Duke Duke Duke, Duke or Earl..

Annie Duke is my hero. There are not so many female pro poker players out there, so it's nice to see her move up in the industry.

Do you know why she's so good? I'm not convinced that it's all because she was raised playing poker. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that she went to college majoring in Cognitive Psychology. I imagine that helps her out a bit when she's playing, she can probably read anybody.

In the beginning of her career she would sign into online poker rooms, and whatever earnings she won there would be used toward her house payments. How amazing is that? Goes to show that not ALL low-income families are squandering their money on online poker.

Her brother, Howard Lederer is also a professional, and has competed in the World Series of Poker, and she, so far, as whooped his butt. His highest earnings in the WSOP was $165,000, where as Annie had gone on to beat 8 pro legends and took home 2 million in the No-Limit Texas Hold'em winner-take-all, invitation-only WSOP Tournament of Champions, established by ESPN and Harrah's Entertainment.

Annie currently holds the women's record for the most in the money finishes at the WSOP.

And God Bless her, when she was asked why she no longer competes in women's tournaments at the WSOP, she answered, "Poker is one of the few sports where a woman can compete on a totally equal footing with a man, so I don't understand why there's a ladies only tournament."

Duke went on to write her autobiography, Annie Duke: How I raised, folded, bluffed, flirted, cursed and won millions at the World Series of Poker and it should be in everyone's arson.