Erin Lydon was the first person to approach her about the idea of Poker Power. She had a strong initial reaction.
“Stupidest idea that I’ve ever heard”
She is now the president of the company, and she has been there for three years. She has rethought her views on the company, but her initial skepticism actually helped her in her job. She sees it this way: if someone so uninterested is in poker, then anyone can be convinced by the company’s offerings.
Poker as a tool for women to improve their money management
Poker Power, for those who aren’t familiar with it, is a group that empowers women in business and their personal decision-making via poker training. Lydon recalls how Jenny Just explained the concept to Lydon.
“She was wondering what we can do to help young women be more successful. How can we make women more successful in all aspects of our lives, including money? How can we make them feel comfortable with money?
Poker Power created a program to teach women the basics of poker playing. These in-person events went on until the pandemic, when the Poker Power team had to rethink their approach. It was undoubtedly better than the original product.
Lydon said that there were three to four female teachers. They all basically got together in a virtual room and brainstormed a curriculum. How would we teach women poker? How can we keep them in the class?
Retention was not a problem as the women they taught wanted to feel connected during the initial stages of COVID-19.
“That’s where the real genius of virtual classes came from. We have 12 lessons, each lasting an hour. You spend half of your time in the Zoom room learning, and the other half is spent in breakout rooms with our teachers using an app. When you play the app, you learn the same thing you did in the classroom.
After the lesson was over women continued to have fun and share their experiences with one another. This eventually evolved into an online game that allowed women to sharpen their skills. Although none of them wanted to be professional and go to Vegas, it was not their intention.
Poker Power is a team of pros, but the goal is not to make women poker pros.
There are many groups that encourage women to play poker, including the Women’s Poker Association or the LIPS tour. Poker Power did not intend to be a full-fledged poker group, but it needed some credibility from the poker community.
“You can’t show up and claim that this bank is very well-banked. But, the two women involved in this industry don’t have any knowledge about the industry. We knew that we needed to make connections with professional women.
The group was rounded out by Melanie Weisner and Xuan Lu as well as Jennifer Shahade. They helped to shape the training and brought their poker experience to Poker Power. These women are great examples of women who don’t let poker dominate their lives.
Lydon pointed out that women are unlikely to be drawn to a life that is entirely devoted to the game. Poker Power is all about teaching confidence and life lessons through a hobby like poker.
She stated that although she believes very few women will be professionals or want to be one, they would love to attend charity events and to be able “to play at a table in Vegas and not feel alienated.”
Poker must better understand the needs of women
“Women are so terrible at finding the’me’ time. Poker must be compelling. Our mission requires you to believe in it. This will change your life. You’ll be more confident and a better negotiator. Your partner will take out the trash. Whatever solution you find that gets you excited, that’s what you have to do.
PokerPower doesn’t have to know how to make poker more appealing to women. Even in times of growth, the poker industry can’t do better than 5% women players.
Lydon admits that poker was not something she expected to enjoy initially. She believes that if the game had more diverse representations of women, it would make a huge difference. These stories don’t have to be only about high-rollers and big winners.
“I believe their stories should be told. It is important to tell the stories about regular women who join this community. Why did they do it? What do they get from it?
Marketing companies make the critical mistake of assuming women want the same things as men when they market to them. Lydon and Poker Power have proven that listening to women and giving them the opportunity to take part on their terms is a winning strategy.
