Outplaying the Boys: Poker
Tips for Competitive Women 
by Cat Hulbert


114 Personal Tips from a Poker Master!

Description: Whether it’s in a casino, a private club, an online poker room—or even many friendly home games—when a woman sits down to play poker, she’s usually facing men, and those men are going to typecast her as being too passive to be competitive. Guess what? She’s got them right where she wants them! Women have a tremendous natural advantage at the poker table. Now it’s just a matter of learning how to exploit it.


Written for female players who are in ever greater numbers catching poker-mania—60 million people a month are now playing poker and 30% are women—Outplaying the Boys is a street-smart guide to the green-felt jungle. By Cat Hulbert, whom Card Player magazine ranked as one of the top seven-card stud players in the world, its 125 annotated tips are filled with strategy, wisdom, and lesson-giving anecdotes.


- How to project a winning image
- How to choose the most profitable table—a talkative table will yield more than a quiet one—and the best seats (avoid the chair closest to the expert players)
- How to recognize and squelch your own tells
- Who to bluff—the new player, the player who just made a comeback, the guy who comments on how tight you are
- And who not to bluff—the short stack, the maniac who calls everything


Understanding your innate strengths and weaknesses—honing intuition, curbing your instinct to be too trusting, getting into opponents’ heads. The book covers two key games—Texas Hold’em and Seven-Card Stud—and provides a glossary of terms, recommended books, and more.

Women's Poker Night 
by Maryann Morrison


Some of the greatest poker girls come
together on this insightful collaboration!

Description: Women's Poker Night, published by Kensington Press, is a book expertly put together by the publisher of Woman Poker Player Magazine, Maryann Morrison. By bringing together the best of the women players in the game (Barbara Enright and Cyndy Violette), the best poker writers around (Amy Calistri, Jennifer Leo and Kathleen Watterson) and some newcomers that provide excellent insight (Jo Ransom and Dawn Dineen), Morrison has provided a compilation that ably demonstrates why women are coming to the world of poker and also shows how they have become so successful at it. The book also demonstrates that women will continue to be a force in the game and that some of the more close-minded men in the poker world better get used to it. (Review from PokerNews.Com) 

The Bad Ass Girl's Guide to Poker:
All You Need to Beat the Boys
by Toby Leah Bochan


Not a strategic book, but a fun read nevertheless! 

Description: Badass girls play to win!

You can play your cards right every time-with The Badass Girl's Guide to Poker. Whether you're playing poker or picking which guy at the table you'll bring home after you win, you'll always know which bad ass moves to make, including: 

Queens Can Beat Kings: Broad-Minded Poker for Winning Women
by Susie Isaacs


A good anecdotal read full of poker girl history! 

Description: The book essentially aims to teach women how to become that feminine force in the poker world, one of the few places where people of both genders can compete on a completely equal playing field. To this end, Queens Can Beat Kings explores the history of poker, the many successful women who've played the game, the basics of how to play some of the popular games and strategies for each game, and even how to set up your own home poker club.

Queens Can Beat Kings is peppered with Isaacs' personality and the best parts of the book are the stories of her own poker escapades. Other highlights include the profiles of some of the other great women in the game such as Kathy Liebert, Annie Duke, Lucy Rokach, Vera Richmond, Marsha Waggoner and many, many others, including Poker Alice.  (Review from PokerListing.Com) 

How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed,
Flirted, Cursed, & Won
Millions--And You Can Too
by Annie Duke


Even the New York Times
loves Annie's autobiography!

Description: Part poker strategy, part autobiography, How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions—and You Can Too offers a fascinating, table-side view of the World Series of Poker from the top-ranked female poker player in the world, chronicling the exciting ups and downs Duke experiences while trying to win it all, and tells the riveting tale of her unlikely rise to poker’s inner circle.
 
Highlighting the strategy behind her unique style of play, and including a comprehensive poker primer and boxed tips throughout, this book is geared toward both the skilled player and the reader newly intrigued by the hottest game in town.


BACKCOVER: “Not only is Annie Duke [quite possibly] the greatest female poker player ever, but she is poised to become one of the greatest poker players of our time."

Poker for Women: A Course in Destroying Male Opponents at Poker...And Beyond
by Mike Caro

A rare find and a must-read for poker girls!  

Description: In 1986, Mike Caro wrote a poker book titled Poker for Women - A Course in Destroying Male Opponents at Poker ... and Beyond. Below is my take on the book. Men have preconceived notions about women. So, women, if you will change those responses they are expecting, you can gain the advantage. Can women profit from poker as much as men? Mike says, "Yes, women just need to examine the truth and accept the challenge, they can win much more money than men by turning the prejudices to their advantage."

Mike suggests that women can check-raise profitably, because the action doesn't match the stereotype. Many women are successful at confusing men in everyday life; just think what they could do at the poker table.

People watching. Women tend to be more conscious of their surroundings. We have a knack for peoplewatching. We feel our opponent's anger, frustration, pain or despair. Mike says this is good, but we shouldn't allow these feelings to affect our play.

In poker and in life, both women and men must analyze and make right decisions. The same thing applies with poker. Mike advises that you play "only those hands which are in your best interest."

Always consider where you're sitting in a game. Position matters. You want the aggressive players and loose players to the right of you, weaker or conservative players to your left. If you have a chance to observe a game prior to taking a seat it gives you the opportunity to check out the competition and determine how they play.

Mike advises that you should often try to sit to the right of other women, especially if they're serious players. While at the 2006 WSOP I overheard a woman comment that "playing against the ladies is tougher than against the men." She observed that women seem to be more brutal and ruthless against each other. You'll need to play differently against women who take the game seriously than against those who are playing recreationally. Of course, it's the same against men. Don't be the victim of stereotyping women yourself. Leave that mistake for the men.

If you can pull off the sexy, flirtatious image with men, then go for it. It can be a distraction to male opponents. However, if you're from my era or older, that might not work well, so you could go for the successful, businesswoman image, or maybe you'd just prefer being "one of the guys." You have many choices about how to conquer men; use whatever is comfortable and works for you.

Confidence. Women should give the impression of confidence by actions and tone of voice, especially when betting and raising. Don't seem hesitant, wary, or doubtful. Men can be domineering enough without us giving them reasons to push us around. You don't want to appear threatening, either. That's like waving a red flag in front of a bull.

Mike says that often women can get by with things men couldn't simply because a woman "doesn't know any better." We just don't "get it." Some of you probably already have that fine tuned.

Now, get this women, Mike doesn't think that we are good liars, and says that we need more practice in order to be able to lie as well as a businessman. Hmmm? He also says that we should be nice to the men on our left, making them less motivated to maximize their positional advantage. Smile pretty and they may reward you with weaker opposition. Mike advises, "Act decisively on the information you discover and claim the rewards. Don't ever let your goal grow misty with compassion." Victory is your goal. (Review From PokerPlayerNewspaper.Com)

The Female Brain
by Louann Brizendine


While it's not a poker book, this easy-read can
 teach you a lot about how to approach
the game & your opponents! 

Description: This comprehensive new look at the hormonal roller coaster that rules women's lives down to the cellular level, "a user's guide to new research about the female brain and the neurobehavioral systems that make us women," offers a trove of information, as well as some stunning insights. Though referenced like a work of research, Brizedine's writing style is fully accessible. Brizendine provides a fascinating look at the life cycle of the female brain from birth ("baby girls will connect emotionally in ways that baby boys don't") to birthing ("Motherhood changes you because it literally alters a woman's brain-structurally, functionally, and in many ways, irreversibly") to menopause (when "the female brain is nowhere near ready to retire") and beyond. At the same time, Brizedine is not above reviewing the basics: "We may think we're a lot more sophisticated than Fred or Wilma Flintstone, but our basic mental outlook and equipment are the same." While this book will be of interest to anyone who wonders why men and women are so different, it will be particularly useful for women and parents of girls.

Why Men Love Bitches
by Sherry Argov


Despite being a relationship book, this
page-turner can help you learn to
better play male opponents!

Description: Sherry Argov’s Why Men Love Bitches delivers a unique perspective as to why men are attracted to a strong woman who stands up for herself. With saucy detail on every page, this no-nonsense guide reveals why a strong woman is much more desirable than a "yes woman" who routinely sacrifices herself. The author provides compelling answers to the tough questions women often ask.

Full of much-needed advice, hilarious real-life relationship scenarios, "she says/he thinks" tables, and the author’s unique "Attraction Principles," Why Men Love Bitches gives you bottom-line answers. It helps you know who you are, stand your ground, and relate to men on a whole new level. Once you’ve discovered the feisty attitude men find so magnetic, you’ll not only increase the romantic chemistry in the relationship-you’ll gain your man’s love and respect with far less effort.