Annie Duke rose to fame in the poker world in 2004 after becoming the all-time money leaders among women after winning $2 million in the Tournament of Champions. The win helped to propel her already rising star into superstar status. Soon after her win, she began to pen her autobiography with David Diamond, and in Sept. 2005, Duke released ANNIE DUKE: HOW I RAISED, FOLDED, BLUFFED, FLIRTED, CURSED, AND WON MILLIONS AT THE WORLD SERIES OF POKER.
Those expecting a advanced poker strategy novel will want to go elsewhere, as this book is more a book about Annie’s journey into and through the poker world. She exhibits a great deal of honesty in this book, and many of her stories show a side to poker players that many never think about.
Annie shares her humble beginnings in the game and how she played the game as a way to make ends meet for her family. She then goes into how she progressed through the game and even how it impacted her family life and eventual divorce.
Duke intermixes stories about her past while telling the story about how she won her first bracelet at the 2004 World Series of Poker. She took down the $2,000 Omaha Hi-Lo split event and became one of only a handful of women to actually win a WSOP bracelet.
To say that this book is totally devoid of poker tips would be inaccurate. There is plenty that can be gleaned from this book and applied to the game of most beginning and amateur players. However, this will not be a book that will give you any type of advanced theory on the game.
For those that do not have the time to sit and read the 260-page bio, consider downloading the audiobook version. Annie Duke actually lends her voice to the reading and even interjects some additional insight while reading the unabridged version of her book.
Whether you love Annie or hate her, you should give her autobiography a look. It shares a lot of deep insight into not just Annie’s background, but also into some of the behind-the-scenes relationships that go on inside the game. While the book may not be on the same level as SUPER SYSTEM or ACE ON THE RIVER, it still is an enjoyable book that any poker fan should read at least once. —James Guill
