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Annie Duke is one of the world's leading female poker players, and is an example for many women who are taking up this male-dominated game. This mother of four supports her family by playing poker and she is very good at what she does. In fact, Duke who began playing poker in 1994 recently became the leading woman player in terms of earnings at the prestigious World Series of Poker (WSOP), with more than $600,000 in winnings over the past 10 years. Her first place showing in the WSOP Omaha High-Low event in May 2004 was the first gold bracelet of what promises to be a long tournament career for the 36-year-old.
Duke was raised in Concord, New Hampshire and seemed destined for a life of academia. Her father was the head of the English department at the prestigious St. Paul's boarding school and Duke followed his academic career route by taking a double major in English and psychology at Columbia University. She then went on to the University of Pennsylvania for graduate school, but found herself less than enamored with academic life. Eventually, she married her husband Ben and moved with him to Montana.
Her brother, Howard Lederer, is also a famous poker player who recognized Annie's potential as a poker player early on. Lederer urged Duke to pursue poker professionally and even floated a loan as her first "stake" to begin playing. After becoming well known in Montana's gaming rooms, Duke decided to enter the WSOP for the first time in 1994. She managed to place 13th in her first WSOP and third the next year.
Throughout her career as a professional poker player, Duke has put in tremendous effort to be a great mother. Her children lead normal lives, and when she is not in the casino, Duke spends her time driving, feeding, and looking after Maud, Leo, Lucy, and Nell. One of the highlights of Duke's career was placing 10th in the 2000 WSOP while eight months pregnant with Lucy! Annie won her first World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004 in the $2000 Omaha High-Low event.
Duke does not perceive being a woman as a handicap in the world of professional poker. Interestingly, she refuses to play in all-women tournaments, choosing instead to pit herself and her money against the best players in the world, whether male or female. In a recent interview with CBS, Duke said, “Poker is one of the only sports where a woman can compete on a totally equal footing with a man, so I don't understand why there's a ladies only tournament (at the WSOP).”
In fact, Duke believes that there are advantages to being a woman in a male-dominated sport. As the saying goes, "all's fair in love and war," and Duke is not afraid to flirt to get information from men around the table. She has also noted that some male players are often threatened by female players, often raising or calling when they should be folding so as not to appear weak, which allows her to win more and bigger pots.
Annie Duke is one of the most successful female poker players in history, but she is also earning the distinction of being one of the most successful poker players in history, which is something no other woman player has yet accomplished. With her continuing success, Duke is quickly showing the world that poker is no longer a sport just for men.
ANNIE DUKE