Annie Duke
Annie Duke is an author, professional speaker, and consultant in the decision making space. For two decades, Annie was one of the top poker players in the world, winning several championships during her career. She won a World Series of Poker bracelet and is the only woman to have won the World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship. She has mastered the art and science of strategic decision making, and has leveraged her expertise to excel at pursuits as varied as championship poker, public speaking, teaching, philanthropy and parenting. Annie speaks about a range of subjects involving decision behavior and strategy, regularly delivering keynote speeches, corporate meetings and retreats, and speaking before business professionals and organizations. Annie 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. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, she was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Annie Duke Professional Experience / Academic History
Professional Experience
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Visiting Scholar
Academic History
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M.A./Pursued Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology
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B.A., English and Psychology
POKER
Annie is still in the Top 4 as of September 2021, despite being retired from poker in 2010.
She used to be the leading money winner among women in WSOP history.
PHILANTHROPY & NON PROFITS
She helped raise more than $18 million for charities for causes as diverse as international refugees, improving education, and numerous children's hospitals.
In 2009, she appeared on NBC’s hit show Celebrity Apprentice, through which she helped raise $730,000 for Refugees International.
Annie co-founded How I Decide, a nonprofit with the goal of helping young people develop the essential life skills of critical thinking and decision making.
She became a member of the NationSwell Council, and serves on the board of The Franklin Institute, one of America's oldest and greatest museums.
BOOKS
Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts
How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices
Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away
SPEAKING & APPEARANCES
Annie is a regularly sought-after public speaker, addressing thousands in keynote remarks at conferences for organizations.
She is a contributor to The Huffington Post, blogging on decision making and critical thinking skills.
She has also twice guest lectured at Stanford University to Ron A. Howard’s Lessons in Decision Making class.
She performs regularly for The Moth, an organization that preserves the art of spoken word storytelling.
She developed a series of inspirational and educational talks on topics such as emotional control, evaluation of feedback, and negotiation tactics.