Annie Duke - Best Female Poker Player

Annie Duke, one of the well known woman professional poker player because of her success on different poker tournaments. And that made her as being the world's best female poker player and arguably one of the best poker players irrespective of gender.

Annie Duke is a compelling figure. She was raised in a scholarly family and she originally sought out a much different career path. She was attending the University of Pennsylvania, in pursuit of a degree in psycholinguistics. There was only one problem, and that was that she was utterly miserable. So, she turned to her brother for advice, and he suggested that she follow in his footsteps. Her brother happens to be Howard Lederer, one of the best poker players in the world, and a man who loves teaching the game. Howard taught Annie how to be a poker player, and she soon started building a name for herself in underground poker rooms on the east coast.

In 1994, at the urging of her brother, Annie Duke entered the World Series of Poker. In her first tournament at the WSOP, Annie Duke did very well, taking 13th place and outlasting her brother. The next few months after her first tournament, Annie Duke poker wins were just over $70,000. It was enough to convince her and her husband to move to Las Vegas where she could pursue a career at poker.

All throughout her career, Annie Duke has been consistent with her success at the table. Annie Duke poker wins have been recorded in 40 cash games. In 1996 at the World Series of Poker, Annie Duke took second place in Limit Seven-Card Stud and earned $72,000. In May of 1999, she won second place at No Limit Holdem at the World Series of Poker and earned $110,000. She has also finished in third place at the Ultimate Poker Classic and has finished in second at the Five-Star Poker Classic.

The year 2004 was a good year for Annie Duke. Poker plays in April, put her in first in Limit HoldEm at the Five-Star Poker Classic. The win earned her $157,140. Then in May at the WSOP, Annie Duke took first place in Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, beating out a field that included her brother Howard, to win $137,860 and her first WSOP bracelet. Then in August of that year, at the WSOP invitation-only Tournament of Champions, Annie beat out a table full of legendary players such as Doyle Brunson and her brother Howard Lederer. Annie Duke went on to defeat Phil Hellmuth in heads-up to win $2 million. At the time, it was the most money paid to a female player in a single event.

Annie Duke's Photos