Is Annie Duke a Bully?

Could it be that poker pro Annie Duke really is a Whore Pit Viper?  Or maybe she's just a bully?

While the poker playing community has come out in full force to support their Celebrity Apprentice, read other sites and the sentiment seems to favor comedian Joan Rivers winning the show.  Ultimately, it was Rivers who got picked to be Donald Trump's apprentice.

Commenting on the Bloggers News Network, one person wrote:

"Joan Rivers is one tough lady. At her age, she showed extreme strength throughout the show. Sure, she is outspoken, brash, very assertive and never held back on what she really thought. True, she had her moments with Clint Black and other team members. However, was always able to move on and focus on the task at hand. She made it clear that she was there for her charity and to do something good for someone else. You knew where she stood. She also saw right through Annie Duke. I watched Annie on the show and watched her behavior. She called people on her cell phone and yelled at them and used many words that were "beeped" out. She always wanted to be around people she felt she could control. I saw the task between herself, Melissa Rivers and Brandi when Melissa felt like the odd girl out. I knew exactly what those two were doing to Melissa and Melissa's feelings were very normal considering the situation she was in. Annie was condescending towards her peers which was troublesome."

A similar comment appeared on the New York Daily News site:

"The right person won. While I'm not a big fan of Joan Rivers, Trump made the right call. She may have been called a great game player by Trump, his son and daughter, but there were tons of signs that they weren't keen on her behind the scene plays. In the end, the total package was more important than the sum of their parts. On several episodes, each made comments to the effect that they were aware of how Annie was manipulating her teammates and playing both sides against each other. And at the end of the day, they voted that character and integrity matter. People say, "It's just business", but Trump knows that even though you may be able to be successful in the beginning with such tactics,, you'll never get a shot at closing others once your true colors are shown. In poker, they call it a one trick pony. Annie may have fooled some of the players once, but in the end, everyone she played against knew the cards she was holding."

Read more: "You're hired! Joan Rivers wins Donald Trump's 'Celebrity Apprentice'" - http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/05/11/2009-05-11_joan_rivers_wins_celebrity_apprentice.html#ixzz0FEWIWJTT&A

Checking out my own Facebook page, it was interesting to see that my nongambling friends all seemed to be celebrating Joan Rivers win.  Some referred to Annie Duke as a "bully".  My poker loving friends, on the other hand, believed Annie got hosed.

Duke is a spokesperson for the online poker room www.ultimatebet.com

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher