Poker Player Profile – Poker Player Annie Duke

Born into a family of poker players, it is no wonder that Annie Duke has become one of the top women poker players in the world.

Background of Annie Duke

Annie Duke was born in September 1965 in Concord, New Hampshire. Duke was born into a family of poker players, including her brother Howard Lederer, who is a professional poker player. Her sister Katy Lederer wrote a book entitled "Poker Face: A Girlhood among Gamblers." Duke studied at Columbia University where she majored in English and psychology. She won an NSF Fellowship to study psycholinguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. Duke left school in 1992, a month before she was due to defend her PhD work and that was when she decided to take up professional poker, at the urging of her brother. In 2002, Duke began to work for ieLogic, an online real time casino gaming software production company. She has since moved to Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California. She has four children and always tries to make sure that they take first priority in her life.

Annie Duke's Early Poker Career

Duke's brother, Howard Lederer initially coached and bankrolled his sister in order to help her poker play get off the ground. She initially played in the legal card rooms of Billings, Montana. Her favorite poker game is Omaha 8 or better. Duke signed up for the 1994 World Series of Poker when she had been seriously playing the game for only one month. She finished 13th in her first WSOP event and took home $70,000. Annie Duke never looked back from that point.

Poker Successes for Annie Duke

In 2000, Duke finished in 10th place in the 2000 World Series of Poker Main event. She was eight months pregnant with her third child when she missed the final table by one place. She saw great success in the 2004 World Series of Poker where she began by eliminating her brother from four different events. She went on to win the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions which is a ten-player, invitational event, from which she took home the winner-takes-all prize of $2,000,000. At the time, this win was the most money ever paid to a female poker player for a single event. She also won her first gold bracelet in the $2,000 Omaha hi-lo split 8 or better tournament. She was one of three women to win an open event that year. She also won the 2004 World Poker Tour $2,500 limit hold'em event, making 2004 a highly successful and profitable year for her. In the 2006 World Series of Poker Main event, she finished in 88th place to take home $51,129.

Current Stats for Annie Duke

As of 2008, Annie Duke has won a total of more than $3.6 million in live tournaments. Approximately one third of this amount has been from cashing in 35 times at the World Series of Poker. Annie Duke has made numerous television appearances, including becoming a finalist on the show, "The Apprentice" in May 2009. Duke is also famous for coaching actor Ben Affleck who later went on to win the 2004 California State Poker Championship.