One of the great things about poker is that the table is open to both men and women and both have a fair shot at winning the pot. Likewise there are both men and women poker players who go down in the book of poker legends. One such character is the great Annie Duke.
Duke was born in Concord, New Hampshire, on September 13, 1965. She attended Columbia University in New York City, where she studied psychology and English. Just one month before defending her Ph. D work at the University of Pennsylvania, Annie moved decided to leave school and pursue a professional career as a poker player.
Annie and her husband moved to Las Vegas, to get serious. In the 2000 WSOP, she finished in 10th place, being just one seat away from the final table – and all of this while she was eight months pregnant with her third child.
In 2002, Duke moved to Portland, Oregon, to word with ieLogic, which is a company which produces online Casino software. In 2004, Annie tutored Ben Affleck, who then went on to win that year’s California State Poker Championship, which gave Duke considerable publicity. In the same year Annie won her first WSOP gold bracelet in the Omaha hi-lo Tournament.
Annie has since ceased playing in women’s only tournaments, and she insists that men have no advantage over women at the table. She actually protests the existence of women’s only tournaments, of which she has won more than any other woman in the world.
Currently she serves as a spokesperson and advisor to UltimateBet.com, she has been on Good Morning America, and the Late Show with David Letterman. She currently has 28 cashes at the WSOP, more than many of the stars of the series, including, John Juanda, Scotty Nguyen, Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Daniel Negreanu, and Chip Reese.
