Annie Duke

Annie LaBarr Duke (née Lederer; born September 13, 1965) is an American former professional poker player, author, and decision strategist. She rose to prominence as a top female poker player, winning a World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet in 2004 and becoming the only woman to win both the WSOP Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. With lifetime tournament earnings of $4,270,548, Duke remains one of the most successful women in poker history.

Duke grew up in Concord, New Hampshire, where her father, Richard Lederer, taught English at St. Paul's School, and her mother, Rhoda S. Lederer, taught at Concord High School. She attended St. Paul's School and later enrolled at Columbia University, joining the first co-ed class in its history and double-majoring in English and psychology. After graduating, she pursued a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a National Science Foundation Fellowship. One month before defending her dissertation in 1991, she left the program. More than thirty years later, she returned to Penn and earned her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology in June 2023.

Duke first played Texas hold'em at age 22 and continued playing while visiting her brother Howard Lederer during graduate school. After leaving academia, she turned professional. In 2004, she won her first WSOP bracelet in the $2,000 Limit Hold'em event. That same year, she won the WSOP Tournament of Champions, earning $2 million. In 2010, she won the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Duke also cashed in the WSOP Main Event, finishing 10th in 2000, then the best finish by a woman. She retired from poker in 2012.

Duke has authored several poker strategy books, including Decide to Play Great Poker, The Middle Zone, and her autobiography How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker. Her best-selling book Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts applies poker-derived decision-making principles to everyday life. She followed up with How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices (2020) and Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away (2022).

In 2007, Duke co-founded the non-profit Ante Up for Africa with actor Don Cheadle to raise money for charities in African nations. She has also been active in advocating for online gambling legality and players' rights. She co-founded and served as commissioner of the Epic Poker League (2011–2012).

Since retiring, Duke has become a prominent speaker and consultant on decision-making. She is a Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners and teaches at Harvard Kennedy School and the Wharton School of Executive Education. She co-founded the Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit promoting decision skills in schools.

Duke was known for a tight-aggressive style, strong math skills, and ability to read opponents. She emphasized emotional control and bankroll management. Her legacy includes being a trailblazer for women in poker and a leading voice in decision science.

Duke married Ben Duke in 1992 and had four children before divorcing in 2004. She later married Eric Brooks. Her siblings include professional poker player Howard Lederer and author Katy Lederer.

• 2004 WSOP gold bracelet
• 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions winner ($2 million)
• 2010 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner
• Lifetime earnings: $4,270,548
• Inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame (not specified, but noted as a milestone)