Maria Konnikova, a contributing writer for The New Yorker and accomplished poker player, shares her unique journey from psychology to professional poker. The conversation dives into how poker mirrors real-life decision-making, emphasizing the balance of emotions and rationality. They explore the psychological strategies essential for success, including the nuances of bluffing and managing 'tilt.' Furthermore, Konnikova examines how randomness shapes our understanding of chance and decision-making, showcasing poker as a metaphor for personal growth and cognitive biases.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Unexpected Poker Journey
Maria Konnikova, initially a psychologist and writer, unexpectedly became a professional poker player.
This journey started with a desire to explore chance and control, inspired by life events and von Neumann's game theory.
question_answer ANECDOTE
A Clean Slate
Konnikova's poker journey began with a clean slate, not even knowing how many cards were in a deck.
Her coach, Eric Seidel, still teases her about this initial lack of knowledge.
insights INSIGHT
Poker as a Metaphor for Life
Poker mirrors real-life decision-making with incomplete information and randomness.
Its simplicity makes it a powerful learning tool for understanding these elements.
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The Black Swan is a landmark book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb that investigates the phenomenon of highly improbable events with massive impacts. These events, termed Black Swans, are unpredictable, have a significant impact, and are rationalized after the fact to appear less random. Taleb argues that humans are hardwired to focus on specifics rather than generalities, leading to a failure to consider what we don’t know. The book delves into cognitive biases, the limitations of mathematical models, and the importance of robustness and antifragility in navigating a world filled with uncertainty. The second edition includes a new essay, 'On Robustness and Fragility,' offering tools to navigate and exploit a Black Swan world.
The confidence game
Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time
Maria Konnikova
In 'The Confidence Game', Maria Konnikova delves into the world of con artists, examining why these individuals are successful and why people consistently fall for their schemes. The book covers a range of cons, from multimillion-dollar Ponzi schemes to small-time frauds, using scientific, dramatic, and psychological perspectives. Konnikova explains how con artists exploit human psychology, creating trust, empathy, and rapport to manipulate their victims. She also discusses the common traits of con artists, such as a Machiavellian attitude, nonchalance, and narcissism, and how these traits often lead to their downfall. The book highlights how our own desires and need to believe can make us complicit in our own deception, and it provides insights into the psychology behind why we fall for scams and how our sense of truth can be manipulated.
The Biggest Bluff
Maria Konnikova
In 'The Biggest Bluff', Maria Konnikova recounts her transformation from a poker novice to a champion under the mentorship of Erik Seidel. The book delves into the psychological aspects of poker, highlighting lessons on self-awareness, decision-making, and the interplay between skill and chance. Konnikova's journey offers insights into human nature and personal growth, making it a compelling read beyond the realm of poker.
The Mastermind
Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal
\"Evan Ratliff\"
The book tells the true story of Paul Le Roux, who created a 21st Century cartel involving prescription drugs, cocaine trafficking, weapons deals, and other criminal activities. Award-winning journalist Evan Ratliff spent four years investigating Le Roux's empire, conducting hundreds of interviews and uncovering thousands of documents. The story details the decade-long global manhunt that finally led to Le Roux's arrest and his subsequent cooperation with the Justice Department to bring down his own organization.
Theory of games and economic behavior
John Von Neumann
The best chess and Go players in the world aren’t human beings any more; they’re artificially-intelligent computer programs. But the best poker players are still humans. Poker is a laboratory for understanding how rationality works in real-world situations: it features stochastic events, incomplete information, Bayesian updating, game theory, reading other people, a battle between emotions and reason, and real-world stakes. Maria Konnikova started in psychology, turned to writing, and then took up professional-level poker, and has learned a lot along the way about the challenges of being rational. We talk about what games like poker can teach us about thinking and human psychology.
Maria Konnikova received her Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. She is currently a contributing writer for The New Yorker. She is the author of two bestselling books, The Confidence Game and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. Among her awards are the 2019 Excellence in Science Journalism Award from the Society of Personality and Social Psychology. She is a successful tournament poker player and Ambassador for PokerStars. She is the host of The Grift podcast. Her new book is The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win.
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