Dave Hughes is 70 years old, lives in Florida, and recently decided to enter the $250 women’s poker tournament organized by Hard Rock for women.
Hughes defeated the 82 competitors and took the title. Laughing, he explained that he had “identified as a woman” in order to play, and that once the tournament was over, he would identify as a man again.
The tournament rules did not explicitly prohibit men from participating, so technically he did not break any written rule. But that did not stop the wave of criticism.
players and fans say these spaces exist to give real opportunities to women in a male-dominated sport. The story is already one of the most talked-about in the poker world.