booth for the evening, joined periodically throughout the stream by each of the players to discuss their thoughts on the game and their own experiences as women in poker.
The stakes for the game certainly aren't the highest in the land, but does that really matter? After all, most players across the world aren't playing anything close to $100/$200 or $1,000/$2,000 in their Friday night home games. It's not all about the money – yes, the wins and losses do count for something and this group of players will certainly battle one another for every dollar on the table – it's also about fun and camaraderie and putting on a good poker show.
Thankfully, Bally Live Poker knows exactly what it takes to succeed on all three of those fronts and the lineup of women assembled for Thursday's game proves that.
PokerOrg reached out to a few of the players taking to the felt tomorrow to hear directly from them on what to expect from the game.
Who are you most excited to play with on Thursday?
Tiffany: I find Veronica and Caitlin to be highly amusing and look forward to joining them in providing extensive (inappropriate) fodder for the social media mobs to feast on.
Caitlin: Christina is an altruistic person and fierce player. I'm always thrilled to spend time with her.
Veronica: I'm probably most excited to play with Julia. I haven't played with her before and she seems like she's a lot of fun.
Do you have a prediction for the night's biggest winner?
Tiffany: Do poker players go into cash games with predictions? Uhhhh... I’m just hoping not to lose more than $10,000. So, I guess my prediction is that if I end up in a hole… it’s not too deep.
Caitlin: Whoever gets dealt the best cards will likely win. Live cash streams are a very small sample. We're going to see what, 200 hands?
Veronica: I mean, I would love to win, but Kasey has been a force to be reckoned with. She has been winning tons of poker tournaments, and back when I used to do commentary with her, that girl was studying to prep for commentary. I can't even imagine how much she's improved since then. I just hope I get lucky against her.
What's the most enjoyable aspect of playing in a game with only women?
Tiffany: There’s this utopian notion of 'women supporting women' in the poker industry, but I’ve personally experienced there to be a secret underbelly of jealous, catty, destructive, and two-faced female competition.
What I’ve found with ladies games is that it has the potential to bridge this unspoken divide and bring female poker peers together (who often have zero one-on-one experience) to sit down in a friendly environment, converse, show off their poker skills, and, as cheesy as it sounds, kind of bond over the game. It lifts a veil of prejudice and insecurity that wants to pit us against each other and usually results in the realization that we have a lot in common and that our poker talent and successes are deserved.
Caitlin: The best part of playing with women is the confidence I have that everyone is showered and wearing clean clothes.
Veronica: I love playing with women and women's only events because it's probably the most fun you'll have. The vibe is different and more relaxed. It's more like a ladies night out than a stuffy super-pro table.
What's your approach heading into the night? Tight is right or will you be pushing the envelope?
Tiffany: Not gonna lie, I don’t play a ton of cash games and when I do, it’s drunken low-low stakes games with friends. This is short handed and a bit higher than what I’m normally inclined play, so I did take it upon myself to do a bit of recon. I go into games with a plan and then the first couple hands are dealt and everything gets rearranged. So, the mentality is less tight or aggro and more 'go with the flow'... and hope it’s not one of those sessions where the rivers are full of f*ckery.
Caitlin: My goals are to play good cards and take my time.
Veronica: I've had a cash game coach for a little while so I've adjusted my game a bit. I don't think I'm going to have a blanket strategy, more like specific hands/flops and whether or not I'm in position will drive my aggression. I don't believe in luck, but holy crap do I run bad on livestreams. I actually don't think I've ever made money on a livestream since Stone's so I think it will be a miracle if I even breakeven.
Is there anyone in the lineup you're hoping to avoid tangling with?
Caitlin: I'm not avoiding anyone. I will do my best to adapt to the game that develops in real time.
Veronica: Well, Kasey for sure I would love to avoid because she's improved so much, but I know Tiffany Michelle is besties with Maria Ho and if your best friend is one of the world's best poker players, you're probably not too far behind. I'm a little scared to get tangled up with her because she's probably a lot more advanced in her strategy than I am. And Julia is an LA regular and she's used to the craziness of LA poker. That anarchy might not be something that I'm built for.
Alex Lee: 'Huge games around the corner'
PokerOrg also spoke with Bally Live Poker producer Alex Lee to hear about how Thursday's game came together and what it takes to cobble together a lineup with this many big names.
What are you most excited about for the Ladies Night game?
The lineup turned out pretty tough, I'm excited to see these players go at it.
Do you have any predictions on the night's big winners?
I’d say Kasey Mills is the favorite.
Can you give us a behind-the-scenes look at how Thursday's game came together?
Every once in awhile we would have a Ladies Night and we’ve been due. I ran into Craig [Tapscott] and he made it happen.
How does putting together a lineup/event like this work?
You need to be organized and get lucky with player availability in general. Craig made it rather easy for us.
Any events in the pipeline that our readers should be aware of?
Nothing I'm allowed to speak of yet, but huge games right around the corner. $100/$200/$200 and $200/$400/$400.
AJ Rudolph speaks with Brill and Gollins
If you're interested in hearing more from the players in the build up to the Bally Live Poker Ladies Night game, check out the conversation below between Vice President of the Women's Poker Association AJ Rudolph, Gollins, and Brill.
Images Courtesy of Hayley Hochstetler/Rachel Kay Winter
