Annie Duke Keynote Speaker

Former professional poker player
Decision making strategist and expert in cognitive psychology
Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Thinking in Bets (2018) and Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away (2022)

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Annie Duke's Biography

Annie Duke is an award-winning author in cognitive strategy and a decision-making strategist.

As a former professional poker player, Annie had a hugely successful career. For two decades, she was one of the top poker players in the world. Annie Duke was the 2004 winner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament of Champions, and in that same year, she bested a field of 234 players to cinch her first WSOP bracelet.

Later in 2010, Annie won the prestigious NBC National Poker Heads-Up Championship and has earned approximately $4 million from tournament poker. Annie retired from the game in 2012, where she then started several charities and non-profit organisations. Leveraging on her expertise in smart decision making, Duke also took to writing, public speaking and coaching.

Combining her academic studies in cognitive psychology with real-life decision-making experiences at the poker table, Annie authored several books. Thinking in Bets (2018), quickly became a national bestseller and teaches readers to get comfortable with uncertainty and make smarter decisions in any situation.

Her latest book, Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away (2022), is a cleverly created toolkit for mastering the skill of quitting to achieve greater success.

First Round Capital recently invited Annie Duke to take on the role of Special Partner in Decision Science. Where Annie focuses on coaching First Round VCs and their founders through challenging decisions.

Co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. Annie Duke also serves on the board of the Renew Democracy Initiative and is a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute.

Annie Duke graduated with a doctorate in cognitive linguistics and a double major in English and Psychology from Columbia University. She was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, before she decided to go into professional poker.