Drag Queens Hit the WSOP Ladies Championship

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In the 1959 movie, Some Like it Hot, Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis flee the Chicago Mob disguised as female musicians in an all-girl band. Of course, the band’s vocalist is Marilyn Monroe. Complications ensue as Curtis falls in love with Monroe and a millionaire fan of the band (Joe E. Brown) falls in love with Lemon. Although they don’t appear to have been fleeing the mob, a number of male poker players crashed Event # 22, $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship. The event is over, and Vanessa Hellebuyck took away a bracelet and $192,132. The men, some of whom dressed in drag for the event, may wish that they were Tony and Jack and that the mob had caught them by the time the WSOP gets done with them.

WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky has mentioned the possibility of a suspension or ban from future events for these players. Currently there are no firm numbers and some estimates are that half a dozen entered. Others estimate that the number of male impersonators could have been in the double digits. 38? 24? 36? No one is saying for sure.

No matter what the number who played with the girls Director Palansky assures us that there will be repercussions to these men’s actions.

Interesting, this is not the first time that a few Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis impersonators have entered that event. It turns out that the WSOP cannot ban men from competing. What seems to have upset folks at the WSOP this year is that instead of having two guys in the girl’s band, they had more. Maybe the concern is that next year, a majority of the players will be men. What if Doyle Brunson shows up in a beige off-shoulder gown by Dior? Picture Phil Ivey in hot pink with a hint of Chanel. Imagine Tony G. in something really naughty, batting his eyes pre-flop. Could this really turn into “no limit” hold’em?

In the end of Some Like it Hot, Joe E. Brown, the millionaire proposes marriage to Jack Lemon. Lemon takes off his wig and says, “You can’t, I’m a man.” Brown replies, “Well, you can’t have everything.” Maybe, that’s just the way it is.