BIOGRAPHY
Annie Duke is a former professional poker player who now specialises in advising organisations on how to make smart decisions.
Her latest book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, was published in October 2022 by Portfolio.
Annie spent twenty years as one of the best poker players in the world. In 2004 she won her first World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, coming top out of 234 contestants. She went on to take the winner-take-all, invitation-only WSOP Tournament Of Champions title that same year and in 2010 triumphed at the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Her total career winnings amount to $4 million.
In 2018, Annie published her first book for general audiences, Thinking In Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have all The Facts, which soon became a best-seller.
She now focuses on mentoring, writing and speaking on skills such as decision fitness, emotional control, productive decision groups and embracing uncertainty.
A passionate advocate for a range of charitable causes, Annie has raised more than $18 million for charities. She is a cofounder of HowIDecide.org (a non-profit that helps young people learn the skills of critical thinking and decision-making), a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and a member of the NationSwell Council. In 2016 she joined the board of directors of the Franklin Institute, one of America’s oldest and greatest museums. She has also won a televised championship in rock-paper-scissors.
For more information about Annie Duke’s speaking topics, availability and fees, contact leo@vbqspeakers.com.
ANNIE DUKE: SPEAKER
A highly popular speaker, Annie regularly addresses senior-level audiences at the world’s leading multinationals in industries ranging from financial services and consultancies to technology and leisure. She tailors every talk precisely to the audience of each particular event, and draws on her accomplished story-telling skills to keep the audience engaged (she has performed several times for The Moth, an organisation that preserves the art of spoken story-telling).
In an age characterised by volatility and speed, business leaders are having to make difficult decisions under more pressure and uncertainty than ever before. Annie’s insights are invaluable for those looking to thrive in this new context.