The Duchess of Poker
Annie Duke was Born September 13, 1965 in Concord, New Hampshire and is one of the most famous names in the tournament circuit. Her brother and fellow poker player is Howard "The Professor" Lederer. Annie attended Columbia University, where she got a double degree in English and psychology. Duke started off playing in local card rooms in Montana.
In addition to "The Duchess of Poker", Annie has picked up many nicknames including "Annie Legend" and "The Duke"
Annie took home $70,000 in her first World Series of Poker. In the 2000 World Series of Poker main event Duke took 10th place while eight months pregnant with her third child. In 2004 she won $2 million in the inaugural World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament of Champions - a 10-player, winner-take-all invitational event. Duke cemented her legacy in 2004 by claiming her first WSOP bracelet in an Omaha Hi-Lo event. That win earned her a seat at the invitation-only 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions table.
Annie Duke doesn't consider being a woman to have any sort of affect on her games. She refuses to play in women's only tournaments, saying "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."
Fun Facts:
- Poker Players She Respects Most: Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey and Ted Forrest.
- Children: Maud (1995), Leo (1998), Lucy (2000) and Nell (2002)
- Works for ieLogic, a company that produces software for online real time casino gaming.