Pardon me while I interrupt this misogynistic circle jerk...
To answer the original question, 'tis a matter of history. In the past, poker was played in places where "women of virtue" weren't allowed...saloons, gentlemen's clubs, etc. Women were relegated to salons and parlors, where such genteel games as whist and hearts were deemed suitable for the fairer sex. Suitable by whom? Men, of course.
Therefore women of a certain age have come to the game late. Some of us had the good fortune to have fathers who taught their kids poker and blackjack regardless of gender. Most do not.
Online, poker seems to be one of the last two refuges of the non-evolved male (The other being certain sports betting forums). By non-evolved I mean those males for whom the word "tit" is a noun and a verb...for whom the phrase "That's so gay." is the be-all of their intellectual prowess...for whom the thought of moving out of their parent's basement sends chills down their unwashed spines...and for whom the word "donkey" has lost all meaning and is their only excuse for losing a hand. Unfortunately, too often we women find ourselves at a table ridden with these trogolodytes...making the game tiresome instead of enjoyable. It's hard to hone your skills when the knuckle-draggers are verbally playing with each other under the table.
The idea that women are inferior players simply because they are women is a fallacy. Poker, in all incarnations, is a game of strategy as well as skill. There isn't a male alive who hasn't gotten their ass handed to him by a female in a game of Monopoly, Parcheesi, Stratego, checkers, chess, etc...all games of strategy. As more and more women come to the game of poker, it will be more commonplace for women to make that elusive final table. It's just a matter of time.
One more thing...I sincerely doubt many of you could beat me or my mother in a game of pool, or my sister-in-law in a game of darts. You boys just aren't hanging around in the right bars.
