Forecasting future developments in poker is usually about as reliable as trying to predict a flop, turn, and river. However, there’s far more than a 52-card deck’s worth of possibilities for players and industry personnel.

2009 was an amazing poker year. The first thing that jumps out at me is the continuing trend of young guys doing so well in live events. It’s always exciting to think about what’s ahead for the poker world. Here are some things I believe will happen in 2010.

If you have not heard or read the news, let me give you a quick recap. On February 9th, it was announced to the poker world that Foxwoods Resort Casino named me its official spokesperson for their World Poker Tour (WPT) branded poker room.

This month, poker pro and “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke breaks down the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT) Venetian $25,000 High Roller Bounty Shootout, the National Heads-Up Poker Championship, and her appearance on the television game show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”

I just got back from a week at the Commerce Casino playing in the L.A. Poker Classic (LAPC) and its live games. It was the best poker trip I’ve had in a long time. The tournament schedule was awesome!

Poker News Daily: The poker world has mourned the loss of Amir Vahedi in recent weeks. Can you share your memories of him with us?
Annie Duke: It was really sudden and I was really sad about it.

I made a pretty big laydown recently and was probably as proud of it as I was of any big pot I’ve won recently. Long ago, David Sklansky reminded us that a bet you don’t lose spends just as well as a bet you win.

I’m sure some of today’s young players would scoff at the conditions 30 years ago. First of all, we didn’t have all of the conveniences of modern technology such as a tournament clock.

It was a typical evening of cards at Gil’s house. Gil is the regular host of my local poker game and he does it spectacularly well. The game starts on time and ends on time. He’s got a great sound system and the tunes range from Massive Attack to George Jones; you don’t know what you’re going to hear, but you know it’s going to be good.

The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) concluded with the completion of the second November Nine. The crowning of Joe Cada as the 2009 WSOP Main Event champion culminated 57 bracelet events this year.

I’ve had lots of highlights in my poker career, but attending the dinner and ceremony during which Mike Sexton was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame is certainly among the highest.

Poker News Daily: We heard that you’ll be launching a new trail mix company, MyMixedNuts.com, just in time for the holidays. Can you tell us about it?
Duke: It’s a custom mixed nuts and trail mix company that I started with my boyfriend, Joe, and Ryan Sympkins.

Fresh off watching the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table pan out, Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke discusses the wild action that unfolded from the Rio in Las Vegas and aired on ESPN.

It was certainly a memorable World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table. From Doyle Brunson announcing “Shuffle up and deal” to Joe Cada putting on the coveted bracelet, I was present in the Penn and Teller Theater to cover all of the festivities for ESPN Inside Deal.

The news has just come out that, as of December 14th, there will no longer be a hotel at the Horseshoe Hotel-Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. Of course, it used to be Binion’s Horseshoe, the site of the World Series of Poker for 35 years and the center of the poker world for that long.

Underground poker games are, of course, a long-standing tradition throughout the United States – simply the commercial version of home games that have made up the backbone of poker playing today.

It was a great honor for me to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. It really is the ultimate career achievement award. To know that you’ll always be linked to the legends of poker – guys like Chip Reese, Stu Ungar, Doyle Brunson, Puggy Pearson, Johnny Moss, and Jack Binion – is an awesome feeling.

One of the annual events that I look forward to attending each year is the California State Ladies Poker Championship (CSLPC) held at the Oceans Eleven Casino in Oceanside. In fact, I’ve never missed one since this event debuted 13 years ago.

I just returned from a wonderful nine-day Card Player Cruises trip to New England and Canada. The fall foliage was magnificent and the lobster and clams on the East Coast are much, much tastier than their counterparts on the West Coast.

Every true sports fan has watched ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” which recently celebrated its 30th anniversary on the air. On September 6th, Chris Berman (30 years), Bob Levy (30 years), and John Saunders (23 years), the elder statesmen of ESPN, hosted a trip down memory lane for this iconic sports recap show.

Ultimate Bet’s Annie Duke, fresh off her trip to the annual Aruba Poker Classic, comments on the tournament, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event final table, and the latest cast list for “Celebrity Apprentice.”

Well, we’ve winnowed the WSOP Big Dance field down to nine survivors who will compete for The Bracelet in November. But one race that started earlier in the event is still going on, and presumably will continue right up until November.

The entire poker world is anxiously awaiting the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, which will be played this November. The finalists have been dubbed the “November Nine” because of the four-month delay of the final table.

Very shortly, you’ll be seeing the first phase of a new tournament schedule at Cake Poker. We’re very excited about it and we think that once you see it, you will be too.

In an exclusive interview with Poker News Daily, “Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up and Ultimate Bet pro Annie Duke discusses the findings of the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, the Aruba Poker Classic, and Tiffany Michelle’s appearance on the CBS reality program “Amazing Race.”