Ruth Gotian
High-Performance & Mentorship Expert | Chief Learning Officer, Weill Cornell Medicine | Award-Winning Author of 'The Success Factor' | Thinkers50 #1 Emerging Management Thinker
Annie Duke
Bestselling Author of Thinking in Bets & Quit | Decision Strategist | Special Partner at First Round Capital | Former World Series of Poker Champion
Annie Duke turns decades at the poker table and a PhD in cognitive psychology into a masterclass on decision-making under uncertainty. As Special Partner for Decision Science at First Round Capital and the bestselling author of Thinking in Bets and Quit, she shows senior leaders how to separate good decisions from good luck, quit at the right time, and build teams that choose wisely when the stakes are high.
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Annie Duke biography
Annie Duke is a celebrated author, decision strategist, and keynote speaker who blends cognitive psychology with hard-won lessons from a championship poker career. She serves as Special Partner for Decision Science at First Round Capital, a leading seed-stage venture fund, where she helps founders and investors think more clearly under uncertainty. She is the bestselling author of Thinking in Bets and Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away, two books that have reshaped how leaders approach risk and resilience. These credentials have made speaker Annie Duke one of the most trusted voices on judgment and choice.
For more than two decades, Annie ranked among the world’s most accomplished poker players. She won a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2004, captured the WSOP Tournament of Champions title the same year, and claimed the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2010 before retiring from the game in 2012. Behind that competitive success was rigorous academic training: she earned a master’s degree in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania under a National Science Foundation Fellowship, later returned to Penn as a Visiting Scholar teaching executive education, and completed her PhD in Cognitive Psychology in 2023.
Bringing decision science to the world’s leading organizations
Today Annie works with global corporations, executive teams, and boards on decision fitness, emotional regulation, group decision-making, and navigating ambiguity. Her client roster includes Citibank, the Big Ten, and Susquehanna International Group, and her ideas on probabilistic thinking now shape how leaders across business evaluate strategy and risk. A gifted storyteller, she has performed for The Moth, where one of her stories was selected among the show’s all-time top 50.
Annie is also deeply committed to education and philanthropy. She co-founded Ante Up for Africa, which raised more than $4 million for humanitarian causes, and the Alliance for Decision Education, dedicated to bringing decision skills into schools nationwide. She also serves on the boards of The Franklin Institute and After-School All-Stars. As a speaker, Annie Duke gives audiences a practical framework for separating decision quality from luck, equipping leaders to make better choices when the stakes and the uncertainty are highest.
Annie Duke Speaking Videos
Annie Duke - Risk Schmisk
Annie Duke - Thinking in Bets
Annie Duke Keynote Topics
Drawing on her bestselling book Thinking in Bets, Annie shows audiences how to make sound decisions when outcomes are uncertain and information is partial. Using lessons from elite poker and cognitive psychology, she offers practical ways to judge a decision by its process rather than its result, manage risk deliberately, and think in probabilities across business and life.
Building on her book Quit, Annie pushes back on the belief that grit and perseverance are always virtues. She explains how walking away from a project, strategy, or investment at the right moment can be a genuine competitive edge, and gives leaders tools to overcome the psychological pull of sunk costs and time well-timed exits that protect long-term results.
This keynote merges Annie's corporate advisory work with her research in cognitive psychology to build what she calls decision fitness: the habits, mental models, and team cultures that produce consistently better outcomes. Through vivid stories and applicable techniques, she helps leaders sharpen group decision-making, limit the influence of emotion and bias, and stay resilient as conditions shift.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Annie Duke
Why Annie Duke?
Annie Duke is one of the only keynote speakers who pairs a PhD in cognitive psychology with two decades as a World Series of Poker champion, giving audiences a rare, evidence-based view of how elite decisions are actually made under pressure. She turns dense behavioral science into tools leaders can apply immediately, and her bestselling books Thinking in Bets and Quit have become required reading in boardrooms and venture firms. Book Annie Duke through Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring decision science to life at your next event.
What is Annie Duke's book Thinking in Bets about?
Thinking in Bets argues that every decision is a bet on an uncertain future, so a choice should be judged by the quality of the process behind it rather than the outcome alone. Annie Duke draws on poker and cognitive psychology to show how to think probabilistically, separate skill from luck, and avoid the trap of resulting, which is judging decisions only by how they happened to turn out.
What does Annie Duke speak about at corporate events?
Annie Duke's keynotes center on decision-making under uncertainty, knowing when to quit, group decision-making, and managing the cognitive biases that derail good judgment. She tailors each talk to executive teams, sales organizations, and boards, blending stories from the poker table with practical frameworks leaders can use right away. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to bring Annie Duke to your stage.
What was Annie Duke's poker career?
Annie Duke won more than $4 million in tournament play, including a World Series of Poker bracelet, the WSOP Tournament of Champions, and the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, before retiring from the game in 2012. She credits her edge to her training in cognitive psychology, which helped her manage risk, read uncertainty, and keep emotion from clouding high-stakes decisions.
How to book Annie Duke as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Annie Duke as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Annie Duke's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Annie Duke or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Annie Duke speaking fee?
Annie Duke speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Annie Duke to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Annie Duke.
How can I contact Annie Duke?
We only work with Annie Duke on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Annie Duke and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Annie Duke speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Annie Duke for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Annie Duke for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Annie Duke is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Annie Duke for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
