When you think about casino culture and the high tense stakes of card tables, you’d be forgiven if your first thought immediately went to male players; for many in the industry, the world of gambling has for too long been dominated by narratives of brave men.
However, history actually boasts lots of brilliant women who have made their mark in the gambling scene – proving lady luck is undoubtedly on the side of women, too.
This article delves into the lives and legacies of these trailblazing women who have taken the world of gambling by storm and changed everything we thought we knew about casino culture.
1. Annette Obrestad
Born in 1988, Annette Obrestad started playing poker just 15 years later, shortly becoming the youngest-ever female poker player to win a bracelet at the 2007 WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe) event.
Since then, Anette has won over 4 million in official total winnings! She first began playing poker by practicing online under the username “Annette_15” and, in time, mastered both Baccarat and poker online.
However, it’s safe to say that her true calling was poker, which eventually led to her winning a host of high-stakes tournaments that have shaped her career in turn.
Anette has since mentioned multiple times that she has now retired from playing poker, instead focusing on her makeup YouTube channel, “Annette’s Makeup Corner.”
You can find Annette online through this platform, or if you want to test your online gambling skills, too, you can look at the latest promotions at BonusFinder New Zealand before working yourself up to be as good as this female master!
Lottie Deno
You might have heard of Lottie Deno by her other name: the Poker Queen of the Wild West! Born Carlotta J. Thompkins, Lottie was an infamous poker player during the mid-nineteenth century, earning the nickname “Lottie Deno” in her play.
During her poker career, Lottie fought hard to elevate the reputation of other female gamblers, winning a poker match against one of the most famous male gamblers in history, Doc Holliday.
After marrying her husband, Lottie continued to gamble around America, collecting feared nicknames like Charlotte Thurmond, Charlotte Tompkins, Mystic Maud, and the Angel of San Antonio.
Her legacy was so felt in the community that Lottie quickly became a part of the Wild West folklore – with countless stories being written with characters inspired by Lottie herself.
Annie Duke
Like many, Annie Duke found a passion for poker during a visit to Las Vegas – one of the most populated casino cities in the entire world by number of casinos.
It was here that Annie began enjoying poker as her favorite pastime.
A big driving force in encouraging Annie to pursue playing poker was her brother Howard Lederer, a fellow poker player who played at a professional level.
Howard encouraged Annie to apply for the championship tournaments.
He gifted her books about poker to read and guided her in gameplay, eventually leading in 1994 to Annie entering the World Series of Poker.
For just poker tournaments alone, Annie has won over $4 million in total – however, she has since admitted that she stopped playing after 2012.
Today, Annie writes about therapeutic techniques regarding decision-making skills, looking back on her career fondly but glad she has closed the chapter.
Poker Alice
A British-born American gambler, unsurprisingly given her nickname, Alice didn’t start playing poker until she became an adult.
However, once she found her fondness for the game, it didn’t take much to become hooked.
She was introduced to gambling after marrying her husband, Frank Duffield, in Leadville.
However, after Frank died while defusing dynamite, Alice turned to gambling to make a living for herself – arguably committing just as much time to the game as rich female athletes in the country do, too.
Alice was also reported to play faro quite frequently during her career.
Many have reported that Alice enjoyed spending her gambling money on expensive clothes bought from numerous trips to New York City.
She justified these purchases by calling them a business expenditure. Why? Because it helped Alice distract her gambling rivals.
