Party Poker Blog

K, lots of stuff pending but I wanted to post this entire ESPN poker chat with Annie Duke first. Enjoy.

Transcript of ESPN chat with Annie Duke:

Buzzmaster: (1:34 PM ET ) Hey everyone! The day has finally come! Annie
Duke! She'll be here this afternoon at 4:30 ET! Reminder, you can catch
the reair of Annie's Tournament of Champions win on ESPN2, Oct. 10 at 1ET
and ESPN, Oct. 12 at 8ET!

Buzzmaster: (4:37 PM ET ) OK, hang tight. Annie was traveling today and
was set to arrive in Portland by now .. but she could have been delayed.
Buzz is on the case.

Annie Duke: (4:40 PM ET ) I'm here!




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Paul (Portland, OR): Fair warning Annie, there are some guys on this chat
who are a little obsessed with you!

Annie Duke: (4:41 PM ET ) That's OK!


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Mark (Ma): Annie, I watched the Tournament of Champions "again" last
night. How funny was Hellmuth's freak out after you beat him (K - 10)?

Annie Duke: (4:42 PM ET ) I didn't know that he freaked out until I
watched the show. I was in the room and people were taking pictures. I had
no idea until I watched the show. And yes, it was pretty funny! Phil does
that a lot but I was surprised. A lot of people asked if I was upset when
he said I was a 30-1 but there are only 10 players. It's like he called me
an amoeba. How could I be upset, it's beyond ridiculous.


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Jeff (Tulsa, OK): Annie, Do you and your brother ever play one on one? If
so, who wins most of the time?

Annie Duke: (4:45 PM ET ) No! Actually we never have! We've never been
heads up in a tournament yet.


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Mike (NJ): Are you able to use the fact that you are a woman in a mostly
man's game to your advantage at times?

Annie Duke: (4:47 PM ET ) Not so much anymore. People know who I am now.
When I was starting out I could use it. Men treat woman differently when
they play them. Not all men, but a lot. Sometimes they are soft on you and
don't play as hard. Others are just pissed off that you are there. They
want to have their boys game. In my early 20s I would pop in and be all
bubbly playing with these old rancher guys. They just didn't want me
there. They would be overly aggressive to assert their manhood. Others
would just give me a total lack of respect.


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Cayne (Federal Way, WA): Has anyone ever came onto you at a poker table? I
only ask 'cause if we played, I wouldn't be able to help myself.

Annie Duke: (4:47 PM ET ) Oh, god, yes. Of course. I've been offered
money to sleep with guys. I haven't accepted yet!


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Wade (Atlanta, GA): What is your impression of the way the internet poker
players have watered down the WSOP? Has the event lost its luster with all
these geek newbies?

Annie Duke: (4:49 PM ET ) The internet is a main catalyst for the event
becoming so long. The internet can generate so many entries in such a
short amount of time. You don't have the issues of running large
tournaments and getting floor space, etc. An online site can run as many
$5 tournaments as they want and have more people in them than a casino
tournament.


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Jeff (Tulsa, OK): Annie, Do you have a book out yet or are you planning on
writing one?

Annie Duke: (4:50 PM ET ) I have a book coming out in the spring. It's an
autobiography though. I'm filming a couple DVDs soon which are
instructional. One is a beginner's guide for women and the other one is
about how to beat the best in the game.


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Jon (Reston, VA): Was it more satisfying to get the first WSOP bracelet or
win the 2 million at the tournament of champions?

Annie Duke: (4:52 PM ET ) That's a tough one. Had I not had so many
seconds at the WSOP it would be a layup for the TOC. But I've been working
so hard to win a bracelet so it really meant a lot to me. I had so many
accomplishments but I didn't have that bracelet. It was a relief for me.
That had always been the knock against me to it was like getting a monkey
off my bad. I didn't feel like there were any expectations on me at the
TOC. A lot of it was just about how the card were going to break. Anybody
could have won and you wouldn't have been surprised. But getting that
bracelet, I'm not sure anything else better has happened to me in poker.


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Sham (The WBL): Did you buy anything special with the cash yet?

Annie Duke: (4:53 PM ET ) I'm not really a big spender. I bought a Prias
.. I was going to buy it anyway though! I really haven't done anything
extra. Most will go into a trust for my kids.


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George (Miami): Annie, has any guy tried to ask you out after you've
cleaned them out? Or are they scared of you then?

Annie Duke: (4:55 PM ET ) Yeah, poker is poker!


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Mike (Minneapolis): You were visibly upset when you knocked out your
brother. Is it hard to play against him the same way you would play anyone
else?

Annie Duke: (4:57 PM ET ) I do play against him the exact same. We don't
end up at the same table much because a lot of tournaments have rules. It
has to be a big money situation for us to be at the same table. But it's
not just my brother, when you are touring, the other pros all become your
family in a sense. I'm going around seeing the same players all the time.
So I'm close to a lot of the players. We are professionals so when we are
at the table, you are always playing against an opponent and not a friend.
I'm really competitive so as much as I want him to be successful, I want
to win!


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Zack (LA): whats the deal with you and Who-fleck?

Annie Duke: (5:00 PM ET ) I don't ever contribute to his lack of privacy!


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Mike (Miami): Annie, congratulations on your 1st WSOP win and
congratulations on the Tournament of Champions win! Where you nervous at
first when you decided to make poker your living?

Annie Duke: (5:02 PM ET ) It wasn't nerveracking at all. I never made
that decision. The genesis of my becoming a player was me living in a
house that cost $11,000 after grad school. I didn't know what I wanted to
do and I didn't have any income. I was living in a town with 1,500 people
and there were legal card games in Billings, Montana in smoky back rooms.
I was just trying to pay the rent. I called my brother and asked him to
teach me some poker so I could earn extra money. The first month I made
$2,800! I just kept doing it until I sort of became a pro poker player. It
just never was much of a decision for me.


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PaulieP (Tempe): Do you know all your brother's tells?

Annie Duke: (5:03 PM ET ) He's not very easy to read because we don't
play against each other much. He finds me hard to read as well.


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Sham (The WBL): Is Doyle Brunson the sweet guy they make him out to be? or
is he a crusty old man?

Annie Duke: (5:05 PM ET ) I mean this in the nicest way.. not that he's
dishonest, but he will snap out and bite you when he needs to. He will rip
your heart out if that is what it takes to win. But he doesn't cheat or
anything. Everyone has a cold heart when they are playing poker. As a
personality though, he is a very fierce opponent. In terms of his poker,
he is not sweet though. He is very funny and an incredible story teller.
He has a lot of them too!


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Tim Karaus (South Bend): Did it feel better to TAKE home $2 million or to
SEND home Helmuth?

Annie Duke: (5:07 PM ET ) You wanna know something interesting.. it's not
just sending Hellmuth home, it's sending all of them home! And that
includes my brother! The fact is, I went into that with very little
expectations. I didn't feel like I was the best at the table. I thought I
was in the middle of the pack (but don't ask me who I felt was worse!)
When Chip got knocked out, there was a huge sigh of relief from me! I
didn't want to be the first out!

Annie Duke: (5:08 PM ET ) It was particulary sweet getting to knock out
Hellmuth. That was an extra jolt for sure! If you had told me I would have
beat Hellmuth straight up but got no money? I'd still have done it!

Annie Duke: (5:09 PM ET ) Phil and I get along away from the table
though.. but you have to like beating someone who is constantly telling
you how much you suck.


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Bill (MA): Annie...do you have any good luck charms with you at the table,
like some people do?

Annie Duke: (5:09 PM ET ) No.


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Wade (Atlanta): What is next on your schedule?

Annie Duke: (5:09 PM ET ) I'm going to be taping the two DVDs and then
playing at the Bellagio on the 19th.


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Darin (Albuquerque,NM): Who do you think is the best player in the world?

Annie Duke: (5:11 PM ET ) That'sa question that is almost impossible to
player .. you mean all-around? Touranment players? Cash game? Both? No
limit hold 'em? Then there is the fact it can vary from day to day. If you
take the top 10 or 20, there is so little seperating them. Everyone is so
close. Also, everyone has different styles.

Annie Duke: (5:12 PM ET ) My brother has to be vying for that spot in the
all-around category.


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Mark (Boston): Do you think we will ever see another repeat winner at the
WSOP?

Annie Duke: (5:13 PM ET ) No. If we do, they better watch out when they
are walking down the street and look out for lightning. If another pro
wins it will be surprising. There just aren't that many top name pros
left. There could be 5,000 people in that event next year!

Annie Duke: (5:14 PM ET ) Whoever wins that tournament will be
unbelievably lucky. There is a group of people that will be good enough to
win and that number will be around 2,000 people! Of those, whoever wins
will be super lucky. The odds of doing that twice? Seriously, a lightning
bolt would hit them as soon as the tournament is over!


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Yedi (San Francisco): Do you think the antics of the new younger players
at the big tournament are good for the game or do the professionals detest
it?

Annie Duke: (5:16 PM ET ) I understand that in some sense, that makes
compelling TV but the fact is we are playing tournaments as our living and
our job. Frankly, it depends on which antics you are talking about. But
when you win a pot, you have to play the next hand. Taking yourself out of
the game to hoot and holler? You haven't won the tournament yet! Think how
you would feel if someone was yelling after something horrific happened to
you? When I was younger, I would win pots and start talking about how bad
my opponents were and I'm so embarassed about that. It's just uncalled for
and unnecessary. You have to understand your opponent.


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Brad (Havre MT): How big of a problem is cheating at big money cash games?

Annie Duke: (5:19 PM ET ) Most of the big money cash games it's not a big
problem.


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Justin (Syracuse): How did you not burst out laughing when Hellmuth was
flipping out when you made him think you bluffed him when you really had
him?

Annie Duke: (5:20 PM ET ) I've discovered something about people who are
beraters and insulters.. I found that the best way to make them upset is
to agree with him. That's all I was doing. He really did think I only had
a nine even though he had said before he thought I had two pair. I knew if
I stayed in character that would put him over the edge.


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Mike (DC): Does anyone have a more menacing stare-down than Phil Ivey?

Annie Duke: (5:23 PM ET ) Yeah, he has a good one! My brother is neck and
neck with him though!


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Jake (WA): Do you kick yourself after watching on TV some of the hands you
could have won, had you not folded?

Annie Duke: (5:25 PM ET ) There is only one hand where I folded the best
hand. I would fold again in that situation. I had two red jacks. Daniel
had two black 8s .. given the range of hands he could have holding, it
just wasn't worth it. Daniel likes to move him on me because he thinks I'm
a big caller. He is usually sure he has a good hand and isn't trying to
bluff me. After he folded, he said whatever I had he still had a better
hand! I played it correctly so I'm not too upset.


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Brad (Havre MT): Would you rather take money off of a fellow pro or some
unsuspecting fish in Las Vegas with a big bankroll in his pocket?

Annie Duke: (5:26 PM ET ) I don't get satisfaction from taking money from
people. But I do take money from out of towners. I don't like taking money
from people, it's just my job.


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JB (Shreveport, LA): Do you have a backer?

Annie Duke: (5:27 PM ET ) In tournaments yes, not in cash games.

Annie Duke: (5:27 PM ET ) Two more questions!


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Brad (Havre MT): So is the Howard Lederer poker school worth the tuition?

Annie Duke: (5:29 PM ET ) I was there for a day and half! It was great!
Totally first class. I went to a banquet and the food was actually really
good and the instruction was great! There were games going on all the
time. It was really great. You could learn the game, then go play, then go
talk to a pro after you get knocked out! I didn't talk to one person who
wouldn't go back! I'm going to go back again next time for the whole
experience.


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Elliott (Missoula): Had no idea you've been around Montana! Any chance of
finding you in a game up there?

Annie Duke: (5:29 PM ET ) No! But I used to play at Ida's Place!




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Mark (MA): Favorite TV poker moment during the past few months?

Annie Duke: (5:34 PM ET ) My favorite TV moment of the WS .. that's hard
.. the funniest thing was Phil Ivey trying to play golf! Oh, I know ..
when Mike Matsuow started crying like a baby.. please God let my read be
right!!! That was funny!

Thanks for the all the questions! It's really fun to have fans! We didn't
have fans for so long and for years nobody knew we were making our living
playing poker! TV has showcased this is a game of skill which is great.
It's just nice to have fans and to be able to talk to all of you. This has
been a lot of fun ... we'll have to do it again! To all of you in this
chat, thanks for all the support!