Professor Baron-Cohen identified three brain types – female brain, male brain and balanced brain:

•In female brain called E-type, empathizing is dominant characteristic

•In male brain called S-type, systemizing is dominant characteristic

•In balanced brain called B-type, both characteristics are finely balanced.

According to Professor Baron-Cohen female/male difference is not absolute but on average, more women have E-type brains and more men have S-type brains. His conclusions:

•Women tend to be better at decoding non-verbal communication, picking up subtle nuances and judging a person’s character. Even online, players exhibit certain ‘poker tells’ that can indicate strength of their hands.

•Introduced to new situations, women will stand and watch while men rush in, trying to be centre of attention. The ability to observe and assess other players before joining in brings an advantage

•Males show more direct aggression while women tend to show indirect aggression.

Women are becoming more aggressive

And if that was not enough to intimidate male poker player, research from Purdue University suggests that they will face even stiffer competition from women in future.

Social psychology Professor Amanda Dickman surveyed over 800 adults on personality characteristics of men and women and found that women are increasingly exhibiting personality traits typically associated with males.

According to Dickman, "Women are perceived as having become much more assertive, independent, and competitive over years."

The future of women’s poker online

Research shows that women do indeed have certain personality traits that predispose them to be good poker players. Add to this a layer of aggression and experience and it seems inevitable that potent and successful women poker players will emerge. Online poker websites have already noted a significant growth in women players. The market savvy among them will be quick to see opportunity and provide facilities and tournaments to encourage more women to play.

All of us are over-stimulated on a daily basis. Think advertising, TV, Nintendo, traffic, ambient noise.... All of these create a need to shut down some of our senses and withdraw. We simply cannot attend to everything around us. But how sad to miss sounds of a bird or ocean because you need to screen out daily sounds that are annoying. Where is our ability to stay in moment and grow under those circumstances? Here are a few more ideas to help you find a quiet, no matter how small, moment in time: *Turn off TV for 15 minutes. *Laugh - read comics or rent a Laurel & Hardy movie. *Read a good book - by "good" I mean anything you enjoy. *Take a walk alone - you can go for just 15 minutes.

A moment in time does not need to be large, extended or planned. Just let it happen even if for only those few seconds of breathing, breathing, breathing. It will give you back a sense of who you are and more energy to reach your goals.

Just take a deep breath!