Women in Blackjack

**Ole** · 03-07-2023, 11:11 PM

TODAY is INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY. 3/8. Also, all of March is Womens History Month in the states.

So, we should recognize some of the great women who have made significant contributions to our sport, our art, and/or our investment businesses.

First to mention is Cathy Hulbert. She counted cards since the age of 22, and was the first female team member on Ken Uston's team when they fleeced Atlantic City. Cat was also the key player on the Czech Blackjack Team, travelling to all the world's casinos. Cat Hulbert was the first woman inducted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame in 2022, the same year that she passed.

Another great blackjack player and card counter is Katarina Walker. Katarina's favorite game was Spanish 21 and Australian Pontoon. She wrote the book that became the seminal work to analyze and beat these games. Kat played her system in every hemisphere from Asia to Foxwoods. Katarina's work was critical to making these games attractive, and directly positively affected my own livelihood. She also unfortunately passed at a young age.

And today too, we should acknowledge all the women blackjack professionals who've made this business a success, so cheers to y'all.
Especially, props to Shawnee, who is the Big Player on our team, and who cashes-in the biggest chips at all the greatest casinos.

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**davethebuilder** · 03-08-2023, 06:06 AM

Good post.

I suggested to Max Rubin that Kat was a worthy contender for nomination into the Blackjack Hall of Fame just after she passed in mid-2015. Unfortunately, he didn’t get too excited about the idea so her name never made it onto the ballot sheet. Perhaps, she was not that well known in the US but her work was very thorough, accurate and original. Some time ago there was a discussion about the possibility of splitting the HOF by gender so, maybe, one day, she might get nominated.

**aceside** · 03-08-2023, 06:14 AM

Blackjack is thought of as being more muscular and thus is dominated by males.

**Norm** · 03-08-2023, 06:44 AM

Well, there is BJHoF member Cat Hulbert and BJHoF nominee Maria "the Greek".

**UncleChoo** · 03-08-2023, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by aceside

Blackjack is thought of as being more muscular and thus is dominated by males.

If not mistaken, in the early casino days (pre thorp) the game was played primarily by females and men were more into craps.

**21forme** · 03-08-2023, 08:07 AM

Among Asians, BJ seems more popular with women than men.

**Ole** · 03-08-2023, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by davethebuilder

I suggested to Max Rubin that Kat was a worthy contender for nomination into the Blackjack Hall of Fame ... Unfortunately, he didn’t get too excited about the idea so her name never made it onto the ballot sheet. Perhaps, she was not that well known in the US but her work was very thorough, accurate and original.

I fully agree with you, that Katarina Walker should be strongly considered for the BJHoF. Her book is a classic among the blackjack genre. I think that perhaps many traditional blackjack experts didn't consider Spanish 21 as part of their sphere. They see it as a fake spin-off, like Switch, or SuperFun21.
However, Spanish 21/Australian Pontoon is a legitimate relative of traditional blackjack. It is scientifically sound, and skilled players can develop competitive strategies to address it just like blackjack. Legend has it that Julian Braun was one of its creators. Katarina took up the challenge, and her classic work should qualify her to be nominated for BJHoF greatness.

Originally Posted by davethebuilder

Some time ago there was a discussion about the possibility of splitting the HOF by gender so, ...

Clearly, many sports need to be segregated by biological gender, e.g. track, swimming, ice hockey. However, I see several areas where genders should not be determinate in the contest, like: marksmanship, horse racing, chess, poker, and blackjack.
As you've all said, women have historically and culturally been greatly involved in the game. I've seen women excel playing blackjack, as team leaders, as strategy designers, and as authors. In this respect, I'd disagree with dividing the Hall of Fame by gender. All blackjack heroes should be honored in the same Hall of Fame.

I'm sure you agree, another fun part of blackjack is that we make it a level playing field!

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**CoopNu** · 03-10-2023, 03:38 AM

Originally Posted by davethebuilder

Good post.

I suggested to Max Rubin that Kat was a worthy contender for nomination into the Blackjack Hall of Fame just after she passed in mid-2015. Unfortunately, he didn’t get too excited about the idea so her name never made it onto the ballot sheet. Perhaps, she was not that well known in the US but her work was very thorough, accurate and original. Some time ago there was a discussion about the possibility of splitting the HOF by gender so, maybe, one day, she might get nominated.

Better late than never. She deserves it. But I don't understand the criteria for the nomination. Is this someone's wish or a poll?

**Norm** · 03-10-2023, 03:48 AM

New nominations are approved by current members of the BJHoF. In theory, any member can reject a nomination. But, the rules are not carved in stone.

**davethebuilder** · 03-12-2023, 06:43 AM

Ole,

"I'm sure you agree, another fun part of blackjack is that we make it a level playing field!"

That's part of the problem. There have been so many deserving people that it takes a long time to get on the ballot sheet let alone get elected. Therefore, I do support the HoF being split by gender, if for no other reason than to give women a better chance of being elected and to make it a more level playing field.

**Ole** · 03-12-2023, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by davethebuilder

There have been so many deserving people that it takes a long time to get on the ballot sheet let alone get elected. Therefore, I do support the HoF being split by gender, if for no other reason than to give women a better chance ...

I'm on the same page with you. More people are deserving than just one per year.

Kat is extremely deserving, I see many folks in this thread agreeing with us. She should be considered for the HoF, and if I could she'd be my next pick.

But i feel funny about segregating her into a separate but equal category. We shouldn't need a new category for every "X History Month" that appears on the calendar. I prefer keeping us all together.

I think we should have two or more honorees on some years. I know some years there were four or so names credited.

Honors aren't contests. There must be one and only one Super-bowl champ every year, and there must be one Women's Tennis champion each year,
but medals of honor don't have to restricted to only one per annnum, nor must they be forced into exactly two per annum.

We are both looking for a good fix for helping our heroes get recognized, and we're leaning mostly in the same direction. Your suggestion may be the way to go, but I'd hope for just a little more freedom and flexibility within a unified Blackjack Hall of Fame.

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**DSchles** · 03-12-2023, 12:29 PM

The entire voting system for the HoF is under reconsideration by the election committee and may be revamped for next year and the future.

Don

**Archvaldor** · 03-12-2023, 06:41 PM

Originally Posted by davethebuilder

Good post.

I suggested to Max Rubin that Kat was a worthy contender for nomination into the Blackjack Hall of Fame just after she passed in mid-2015. Unfortunately, he didn’t get too excited about the idea so her name never made it onto the ballot sheet. Perhaps, she was not that well known in the US but her work was very thorough, accurate and original. Some time ago there was a discussion about the possibility of splitting the HOF by gender so, maybe, one day, she might get nominated.

That would be Max Rubin who consults for casinos and trains them how to catch...."cheats". I'm not surprised he didn't like her that much.