How music shaped Maria Konnikova, from PhD psychologist to poker champion

Maria Konnikova is a professional poker player, though she doesn’t even consider herself a gambler at heart. Before her pursuits at the poker table, Konnikova was a PhD psychologist and New York Times bestselling author, writing books about how we think and make decisions. After a string of tragedies hit Konnikova’s life, she took her psychological prowess to the world of poker, where her expertise on game theory and the human psyche eventually led her to become a champion.

In this episode of “Life In Seven Songs,” Konnikova shares her journey as a daughter of Russian immigrants growing up in the Boston suburbs, where her feelings of being an outsider spurred her interest in the human mind. She describes how hip-hop became the soundtrack for her poker career, which she eventually wrote about in the best-selling book “The Biggest Bluff.”

Here’s her playlist:

1. Gang Starr, “Full Clip”

2. SWV, “Weak”

3. Vladimir Vysotsky, “Crystal House”

4. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, “The Crossroads”

5. Fountains of Wayne, “Stacy’s Mom”

6. The Walkmen, “We’ve Been Had”

7. Billie Holiday and Lester Young, “Mean To Me”