Vanessa Kade’s Fiery Leave from GGPoker and ACR Ambassadorship

Vanessa Kade finds a new home with Americas Cardroom following the fallout of the Dan Bilzerian story. 

Americas Cardroom Welcomes Vanessa Kade to Team 

Poker professional Vanessa Kade is now officially joining Americas Cardroom’s ambassadors’ team following an abrupt departure from GGPoker in the wake of the website’s decision to pull in Dan Bilzerian as an official representative for the company.

The decision resonated strongly with the poker community, prompting female players and professionals to criticize the “poor taste” of the move. Bilzerian, known for his occasional rude attitude on social media and overall display of machismo and bravado, as well as photo-ops with scantily-dressed models, has been a divisive figure in the event.

Kade, who is a respected member of the society, was one of the most vociferous critics of GGPoker’s decision arguing against it outright. She didn’t mince her words and commented on the case back in December, arguing that Bilzerian’s appointment was a huge step backward in the image of the website. 

GGPoker tried to deescalate the situation, including an attempt to address an untoward comment on social media with Bilzerian telling Kade to “quiet hoe, nobody knows who you are.” The company signed a partnership with Fantastic Ladies in Poker (FLIP), a company that is focused on supporting female players in poker. 

More Women in Poker amid Fraught Last Months 

Kade welcomed the move. She further noted that the partnership with FLIP was most certainly a good call for GGPoker and a positive development for the female poker community. The platform announced a poker tournament for International Women’s Day shortly after. 

Yet, she cautioned that no partnership could be compatible with Bilzerian’s ambassadorship role was he to be a part of the team. Kade continued to criticize the platform openly, mostly focusing on Bilzerian’s appointment. 

On March 9, Kade said that GGPoker had terminated an old affiliate account of hers. GGPoker took a few more days to consider the issue and argued that while they were sorry about what had happened, they had no power over what ambassadors said or did on their social media accounts. 

Kade is now a part of the America Cardroom’s team, alongside Chris Moneymaker and other prominent figures of the community. She has called GGPoker complicit in the matter of Dan Bilzerian and argued that the company should do much better.

Tremendous effort has gone into making poker more welcoming to women, too. PokerStars announced a women-only tournament for March 27 hosted in collaboration with Poker Powher. 

We spoke with Erin Lydon, managing director, and GM at Poker Powher, who offered insight into the company’s commitment to empowering women through poker.