Power Players:Annie Duke

1965 would be a momentous year for many people, but for fans of poker it would be known as the year that an amazing poker player would be born. The name of that poker player is Annie Duke and that is a name that still causes opposing players to pause in thought and consideration. Annie Duke appears to be one of those players who just happened to grow up in exactly the right surroundings and environment.

Annie Duke would be born to two teachers who would teach and play card games with her and other members of her family. She would be also be blessed by facing off with parents would want to win as offered Annie the first taste of competitive players. In addition to this already fertile poker environment, Howard would add water to the plant of her poker skill by going ahead and becoming a skilled professional player before she would. While her parents were open to whatever Annie Duke wanted out of her life, her graduating college was at the top of their priorities list.

Annie Duke would first go to a particularly strict Catholic school, St. Paul, though it would not be a smooth time in her life. At the tender age of eighteen, the beautiful Annie Duke would make the move to New York, applying to Columbia University. Annie Duke would leave college carrying twin degrees in both Psychology and English. Due to the way she was raised, Annie Duke would not think too much of poker, first intended to find her place and niche in the academic world. She would be distracted however, ditching her dissertation and marrying Ben Duke.

Annie Duke would not find the road to richness and fame a smooth one. In Montana, she and Ben Duke would actually end up in the red during their early months. Howard, the brother who would first enter the poker scene, would aid his sister and unlike the way most stories would go, would encourage the idea of playing poker to make money and would thus act as a trainer and coach. Howard would even bankroll her at the very beginning to make sure that his sister had a shot at the big money. The World Series of Poker would see Annie Duke joining the tournament in 1994. She would perform fantastically at this tournament, staying in the tournament longer than her brother and actually making it to thirteenth place. This would be the start of a very profitable career.