The Biggest Bluff
How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
(Sprache: Englisch)
How a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor parlayed her expertise on human decision-making and a woeful ignorance of cards into a life-changing run as a professional poker player, under the wing of a legend of the game
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How a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor parlayed her expertise on human decision-making and a woeful ignorance of cards into a life-changing run as a professional poker player, under the wing of a legend of the gameIt's true that Maria Konnikova had never actually played poker before and didn't even know the rules when she approached Erik Seidel, Poker Hall of Fame inductee and winner of tens of millions of dollars in earnings, and convinced him to be her mentor. But she certainly brought something to the table, including a PhD in psychology and an acclaimed and growing body of work on human behavior and how to hack it. Soon she was down the rabbit hole with Seidel into the wild, fiercely competitive, overwhelmingly masculine world of high-stakes Texas Hold'em, their initial end point the following year's World Series of Poker.
But then something extraordinary happened. Under Seidel's guidance, Konnikova did have many epiphanies about life, including how to better read, not just her opponents but far more importantly herself; how to identify what tilted her into an emotional state that got in the way of good decisions; and how to get to a place where she could accept luck for what it was, and what it wasn't. But she also began to win. And win. She began making earnest money from tournaments, ultimately totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. She won a major title, got a sponsor, and got used to being on television, and to headlines like "How one writer's book deal turned her into a professional poker player." She even learned to like Las Vegas.
But in the end, Maria Konnikova is a writer and student of human behavior, and ultimately the point was to render her incredible journey into a container for its invaluable lessons. The biggest bluff of all, she learned, is that skill is enough. Bad cards will come our way, but keeping our focus on how we play them and not on the outcome will keep us moving through many a dark patch,
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until the luck once again breaks our way.
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Lese-Probe zu „The Biggest Bluff “
A PreludeLas Vegas, July 2017
The room is a sea of people. Bent heads, pensive faces, many obscured by sunglasses, hats, hoodies, massive headphones. It's difficult to discern where the bodies end and the green of the card tables begins. Thousands of bodies sit in seeming disarray on chairs straight out of a seventies dining room catalogue-orange-and-mustard patterned upholstery, gold legs, vaguely square frame. Garish neon lights suspended on makeshift beams make the place look like the inside of a hospital that's trying a bit too hard to appear festive. Everything is a bit worn, a bit out-of-date, a bit frayed. The only hints of deeper purpose are the color-coded numbers hanging on strings from the ceiling. There's the orange group, the yellow group, the white group. Each placard has a number and, beneath it, a picture of a single poker chip. The smell of stale casino air fills the room-old carpet; powder; a sweet, faintly sickly perfume; cold fried food and flat beer; and the unmistakable metallic tang of several thousand exhausted bodies that have been sharing the same space since morning.
Amid the sensory assault, it's hard at first to pinpoint why something seems off. And then it comes to you: it is eerily quiet. If this was a real party, you would expect the din of countless voices, shifting chairs, echoing footsteps. But all there is is nervous energy. You can smell, hear, taste, the tension. And you can certainly feel it making a nest in your stomach. There's just one sound left in the room, reminiscent of a full-throated courting ritual of summer cicadas. It's the sound of poker chips.
It's the first day of the biggest poker tournament of the year, the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. This is the World Cup, the Masters, the Super Bowl-except you don't need to be a superhero athlete to compete. This championship is open to the everyman. For a neat ten grand, anyone in the world can enter and take their shot at
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poker glory: the title of world champion and a prize that has been known to top $9 million. If you happen to be British or Australian, you even get it tax-free. For professional poker players and amateurs alike, this is the career pinnacle. If you can win the Main Event, you have guaranteed yourself a place in poker history. Sit down with the best and have a chance at the most prestigious, richest prize in the poker world. Some people in the room have been saving for years to take their one shot.
It's near the end of the day. Of the several thousand people who've entered today's starting flight-so many want to play that starting days have to be staggered into flights to accommodate everyone; the dream is expensive, but it's awfully alluring-many are now out, having gone bust, in poker speak. The ones who remain are concentrated on making it through to the second day. You don't want to play the whole day only to find yourself walking out with minutes until the end and nothing to show for it. Everyone is gunning for the magic bag, a clear plastic glorified ziplock into which those lucky enough to have made the next day of a multiday tournament can place their chips. You write your name, country of origin, and chip count in excited capitals on the outside before tugging on the dubiously functioning adhesive strip to seal the damn thing up. You then take the requisite photograph for social media with the requisite chip count and add the #WSOP hashtag. And then you collapse, exhausted, into some anonymous hotel bed.
But we're not yet at the bagging and tagging stage of the day. There are still two more hours to go. Two whole hours. A lot can happen in two hours. Which is why one table stands out from the rest. Eight players are sitting as players should, receiving their cards and doing whatever it is poker players do with them. But one lone chair in the middle of the table, seat six, remains empty. That wouldn't be remarkable in the least under normal circumstances-empt
It's near the end of the day. Of the several thousand people who've entered today's starting flight-so many want to play that starting days have to be staggered into flights to accommodate everyone; the dream is expensive, but it's awfully alluring-many are now out, having gone bust, in poker speak. The ones who remain are concentrated on making it through to the second day. You don't want to play the whole day only to find yourself walking out with minutes until the end and nothing to show for it. Everyone is gunning for the magic bag, a clear plastic glorified ziplock into which those lucky enough to have made the next day of a multiday tournament can place their chips. You write your name, country of origin, and chip count in excited capitals on the outside before tugging on the dubiously functioning adhesive strip to seal the damn thing up. You then take the requisite photograph for social media with the requisite chip count and add the #WSOP hashtag. And then you collapse, exhausted, into some anonymous hotel bed.
But we're not yet at the bagging and tagging stage of the day. There are still two more hours to go. Two whole hours. A lot can happen in two hours. Which is why one table stands out from the rest. Eight players are sitting as players should, receiving their cards and doing whatever it is poker players do with them. But one lone chair in the middle of the table, seat six, remains empty. That wouldn't be remarkable in the least under normal circumstances-empt
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Autoren-Porträt von Maria Konnikova
Maria Konnikova is the author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game. She is a regular contributing writer for The New Yorker, and has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, Slate, The New Republic, The Paris Review, The Wall Street Journal, Salon, The Boston Globe, Scientific American, Wired, and Smithsonian, among many other publications. Her writing has won numerous awards, including the 2019 Excellence in Science Journalism Award from the Society of Personality and Social Psychology. While researching The Biggest Bluff, Maria became an international poker champion and the winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings. Maria also hosts the podcast The Grift from Panoply Media and is currently a visiting fellow at NYU’s School of Journalism. Her podcasting work earned her a National Magazine Award nomination in 2019. Maria graduated from Harvard University and received her PhD in Psychology from Columbia University.
Bibliographische Angaben
- Autor: Maria Konnikova
- 2021, 368 Seiten, Maße: 13,9 x 21 cm, Kartoniert (TB), Englisch
- Verlag: PENGUIN BOOKS
- ISBN-10: 0525522646
- ISBN-13: 9780525522645
- Erscheinungsdatum: 17.07.2021
Sprache:
Englisch
Pressezitat
Fascinating. . . . Konnikova is like your smart friend who instantly contextualizes everything by sharing the latest data and sharpest insight, whom you come to quote too often. . . . Konnikova keeps the lines so clean and even, so steady and unshowy that she might be the Charlie Watts of prose: While the backbeat never ceases and the narrative propels along, it s her curiosity that proliferates. In fact, one of the biggest bluffs of The Biggest Bluff may be that Konnikova hasn t written a book about her success with cards and chips exactly, but bet the house on the power of her mind to synthesize big philosophical ideas and psychological insights at a time when we, too, find ourselves questioning our fortunes, hoping to master our fates and playing much bigger odds than ever before. New York Times Book ReviewThere has never been a more pressing need for digestible and coherent literature on rational decision-making. Enter The Biggest Bluff, psychologist Maria Konnikova s depiction of her journey into professional poker. What at first seems a light-hearted story about a curious academic dipping her toe into shark-infested waters delivers a crucial lesson in how to thrive in an increasingly misleading world. . . . As someone who has read almost every piece of literature on poker, I can say that The Biggest Bluff is the best depiction yet of the game I love, and the invaluable thinking skills it teaches. . . . Konnikova s is an uplifting zero-to-hero journey that will raise a smile in these trying times. Nature
The Biggest Bluff is a great read if you play poker. But it's also a great read for those, like me, who don't play poker. For us, the game provides the backdrop for a fascinating look at human nature, at attention and focus, at game theory (applied much more broadly than just to games), and at making better decisions. And how to better deal with the outcomes of those decisions -- and not
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just learn, but keep moving forward. . . . [A] must-read for most entrepreneurs. Inc.
The tale of how Konnikova followed a story about poker players and wound up becoming a story herself will have you riveted, first as you learn about her big winnings, and then as she conveys the lessons she learned both about human nature and herself. The Washington Post
The Biggest Bluff is a brilliant book mostly because Konnikova is a brilliant writer, but also because she is a brilliant observer of the weird world she has immersed herself into . . . The most enthralling parts of the book are when she takes the reader inside the cockpit and talks through some of the high-stakes plays she finds herself involved in. The Daily Telegraph
The Biggest Bluff feels particularly timely in the current pandemic. As governments design policies based on limited data, and individuals are forced to grapple with the probabilities of contagion we could all do with the greater understanding of uncertainty, and how to think about it under pressure, that comes with the game. BBC
Konnikova seeks to explore the fine line between skill and luck, 'to learn what I could control and what I couldn t.' If ever there were a game to illustrate those categories, poker is it. . . . She traveled to all the right places Macau, Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and even made some money along the way. The payoffs for readers are more cerebral, including Konnikova s observation that we think we have much more control over our lives than we really do. . . . A smart and subtle delight highly recommended for fans of cards and brain-hacking alike. Kirkus (starred review)
I absolutely love this book. The story is fantastically gripping, and offers lessons about decision-making, luck, risk and, most important, how to play at life like a cool-headed pro. This is one of my favorite books of the year. Charles Duhigg, author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better
The Biggest Bluff is an exhilarating and often hilarious personal journey. What s most exciting, though, is the probing sociological analysis by the brilliant and eternally-curious Maria Konnikova. Jesse Eisenberg, author of Bream Gives Me Hiccups
The narrative is so gripping that you might get halfway through The Biggest Bluff before you even notice that you re getting a master class in learning, focus, and decision-making. I tore through it in two sittings, and haven t stopped thinking about it since. David Epstein, author of Range
One of the most extraordinary outcomes of any experiment in participatory journalism. This is a book not just about the game of poker, but about the meaning of luck, the science of skill, and the psychology of outsmarting your competitors. Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein and founder of Atlas Obscura
This book probably won t turn you into an international poker champ overnight, and it definitely won t make you as smart as Maria Konnikova. But it will do something just as valuable: it will teach you to think more like her. It s rare enough to find a memoir this transfixing or a behavioral science book this insightful. To have them combined in one place by a psychologist who mastered one of the most competitive games on earth is a real treat. Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of the chart-topping TED podcast WorkLife
Maria Konnikova has penned a page-turning memoir about going from journalist-curious- about-poker to professional gambler raking in hundreds of thousands. The fascinating portrait of her Buddha, Erik Seidel--the ultimate poker studmuffin & all around Renaissance man--puts this whole tale on a par with the best nonfiction by that czar of the form John McPhee. A must read! Mary Karr, author Liars' Club, Lit, and The Art of Memoir
I love it. Not only did The Biggest Bluff lead me into a complex and charismatic new world, it made me think about my own life and my own self-deceptions about control and taught me to pay more attention to my own opponents, mine being of the tennis sort. The narrative is deftly crafted, and the journey the self-examination, the oddball characters, the awful misogyny, the Aggros, the notion of tilt accumulates in a seamless and satisfying way. I read this in what for me was record time. Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile
The Biggest Bluff is a flat out classic. It s a ripping good story with an underdog heroine, a Yoda-like mentor, and a cast of wild characters. It s a sophisticated meditation on the relative importance of deep skill and dumb luck. And it s a primer on how to pay attention, think objectively, and make better decisions. Reading this book is like drawing a straight flush. You won t believe your good fortune and you ll remember it for a long, long time. Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive, and To Sell is Human
We re all searching for greater self-knowledge and Maria Konnikova found it through poker. She set out to make herself a champion, and along the way, she learned far more than the game. In lessons we can use ourselves, poker taught her greater emotional and physical regulation, tolerance for risk and uncertainty, more intelligent decision-making, a grasp of the intertwined roles of chance and skill, and sheer confidence. As she explains, This book isn t about how to play poker. It s about how to play the world. Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before
There are a lot of great books about psychology. And there are even some great books about poker. There isn t any book like The Biggest Bluff. Maria s journey from a novice into a world-class poker player is a page-turning adventure that you ll enjoy whether you re a seasoned pro or someone who doesn t know a busted draw from a full house.
But what makes The Biggest Bluff so unique is its honesty and humility. It understands the importance of luck and uncertainty in our lives and how different they can look when we re suddenly facing high-stakes, life-altering decisions. I can t think of a better guide for navigating these subjects than Maria and I highly recommend this book. Nate Silver, founder and editor-in-chief, FiveThirtyEight
The tale of how Konnikova followed a story about poker players and wound up becoming a story herself will have you riveted, first as you learn about her big winnings, and then as she conveys the lessons she learned both about human nature and herself. The Washington Post
The Biggest Bluff is a brilliant book mostly because Konnikova is a brilliant writer, but also because she is a brilliant observer of the weird world she has immersed herself into . . . The most enthralling parts of the book are when she takes the reader inside the cockpit and talks through some of the high-stakes plays she finds herself involved in. The Daily Telegraph
The Biggest Bluff feels particularly timely in the current pandemic. As governments design policies based on limited data, and individuals are forced to grapple with the probabilities of contagion we could all do with the greater understanding of uncertainty, and how to think about it under pressure, that comes with the game. BBC
Konnikova seeks to explore the fine line between skill and luck, 'to learn what I could control and what I couldn t.' If ever there were a game to illustrate those categories, poker is it. . . . She traveled to all the right places Macau, Las Vegas, Monte Carlo and even made some money along the way. The payoffs for readers are more cerebral, including Konnikova s observation that we think we have much more control over our lives than we really do. . . . A smart and subtle delight highly recommended for fans of cards and brain-hacking alike. Kirkus (starred review)
I absolutely love this book. The story is fantastically gripping, and offers lessons about decision-making, luck, risk and, most important, how to play at life like a cool-headed pro. This is one of my favorite books of the year. Charles Duhigg, author of bestsellers The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better
The Biggest Bluff is an exhilarating and often hilarious personal journey. What s most exciting, though, is the probing sociological analysis by the brilliant and eternally-curious Maria Konnikova. Jesse Eisenberg, author of Bream Gives Me Hiccups
The narrative is so gripping that you might get halfway through The Biggest Bluff before you even notice that you re getting a master class in learning, focus, and decision-making. I tore through it in two sittings, and haven t stopped thinking about it since. David Epstein, author of Range
One of the most extraordinary outcomes of any experiment in participatory journalism. This is a book not just about the game of poker, but about the meaning of luck, the science of skill, and the psychology of outsmarting your competitors. Joshua Foer, author of Moonwalking with Einstein and founder of Atlas Obscura
This book probably won t turn you into an international poker champ overnight, and it definitely won t make you as smart as Maria Konnikova. But it will do something just as valuable: it will teach you to think more like her. It s rare enough to find a memoir this transfixing or a behavioral science book this insightful. To have them combined in one place by a psychologist who mastered one of the most competitive games on earth is a real treat. Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of the chart-topping TED podcast WorkLife
Maria Konnikova has penned a page-turning memoir about going from journalist-curious- about-poker to professional gambler raking in hundreds of thousands. The fascinating portrait of her Buddha, Erik Seidel--the ultimate poker studmuffin & all around Renaissance man--puts this whole tale on a par with the best nonfiction by that czar of the form John McPhee. A must read! Mary Karr, author Liars' Club, Lit, and The Art of Memoir
I love it. Not only did The Biggest Bluff lead me into a complex and charismatic new world, it made me think about my own life and my own self-deceptions about control and taught me to pay more attention to my own opponents, mine being of the tennis sort. The narrative is deftly crafted, and the journey the self-examination, the oddball characters, the awful misogyny, the Aggros, the notion of tilt accumulates in a seamless and satisfying way. I read this in what for me was record time. Erik Larson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile
The Biggest Bluff is a flat out classic. It s a ripping good story with an underdog heroine, a Yoda-like mentor, and a cast of wild characters. It s a sophisticated meditation on the relative importance of deep skill and dumb luck. And it s a primer on how to pay attention, think objectively, and make better decisions. Reading this book is like drawing a straight flush. You won t believe your good fortune and you ll remember it for a long, long time. Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of When, Drive, and To Sell is Human
We re all searching for greater self-knowledge and Maria Konnikova found it through poker. She set out to make herself a champion, and along the way, she learned far more than the game. In lessons we can use ourselves, poker taught her greater emotional and physical regulation, tolerance for risk and uncertainty, more intelligent decision-making, a grasp of the intertwined roles of chance and skill, and sheer confidence. As she explains, This book isn t about how to play poker. It s about how to play the world. Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before
There are a lot of great books about psychology. And there are even some great books about poker. There isn t any book like The Biggest Bluff. Maria s journey from a novice into a world-class poker player is a page-turning adventure that you ll enjoy whether you re a seasoned pro or someone who doesn t know a busted draw from a full house.
But what makes The Biggest Bluff so unique is its honesty and humility. It understands the importance of luck and uncertainty in our lives and how different they can look when we re suddenly facing high-stakes, life-altering decisions. I can t think of a better guide for navigating these subjects than Maria and I highly recommend this book. Nate Silver, founder and editor-in-chief, FiveThirtyEight
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