Annie Duke Talks About Poker Chauvinism At Reputed Law School
Former poker player and current pop star Annie Duke said at a panel discussion hosted by Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution at UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law that the online poker world had only 3 percent female poker players when she began playing full-time poker in 1994, a percentage that remains the same to date.
Recalling her initial days as a poker player, Duke said that her male opponents belonged to one of 3 categories—men who wanted to go to bed and therefore did not present a strong opposition at the poker tables, men who called instead of folding because they couldn’t tolerate losing to a woman, and men who underestimated her abilities and did not take her seriously. Men usually labeled her “frigid” or “hot,” terms used by upset losers.
Unlike her contemporaries who reacted angrily to such chauvinistic attitudes, Duke remained calm in the knowledge that she would ultimately win while her emotionally charged male opponents would lose.
Duke, who has a double major in psychology and English at Columbia University, quit academia for poker and won millions in poker tournaments. Duke has attained excellence as an academic and as a poker player. She is known for her intellectual analysis of poker as well as her intelligent discussions on subjects such as politics and genetically-modified food. Her website is a delightful collection of tips on nutrition, poker, and parenting. Recently, she also gained a place for herself in pop culture after finishing second in “Celebrity Apprentice,” a reality show by Donald Trump.
The crux of it is that Annie Duke can be set apart from the online poker gaming community because she has done something that other poker players couldn’t do—establish herself as an intellectual through her knowledge of several subjects and her desire to share it with others.
