What do you think?
Rate this book
Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker
The top-ranked female poker player in the world reveals an insider’s view of the World Series of Poker, a glimpse of her fascinating journey to the top, and keen analysis of winning hands
From the Introduction
I never set out to become a professional poker player.
From the Introduction
I never set out to become a professional poker player.
I was schooled at St. Paul’s School, where my father taught English; Columbia University, where I majored in psychology and English literature, and the University of Pennsylvania, where, at twenty-six, I was nearing completion of a PhD in psycholinguistics.
The afternoon before I was scheduled to meet the academic committee for a job interview, I drove my Honda from Philadelphia to New York, to see my mother. She wanted to have a little pre-celebration for a future that was mine for the taking, an academic career that would ooze prominence and prosperity.
Once inside the apartment, suddenly, a dam burst. A simple tin trash can stood below my mother’s desk; I leaned over and hurled into it, again and again. The diagnosis? I was afraid to grow up.
That’s when I ran away. Without a word of explanation, I fled to Montana, to marry a man I had never dated. And then, when money got tight and I felt beaten down by life in a leaky shack with minimal hot water, I got into my Honda and drove fifty-one frontier miles to the Crystal Lounge, in Billings. I sat down at the poker table, among thick- fingered cowboys and boozing rednecks, slipped off my shoes, tucked my bare feet under my butt, and as the dealer tossed me an Ace-Queen, I knew I was home.
This is where my life begins.
Annie Duke takes readers deep into the World Series of Poker as she wins millions, becoming the only woman to ever win two major tournaments in one year.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
4 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
Annie Duke
15 books807 followersAnnie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. She is also a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute. In 2020, she joined the board of the Renew Democracy Initiative.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 19, 2019
As someone who is just learning how to play poker, I enjoyed reading this book because not only did Annie Duke share her journey to become a professional poker player, but she also shared some beginner-friendly tips and poker strategies as applied to momentous hands in her career. There is also a section in the back of the book that goes over the rules of different poker variations and contains a glossary of colloquial poker terms.
May 24, 2020
Knowing next to nothing about poker, I felt like a lot of this book was written in a foreign language... but I was hooked on Annie's personal story of how she dealt with panic disorder, sexism, a difficult marriage, and motherhood (one of those things is not like the others) while she made a career out of high-stakes poker tournaments.
April 9, 2023
This was a fun memoir about a young woman who ended up becoming a professional gambler. Although I don't play poker, I do enjoy games and thus enjoyed the detailed descriptions of poker tournaments she played and how she worked to become good at it. Part of the fun for me is that I knew her (although not well) when we were young so I enjoyed reading about what she did after we were no longer in the same place.
If one is not interested in poker strategy, I would suggest skipping this as it does contain quite a lot of detail. I enjoyed it but others might not.
If one is not interested in poker strategy, I would suggest skipping this as it does contain quite a lot of detail. I enjoyed it but others might not.
July 23, 2019
Interesting insights into the life of Annie Duke
The name of this book is Annie Duke and it's all about Annie Duke and how she won the Omaha 8 or Better tournament at the World Series of Poker, how she won the Tournament of Champions against a field of very good players, how she had four kids, how she grew up, how she got married and divorced, her anxiety attacks, her almost academic career, her critics, her passion for poker, etc.
The part I liked best was when she went into the Crystal Lounge in beautiful downtown Billings, Montana for the first time to play poker against an all-male line up of crusty old ranchers and cowboys and assorted male chauvinists. In one of the first hands she was dealt ace-queen and got a lot action and ended up making a full house on the river. How sweet that must have been!
It is also about how Annie kicks off her shoes and tucks her legs under her butt and settles in to play cards; how she punks when she feels panicky, but how once the cards are in the air, she is in no danger of throwing up. The cards and the machinations of the game distract her. This is also about how she wanted so much to be thin and liked and pretty, and how she loved to party.
Frankly I don't know what to make of Annie (née Lederer) Duke. Personally I never played cards with her. I don't know whether she wins because she's good at reading people, or because she has an instinct for sharp aggressive play, or because of her experience and understanding of the game. Reading this book I would say all three. Her brother Howard Lederer is a world class player himself, and he taught her a lot. And she paid her dues playing small stakes games.
I found it interesting that while playing $50 and $100 hold'em in Vegas she made between $50 and $100 an hour (p. 160). And when she played at home on the Internet she made about $40 an hour. She also writes about losing $300,000 in one week at high stakes cash games (p. 182), and intimates that she bombed out of the $1,000/$2,000 hold'em game at (I presume) the Bellagio. She writes she "wasn't happy" playing at that level (p. 189). One thing I have to tell you--and Annie Duke mentions not a word about this subject, not a single word, is that high stakes poker players have an intimate relationship with the IRS and they are always trying to find ways to lay off their winnings to reduce their taxes. So I would take her winning and losing figures with the proverbial grain of salt.
It is also interesting to note that Annie Duke may be more of an instinctive player than a scientific/mathematical player. The great swings that her bankroll apparently went through suggest that she (and her brother as well) are very, very good when they are on, but fairly ordinary when they are off their game. Scientific/mathematical players keep a more even keel. Of course the greatest players in the world are both instinctive and scientific.
She writes that you can have a hand in which you are a 2 to 1 favorite and can "lose it ten times in a row," adding "that's not statistically surprising" (box on page 183). Well, the odds against losing ten times in a row when you are a 2 to 1 fav are almost sixty thousand to one. If it happens, it would be a lot more than "statistically surprising."
She also writes that for safety's sake you ought to have about 300 times the big blind in your game as a bankroll. Actually, how big a bankroll you need depends on what kind of player you are and how great an edge you have over the competition. If you have a big edge, you only need a small bankroll. If your edge is small you need a larger bankroll. But even if you are a winning player but play a lot of hands, your variance will be larger and you will need a larger bankroll. Annie does a good job of explaining this in Chapter 24. However, she reports that her brother went through a four-month period when he was "losing literally every day." (p. 182)
Somehow I doubt that. The odds of a winning player losing that consistently are astronomical. What can happen, however, is that even very good players can drift away from their best game and can go on TILT. They can lose their confidence and actually become losing players.
As was pointed out by another reviewer that was a king-high straight that she made on page 49, not an ace-high, but that isn't her mistake. That's the equivalent of a typo. Another bit of carelessness is in the glossary where "river" is defined as the "final community card in Texas Hold'em or Omaha." Actually the term originally referred to the final card in seven card stud, a game appropriately dubbed "Down the River" long before hold'em ever came into existence.
By the way, if you don't know how to play Omaha 8 or better (also called Omaha hi-lo) a lot of poker hands she recalls will be difficult to appreciate. Also the structure of the book in which alternating chapters refer to her playing and then to her life experiences may be a bit artificial for some readers.
Bottom line: a little too, too much Annie Duke here for some readers and not much in the way of instruction, but an interesting read anyway.
One final point: she did it. Annie beat the best and she made millions, and nobody can take that away from her. I just hope she invests her winnings well and concentrates on raising her four kids.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
The name of this book is Annie Duke and it's all about Annie Duke and how she won the Omaha 8 or Better tournament at the World Series of Poker, how she won the Tournament of Champions against a field of very good players, how she had four kids, how she grew up, how she got married and divorced, her anxiety attacks, her almost academic career, her critics, her passion for poker, etc.
The part I liked best was when she went into the Crystal Lounge in beautiful downtown Billings, Montana for the first time to play poker against an all-male line up of crusty old ranchers and cowboys and assorted male chauvinists. In one of the first hands she was dealt ace-queen and got a lot action and ended up making a full house on the river. How sweet that must have been!
It is also about how Annie kicks off her shoes and tucks her legs under her butt and settles in to play cards; how she punks when she feels panicky, but how once the cards are in the air, she is in no danger of throwing up. The cards and the machinations of the game distract her. This is also about how she wanted so much to be thin and liked and pretty, and how she loved to party.
Frankly I don't know what to make of Annie (née Lederer) Duke. Personally I never played cards with her. I don't know whether she wins because she's good at reading people, or because she has an instinct for sharp aggressive play, or because of her experience and understanding of the game. Reading this book I would say all three. Her brother Howard Lederer is a world class player himself, and he taught her a lot. And she paid her dues playing small stakes games.
I found it interesting that while playing $50 and $100 hold'em in Vegas she made between $50 and $100 an hour (p. 160). And when she played at home on the Internet she made about $40 an hour. She also writes about losing $300,000 in one week at high stakes cash games (p. 182), and intimates that she bombed out of the $1,000/$2,000 hold'em game at (I presume) the Bellagio. She writes she "wasn't happy" playing at that level (p. 189). One thing I have to tell you--and Annie Duke mentions not a word about this subject, not a single word, is that high stakes poker players have an intimate relationship with the IRS and they are always trying to find ways to lay off their winnings to reduce their taxes. So I would take her winning and losing figures with the proverbial grain of salt.
It is also interesting to note that Annie Duke may be more of an instinctive player than a scientific/mathematical player. The great swings that her bankroll apparently went through suggest that she (and her brother as well) are very, very good when they are on, but fairly ordinary when they are off their game. Scientific/mathematical players keep a more even keel. Of course the greatest players in the world are both instinctive and scientific.
She writes that you can have a hand in which you are a 2 to 1 favorite and can "lose it ten times in a row," adding "that's not statistically surprising" (box on page 183). Well, the odds against losing ten times in a row when you are a 2 to 1 fav are almost sixty thousand to one. If it happens, it would be a lot more than "statistically surprising."
She also writes that for safety's sake you ought to have about 300 times the big blind in your game as a bankroll. Actually, how big a bankroll you need depends on what kind of player you are and how great an edge you have over the competition. If you have a big edge, you only need a small bankroll. If your edge is small you need a larger bankroll. But even if you are a winning player but play a lot of hands, your variance will be larger and you will need a larger bankroll. Annie does a good job of explaining this in Chapter 24. However, she reports that her brother went through a four-month period when he was "losing literally every day." (p. 182)
Somehow I doubt that. The odds of a winning player losing that consistently are astronomical. What can happen, however, is that even very good players can drift away from their best game and can go on TILT. They can lose their confidence and actually become losing players.
As was pointed out by another reviewer that was a king-high straight that she made on page 49, not an ace-high, but that isn't her mistake. That's the equivalent of a typo. Another bit of carelessness is in the glossary where "river" is defined as the "final community card in Texas Hold'em or Omaha." Actually the term originally referred to the final card in seven card stud, a game appropriately dubbed "Down the River" long before hold'em ever came into existence.
By the way, if you don't know how to play Omaha 8 or better (also called Omaha hi-lo) a lot of poker hands she recalls will be difficult to appreciate. Also the structure of the book in which alternating chapters refer to her playing and then to her life experiences may be a bit artificial for some readers.
Bottom line: a little too, too much Annie Duke here for some readers and not much in the way of instruction, but an interesting read anyway.
One final point: she did it. Annie beat the best and she made millions, and nobody can take that away from her. I just hope she invests her winnings well and concentrates on raising her four kids.
--Dennis Littrell, author of the mystery novel, “Teddy and Teri”
March 22, 2018
A former top-ranked female poker player in the world reveals an insider's view of the World Series of Poker, a glimpse of her fascinating journey to the top, and keen analysis of winning hands.
Interesting, but lacked substance. I really wanted to like this book, she focuses more on her mental health and personal issues rather then form any kind of a poker.
If you are looking for a poker story look elsewhere. Try Positive Fifth Street, which she trashes multiple times, because she doesn't like the author.
A good poker player is part entertainer, part psychologist and full-on con-artist. I was hoping that Annie Duke's book would reveal the perspective of a high-level poker player, but perhaps it was unfair to expect someone who makes a living at deception to open up - even in her biography.
Interesting, but lacked substance. I really wanted to like this book, she focuses more on her mental health and personal issues rather then form any kind of a poker.
If you are looking for a poker story look elsewhere. Try Positive Fifth Street, which she trashes multiple times, because she doesn't like the author.
A good poker player is part entertainer, part psychologist and full-on con-artist. I was hoping that Annie Duke's book would reveal the perspective of a high-level poker player, but perhaps it was unfair to expect someone who makes a living at deception to open up - even in her biography.
August 10, 2017
In alternate chapters, Duke and Diamond recount how Annie Duke grew up and how she advanced in a WSOP event. While the material can be interesting, this quick read seems to lack the depth that I hoped from Duke.
She faces down depression, sexism, and family volatility but this book feels like it only gives those surface treatment. Meanwhile, her analysis of play seems un-nuanced. Not that she is a bad player - far from it. She is clearly one of the top card players in the world. But the analysis presented in half this book is often very basic (perhaps to make it a more accessible read as Duke clearly understands far more about the strategies she is employing than is relayed).
So this is not quite a complex biography, nor is it a solid poker 'advice' book. Not accomplishing either is a shame because it had the potential to be successful in both.
She faces down depression, sexism, and family volatility but this book feels like it only gives those surface treatment. Meanwhile, her analysis of play seems un-nuanced. Not that she is a bad player - far from it. She is clearly one of the top card players in the world. But the analysis presented in half this book is often very basic (perhaps to make it a more accessible read as Duke clearly understands far more about the strategies she is employing than is relayed).
So this is not quite a complex biography, nor is it a solid poker 'advice' book. Not accomplishing either is a shame because it had the potential to be successful in both.
June 15, 2024
I'm actually in the process of a re-read bc I read this a few years ago. I noticed a lot of criticism in the reviews, but I found it light, fun, and accessible.
I do understand the point of view expressed wishing it had been a little deeper, instead of just glossing the surface. I think that just shows how interesting her life and the topic is- we want to know more!
I do understand the point of view expressed wishing it had been a little deeper, instead of just glossing the surface. I think that just shows how interesting her life and the topic is- we want to know more!
January 1, 2018
The book is part biography and poker lesson from a psycholinguistic Phd candidate turned professional poker player. Annie Duke is an interesting person and has written a quick, engaging read. It will not turn you into a poker player but she does offer solid tactical and strategic tips.
November 30, 2021
Well told. Great story about a very fun life journey. Also, I learned a lot along the way. Highly recommend the audiobook as her narration is on point!
January 17, 2017
Didn't know what to expect, found it to be an excellent memoir peppered with good poker tips. By paying attention to how she chose to tell the story of her life, I left the book understanding how Annie keeps her Zen at the table; Annie is very self-aware. (insert throwaway joke about her Cognitive-Linguistics PhD)
Good poker tips regarding tells, bankroll management, game selection, and plays are in this book, but you have to keep an eye out. The tips in the back are good, but the real lessons are in the meat of the game text.
I was surprised by how open she was with her experiences growing up and becoming a poker pro. This book is as much about challenges she faced growing up, the mistakes along the way, and how she learned to deal with her problems. Annie grew up with competition, high academic expectations, high academic capacity, and an anxiety disorder. She ditched her PhD b/c of fear and shut herself up in a shack in Montana. Then she found poker and found her calling. She explains how these forces influence her life and the circumstances surrounding her when she learned how to deal with her issues. I can tell there was a lot of thought put into this book b/c she makes sure not to apologize, blame, or explain away difficult things.
There are many smart people with anxiety disorders who developed an ornate yet jaundiced view of the world. Whatever they talk about, their fears and frustrations seep deep into their perspective, blurring their vision. Overtime, all they know is based upon blurs and not reality, and then they bitch about how reality doesn't fit the expectations they have based upon inaccurate assessments of the world. You may know that as bitter old men. Ironically, some of them are really good poker players. It is nice to read someone who shares how they developed a worldview that accommodates their anxieties without: fear or judgement of who they are; or allowing the worldview be subservient to their anxieties. That is a good strategy for poker.
Good poker tips regarding tells, bankroll management, game selection, and plays are in this book, but you have to keep an eye out. The tips in the back are good, but the real lessons are in the meat of the game text.
I was surprised by how open she was with her experiences growing up and becoming a poker pro. This book is as much about challenges she faced growing up, the mistakes along the way, and how she learned to deal with her problems. Annie grew up with competition, high academic expectations, high academic capacity, and an anxiety disorder. She ditched her PhD b/c of fear and shut herself up in a shack in Montana. Then she found poker and found her calling. She explains how these forces influence her life and the circumstances surrounding her when she learned how to deal with her issues. I can tell there was a lot of thought put into this book b/c she makes sure not to apologize, blame, or explain away difficult things.
There are many smart people with anxiety disorders who developed an ornate yet jaundiced view of the world. Whatever they talk about, their fears and frustrations seep deep into their perspective, blurring their vision. Overtime, all they know is based upon blurs and not reality, and then they bitch about how reality doesn't fit the expectations they have based upon inaccurate assessments of the world. You may know that as bitter old men. Ironically, some of them are really good poker players. It is nice to read someone who shares how they developed a worldview that accommodates their anxieties without: fear or judgement of who they are; or allowing the worldview be subservient to their anxieties. That is a good strategy for poker.
August 19, 2008
Annie Duke and David Diamond, Annie Duke: How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions... And You Can Too (Plume, 2005)
If you put aside the odd grammar of the book's title and dig into it, the first word that will no doubt come to mind is readable; I am not (to understate the case a great deal) a fan of memoirs, and I still devoured this in one day (while working on two other books as well). Duke, or co-writer David Diamond, or both, is a born storyteller. And while I grant you that people who don't play (or watch) poker are probably not going to be as on the edge of their collective seat during the relating of a particular hand in a particular tournament, there's more than enough meat in Duke's private life to keep the non-card-sharks interested as well. *** ½
If you put aside the odd grammar of the book's title and dig into it, the first word that will no doubt come to mind is readable; I am not (to understate the case a great deal) a fan of memoirs, and I still devoured this in one day (while working on two other books as well). Duke, or co-writer David Diamond, or both, is a born storyteller. And while I grant you that people who don't play (or watch) poker are probably not going to be as on the edge of their collective seat during the relating of a particular hand in a particular tournament, there's more than enough meat in Duke's private life to keep the non-card-sharks interested as well. *** ½
February 18, 2008
Another entertaining poker memoir. While the tales of specific games and poker strategy were fun to follow, the memoir is most interesting as a peek into a highly intelligent, but quite dysfunctional family (for a more detailed picture of this, see Duke's sister's book, _Poker Face: A Girlhood Among Gamblers_ by Katy Lederer).
September 12, 2010
Fun read. Annie Duke alternates between telling her life story (explaining essentially why she is a professional poker player) and winning an event in the 2004 World Series of Poker tournament. The book includes tips on playing poker, a glossary of poker slang, and explains the rules of different versions of poker.
May 29, 2011
This was fun. Not particularly impressive or moving or anything -- just a pretty straightforward discussion of her two most famous tournaments, interspersed with some discussion of her background. Interesting, and I learned quite a bit about Omaha, which is not a poker variant I was very familiar with.
February 16, 2008
Kind of a cross between the typical "how to play poker" book, and a tale of feminine empowerment. Overall a good read! Made me want to head to a poker table and start winning money from all they guys.
Read
May 28, 2008Annie Duke's memoir about winning the 2004 Omaha Hi/Lo Tourney at the WSOP.
July 9, 2009
A must read for anyone who plays Texas Hold Em poker. I learned alot from reading her book.
June 19, 2009
Light reading. If you enjoy watching the WSOP (poker) on TV you will like this book.
December 28, 2010
I don't know.
April 5, 2013
I liked this because I'm a poker fan. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't really recommend it.
August 19, 2013
I fell in love with Annie watching her play poker on television, I found out why after reading this book. She is complex and human and flawed and opens up in this book.
July 7, 2014
Read Doyle's book :)
June 15, 2010
A good read. I'd put this at 3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews