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First Woman to Pocket Multi-Million-Dollar Prize
Puts a New Face on Traditionally Male-Dominated Game
LAS VEGAS, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- It's official - Annie Duke reigns as
the world's best poker player. The mother of four outlasted nine poker
legends - including her brother - to win the first-ever World Series of Poker
Tournament of Champions and its $2 million prize.
Duke, who holds a double major from Columbia University and did graduate
studies in cognitive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, can add
another feather to her cap: the first woman to win a multi-million-dollar
payday in poker while changing the face of a game that until recently was
dominated by men.
The winner-take-all, invitation-only tournament was established by
Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., which owns the World Series of Poker, and ESPN
to determine the world's greatest poker player. The 10 participants were
elected by a vote of their peers.
"This was an unbelievable opportunity, and the biggest win of my career,"
Duke said. "I hope that a lot of women will now enter this game and realize
it's not just your husband's, boyfriend's or brother's Wednesday night poker
game - that this is something that you can do on an equal footing with men,
that you don't need to be separated out like it's football. This is a sport
where you can really compete with everybody."
Duke, the only woman to play in the Tournament of Champions, bested the
biggest names in poker, including her brother, Howard Lederer, who finished
third. Duke took the title after knocking out 1989 World Series of Poker
champion Phil Hellmuth.
Two-time World Series of Poker champions Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson ('76,
'77) and Johnny Chan ('87, '88), 2004 champion Greg Raymer as well as T.J.
Cloutier, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu and Chip Reese rounded out the
competition.
ESPN aired the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions Sept. 21 from
8:10 p.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern. It will re-air the special at 1 p.m. Eastern on
Friday, Sept. 24.
Duke has long been among the premier players at the World Series of Poker,
earning well in excess of $500,000 prior to winning the Tournament of
Champions. Her cash finishes include a run during the 2000 World Series of
Poker in which she finished 10th while nine months pregnant.
"Annie is an incredible player," said Ginny Shanks, senior vice president
of acquisition marketing for Harrah's. "She had an amazing run at this year's
World Series of Poker, winning a gold bracelet in the Omaha High-Low $2,000
buy-in, and now she caps off the summer with an unprecedented victory. We
can't wait to see what she has in store for us at the 2005 World Series of
Poker."
Founded 66 years ago, Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. owns or manages through
various subsidiaries 28 casinos in the United States, primarily under the
Harrah's brand name. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and
value with its valued customers through a unique combination of great service,
excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and
technology leadership. More information about Harrah's is available at
http://www.harrahs.com.
ESPN Original Entertainment is developing a wide variety of branded
programming to add to the network's comprehensive event and sports news
coverage. Using a collection of genres - original movies, reality-based
shows, dramatic series, documentaries, game shows and more - ESPN's goal is to
broaden its audience by more strongly appealing to newer and more casual
sports fans.
ANNIE DUKE WINS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS