Maria Konnikova, best-selling New York Times author and a regular contributor to The New Yorker, has long been interested in understanding the balance between skill and luck. How much of her life could she take credit for and how much was the luck of her draw? So, she took a year away from work to become a professional poker player.

What better way to learn how skill and luck play out in life than by learning the game that best balances these two competing forces? Unlike the pure chance of roulette or the mathematical precision of chess, poker finely balances chance and skill, particularly the game of no limit Texas Hold'em.

How can we use poker to help us strengthen our hand against Covid-19 and the economic downturn? How do we make the best of a bad hand?

GUEST:

Maria Konnikova is a New York Times best-selling author, journalist, and professional poker player. Her newest book is The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned To Pay Attention, Master Myself, And Win. She is a regularly contributing writer for The New Yorker (@mkonnikova)

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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Poker Mirrors Life: Part Skill, Lots Of Luck