Online Poker Celeb Annie Duke Calls Bob Goodlatte's BluffOne of the faces of UltimateBet.com and the Queen of online poker, Annie Duke, recently testified in Washington in regard to legalizing the activity.
"I made it clear that I completely respect their view on that and, in fact, would fight for their right to express the view that gambling is a sin. I also respect their right to not engage in the activity. What I do not respect, though, is their desire to impose that view on me or anyone else."
You can see the whole hearing here: http://judiciary.house.gov/oversight.aspx?ID=396 You can also read all the witnesses testimony there.
"It is all very interesting and definitely worth exploring and reading."
After leaving her academic work, Duke began playing poker in the legal card rooms in Billings.[1] Her brother Howard was already a successful professional and he both coached and helped finance her play initially. In 1994, she and her husband moved to Las Vegas in order to commence playing poker full time.
In early 2004, Duke received considerable publicity for tutoring actor Ben Affleck, who then went on to win the 2004 California State Poker Championship. Before this time, her main claim to poker fame was her 10th place finish in the 2000 World Series of Poker main event (one position short of the final table) while eight months pregnant with her third child. In the 2004 World Series of Poker she also eliminated her brother Howard Lederer from four separate events, including the Tournament of Champions. During this same World Series, she won her first gold bracelet, in an Omaha Hi-Lo tournament. She was one of three women (Kathy Liebert and Cyndy Violette being the other two) to win an open event in that year's WSOP.
Annie has several nicknames including "Annie Legend", "The Duke", and "The Duchess of Poker", and unlike her brother, is known for being somewhat emotional at the poker table.[citation needed]
Duke is one of many poker players that take issue with the restrictions placed on players during televised tournaments. Although the players pay mandatory entry fees to enter tournaments, some venues do not allow players to wear sponsorship logos. Duke raised some controversy when she made a statement in a news article regarding this issue: "We [poker players] are not even slaves. We're people paying to pick the cotton."
Filed Under: Online Gambling News
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Ace King, Gambling911.com
Originally published November 25, 2007 9:00 pm EST
