A man has been criticized online after he entered a women-only poker tournament and walked away with all of the winnings. David Hughes, 70, attended the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, where he joined the poker tournament. Hughes participated in the $250 no-limit Texas Hold ’em game at the World Series of Poker, but the fascinating part is that it was an all-female tournament. The <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/poker/man-wins-womens-poker-tournament-in-florida-sparks-heated-debate-2770560/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Las Vegas Review Journal</a> reported that the 70-year-old - from Delton, Florida - was allowed to enter the tournament due to Florida's anti-discrimination laws. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/KevinRobMartin/status/1652760368241061890]] Legally, Florida casinos cannot stop men from entering a tournament intended for females. The tournament had a $10,000 buy-in but this was discounted by 90% for female entrants in a bid to stop males from entering. Hughes ended up winning the tournament and pocketed $5,555 after beating professional poker player Dayanna Ciabaton, who placed second. Naturally, the man's entrance into a tournament intended only for female players sparked a heated debate online, with many criticizing him. Ebony Kenny, a professional poker player, put a bounty on Hughes' head which meant that any player to take him out of the game would win a cash prize. Taking to Twitter, Ebony wrote: "Playing the @WPT ladies event today, and Dave here is the only man. (Filmed w/permission!) While we appreciate the dead money, I really wish men would get what these events stand for. So I put a $300 bounty on his head and Tamra & Noah Piderit matched it. Let’s get him." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Ebony_Kenney/status/1652441213725986816]] Charlie Carrel, a professional poker player from Britain said that it was "hilarious" that Hughes won the tournament, but added that its symbolic of a wider issue in sports across the world. Part of his tweet read: "It does suck that it comes at the expense of the women's only space. I wouldn't do it, even though I probably share the same criticisms. Female only spaces in poker are really needed. Mixed poker can often be absolutely horrendous environments for women to be a part of." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Charlie_Carrel/status/1652763508881203201]] Other people were quick to add their thoughts on the matter, with one person saying: "I think it's genuinely pathetic, especially since the Ladies event is supposed to highlight the women in poker (since they are often overlooked)." A second said: "Lame. Why not just let the ladies have their event? Plenty of tournaments for him to play. But whatever." A third person added: "They try to create an event so that more women feel comfortable playing in a game that is largely dominated by men and someone like this just has to be the center of attention, ruin it, and make the whole community look bad...." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/squand4/status/1652804134943219712]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/jonorlando/status/1653258028299472896]] It's certainly an interesting debate, though it isn't the first time a man has entered an all-female competition and won. As per <a href="https://www.news.com.au/sport/more-sports/florida-man-sparks-backlash-after-winning-allwomens-tournament/news-story/5676d91897ae8017ec29897c59e92e3b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">News.com.au</a>, the former World Series of Poker circuit event winner Abraham Korotki entered a lady's event at Atlantic City’s Borgata Poker Open and took home the top prize. <h6>Featured image credit: Stephen Frost / Alamy</h6>

Man criticized after entering women-only poker tournament and winning

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