[benfranklin]

Hi Mason:


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I'm also curious about two things. First, how did you get an advance copy? Are you involved with the publishing company?


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I am in the business, but have no direct connection with the publisher (Penquin Group). Someone there who knows of my interest in poker gave me an advance copy.


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Second, does Duke discuss the ill fated Poker World magazine, her roll in it, and all the problems that followed?


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She devotes barely a page to her Poker World venture. She says she was looking to diversify financially, and so, "Along with my brother and a few other backers, I invested $10,000 to launch a new publication. (At the time, this was a huge financial commitment for me.)"

She quickly breezes over any details about starting and operating the magazine. (She does mention one typical start-up mistake: her sister had just graduated and needed a job, so she was hired.) She says that the magazine failed because the timing was not yet ripe for a poker magazine, and, "Also, I didn't get along with one of the principals involved. I didn't get along with my sister, either. And I didn't have the money to hire the right kind of staff. In fact, none of us knew exactly what we were doing, and I had pretty much taken the whole success or failure of the magazine onto myself."

No further details about the fate of the magazine or those involved, other than that she decided that she needed to concentrate on playing, and they shut the magazine down. Basically, it sounds like it was amateur hour.