Charity Issue Makes WPT Ladies Unplayable?

14.04.2008, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «Charity Issue Makes WPT Ladies Unplayable?».

WPT and players disagree in percentage-of-prizepool donation plan

Entry into the World Poker Tour Ladies Tour scheduled for Las Vegas next week may be influenced by a disagreement over a charity donation which surfaced during a radio talk show this week.

Apparently the WPT has decided that the Las Vegas event at the Bellagio will have a 15 percent chunk of the prize-pool donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure (SGK), a breast cancer charity which the WPT has supported in the past.

Although the cause and the vehicle are regarded as worthy, it is the size and method of the deduction that is causing some waves, and these became apparent on the radio talk show Poker Talk America when former WSOP Ladies Event champion Susie Isaacs declared that she would not play in the Ladies Championship. She had earlier posted her decision on her blog titled The World Poker Tour Ladies Championship Controversy, saying:

"As a working player who would gladly have donated 5 percent of any win I may have taken, I am very disappointed that this event is no longer on my schedule. With the 15 percent (donation) and the juice I don't believe it is playable from a financial point of view."

Lisa Adams, the poker player hostess of Poker Talk America, joined Isaacs in boycotting the event because of her perception that withholding charity funds from the prize pool is unfair to players.

Both women have made it clear that they feel any event with part of the prize pool withheld for charity should be advertised as a charity event, not as a championship.

Steve Lipscomb, the CEO of WPT defended his company's decision, saying it was simply trying to do a good deed.

"We're trying to promote women in poker and promote a good cause," Lipscomb said, appearing as a guest on the show along with Isaacs.

That the WPT had partnered with a worthy charity was not questioned; the concern was over the equity of the issue, said Isaacs.

With 15 percent going to the charity, an additional 3 percent withheld for the tournament staff and a further $25 500 earmarked to provide the winner of the tournament with a seat in the WPT Championship, the prize-pool is likely to be depleted by almost 25 percent before play even starts.

Jesse Jones, founder and chairman of the World Poker Association, supported Isaacs in her opposition, writing a letter to the WPT in which he said: "I believe you are taking advantage of women, especially novice women who have no idea about prize pools and their equity in an event."

Jones went on to suggest that a better solution to the problem may be for the WPT to make the donation from its own treasury, based on the number of players entering the event, and then invite players to make a matching donation.

However, it appears that the WPT intends to continue on its present course, although it has said it will consider suggestions for future events.

Über Swiss Poker:

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