Over the weekend, Bustout Poker endorser and poker coach David Sesso received a considerable amount of flack for entering the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Ladies Championship. Now, he faces a possible suspension from the tournament series. Poker News Daily sat down with Sesso to rehash the event and his rationale for entering.
Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Why did you decide to register for the Ladies Championship?
David Sesso: My friends and I had a prop bet. Part of it was that the first one out had to play in the Ladies Event and I lost. The other part was that if you had to play in the Ladies Event, you couldn’t talk about the prop bet at all during it. We had a tournament the night before to decide who was going to have to play.
While I was in the event, I had positive vibes from the ladies at the table, but also negative vibes from the rail and tables surrounding me. I think some of the ladies took it personally that I played. There were also some guys on the rail who were very upset, but the thing I felt the worst about was the fact that many of the girls really wanted their own event.
When a guy goes to the tables on a given night, it’s very common for it to turn out to be a fun (or not so fun) night out with “the guys” and there is a special camaraderie that comes with that. Females don’t get to have this “girls night out” feeling when they play poker; the Ladies Event, I feel, gives them a chance to have this.
Realizing this fact is what makes me feel sorry for playing. I apologize to anyone I offended and vow to never participate in another ladies event. I just want everyone know I am very sorry I decided to play and that I realize my mistake. For everyone I offended, hopefully they can forgive me. I’ve learned that the Ladies Event is something that is very good for the game of poker and I hope that this tradition continues throughout the decades of poker to come.
PND: Were you surprised to learn that you might face a lifetime WSOP ban for entering?
David Sesso: I didn’t expect anyone to be this upset about it. Upon realizing why I shouldn’t have played, I could see why they would want punish me. Lots of people were giving me flack for it and I’m sure that will continue from some, but I don’t think it’d be fair, without warning, to dole out that kind of punishment. I was never warned about any punishments for playing. If I had been warned, I would have found some other way to fulfill my prop bet.
PND: You didn’t dress up in drag, but other men who entered the tournament, including Shaun Deeb, did. Do you think dressing up in drag may have been taking it a little bit too far?
David Sesso: That’s really a matter of opinion. Different people are going to see it differently. I think it’s funny that he did that and I believe he had more of a cause in playing than I did. When I lost, the guys tried to get me to dress up, but I refused. I just thought it’d be too embarrassing.
PND: Walk us through what the reaction was when you sat down at your original table. We understand you registered late for the event.
David Sesso: I jokingly apologized for being late and no one said anything, making it a bit awkward at first. Some of the girls shot me looks that sort of said, “Why are you playing this event?” but they never actually said anything like that. One of the ladies finally jested, “At least we have something pretty to look at while we’re here.” She was an older lady who wound up being nice to me the entire time and I said, “At least I’m good for something.” A guy eventually came up on the rail to say I was pathetic for playing. I really did feel bad, but it was only for a joke!
PND: Did the situation make you feel uncomfortable?
David Sesso: I had mixed feelings about it. There was definitely a lot of negative attention on me from the rail and the surrounding tables, but most of the girls at my table were laughing at me or with me. Whenever someone made a dig on me, I took it; that was all part of the fun. They seemed to have a lot of fun with it and that was the idea I had when I registered.
PND: What are your plans for the rest of the 2010 WSOP?
David Sesso: Provided they don’t give me a punishment, I’ll be playing the $2,500 Six-Max today. I’m playing everything with the exception of the $5,000 Six-Max on Thursday and the high-roller events. I think the $5,000 event will have a very tough field and it has a little too big of a buy-in for my bankroll. I’ll also play the Main Event and some tournaments at the Venetian.
