Annie Duke - Duchess of Poker
Few women have made as large a mark on the world of female poker players as Annie Duke, the woman who known by the title “Duchess of Poker.” And that’s not just a give-away title, either – Duke has more than earned the designation.
History and Personal Life
Born in 1965 in Concord, New Hampshire, Duke never set out to become a major figure in the world of women’s poker. In fact, she fully expected to lead a normal, quiet life. She married Ben Duke while the two were in college, earning her graduate degree in psycholinguistics and continuing doctoral work in the same field.
However, in 1992, just a month before defending her dissertation, she left graduate school to become a professional poker player. This decision was made after seeing her brother, Howard Lederer, succeed as a professional poker player for years. In fact, Howard became her coach and even helped support her financially during her first few years.
Two years later, the Dukes moved to Las Vegas so that Annie could begin playing full-time. This decision quickly paid off. In 2000, she finished tenth in the World Series of Poker main event – doing so while pregnant, no less. In 2004, she picked up her first gold bracelet and defeated her brother and coach Howard in several events – making her one of only three women to win an open event at the 2004 World Series of Poker.
While 2004 saw her professional career pick up, it also marked the end of her marriage to Ben Duke. However, Annie found victory even in this defeat – she’d bet $500 to fellow professional poker player Steve Zolotow that her marriage wouldn’t last five years. Following her divorce, she moved to Los Angeles with her four children.
Winnings
Out of all the female poker players of 2008, Annie currently holds the record for “in the money” finishes at the World Series for Poker. And before Annette Obrestad’s win in 2007, Annie held the record for the most money ever paid to a female player at one event, for her $2,000,000 win at the first World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions in 2004.
Other Notable Facts
In addition to her monetary winnings, Annie also gained fame for tutoring actor Ben Affleck in poker. As the result of her tutelage, Affleck later won the 2004 California State Poker Championship. She’s also had her own television show on GSN called “Annie Duke Takes on the World” and has appeared on “Ultimate Blackjack Tour” and on NBC’s “1 vs. 100″ as part of the Mob. She was the only celebrity out of her Mob group who was not eliminated by answering 35 questions correctly. Her most recent television appearance as of 2008 was on the hit game show “Deal or No Deal.”
Like many professional female poker players, Annie sees poker as one of the games where there’s no difference between male and female players. Because of beliefs, she doesn’t see the point of women-only tournaments and has turned down every invitation to play in them.