• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Poker Divas logo

PokerDivas 603s4e

Team Building, Leadership and Diversity Programs

  • Home
  • About PokerDivas
  • Programs
    • Conferences
    • A Fun & Interactive Team-Building Experience
    • Diversity and Inclusion A New Pathway
    • Women’s Leadership Initiatives
    • Legal CLE
    • Client Entertainment
    • Sales Meetings
    • Summer Associate & Intern Teambuilding Program
    • Virtual Programs
    • Negotiation Course
  • Speaking
  • Poker Woman Book
  • Media and Blogs
  • PokerDivas Poker Club
  • Us
Media and Blogs » You Don’t Need an Invitation to Take a Seat at the Table

You Don’t Need an Invitation to Take a Seat at the Table 6r488

October 11, 2019

when you were the “new kid” at work or at school? Walking into a meeting or a classroom where no one knows you (yet) can be an intimidating experience. Women who enter a poker room for the first time may feel the same way — because they’re strikingly in the minority.

Only 4% of the players in one of the most important poker tournaments of the year, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, were women. That’s remarkably like the percentage of female CEOs at Fortune 500 companies- in 2019 it reached a whopping 6.6%.

In many ways the poker table mirrors the conference table.

Some people see the lack of women in certain spaces, such as poker games and boardrooms, as coincidental. For example, when I first mentioned to a forty-something respected male colleague that I had developed a women’s empowerment program using poker strategy, he said, “We don’t have a lot of women in the office. It’s not intentional—that’s just the way it happened.”

I knew he really believed that, but I shot back, “You may think it’s unintentional, but it’s not.” He looked up from his tuna salad a little put-off. However, I could see in his eyes that a light bulb went off for him.

Men don’t always realize that they are creating spaces that exclude certain groups. They don’t necessarily think of themselves as part of a boys’ club. But whether this exclusion is accidental or not, women have the option of inviting themselves.

If you decide that you want to take your rightful seat at the table, just sit down and take it.

Don’t wait for a warm welcome or a formal invitation. It can be intimidating at first, but after you do it a few times it begins to feel natural.

Here are a few tips:

Walk in with confidence. You must seem fearless, whether or not you actually are. It can be very unnerving to walk into a poker room or a conference room with 100 men and 5 women. It may not feel comfortable at first, but it will get better each time. It’s just like your first job interview, your first business meeting, or your first public speaking engagement. Even if you’re a nervous wreck, put on a brave face. It’s okay to fake confidence. One day—and it will be sooner than you think—you won’t have to.

Watch and listen. Don’t walk in and try to make your mark instantly. Feel out the table. See what the different personalities are. Who is potentially your ally? Who do you think is going to be your biggest problem? Figure out the best strategy to handle the players in the room before you act.

Don’t be fooled by the loudest person in the room. Once you understand the players and get your agenda into play, speak up and make sure you are heard. Often we are shut down by the person who speaks the most or the loudest as they present themselves as the “expert.” Sometimes they are, but often they’re not. Don’t let that stop you from voicing your ideas and opinions.

Be bold, focused. Know what you want. Follow my blog here to learn about the four poker personality types you need to understand to get the most out of your seat at the table.

For more information about PokerDivas programs, us here.

Filed Under: Articles

What Clients Are Saying f591b

I got this book for my Aunt who is a poker player . I was curious and opened the book with the idea of skimming it. After all, I thought, I don’t gamble and I certainly don’t play poker. As I read page after page I made a discovery. I was a “Poker Woman.” Of course I never thought of myself as one before. Just for fun I took your quiz and came out with a solid “B” and my epiphany was that the same skills that are important in love, life and business have their parallel in poker. I do not know the first thing about the game but my whole perception of poker has changed after reading this book. I might even give playing poker a try!

– Sue T.

Want to sharpen your business skills? 2h2y3n

us to discuss how we can put together an entertaining and memorable program for your team or clients to experience the power of poker.

Us

Footer 6wt4h

NYC-based PokerDivas helps people develop leadership and negotiation skills through the fun and excitement of poker. Our programs are not just fun and interactive, they help build relationships.

PokerDivas
New York, NY 10022
U.S.A.

+1 646 450 1905
[email protected]

  • Rss Feed
  • Facebook
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Email

Stay in Touch 2u4h3s

Name(Required)

We never share your info.

Copyright © 2025 PokerDivas · · Site Design by Delos Incorporated