The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
- Downloads：7624
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-20 10:31:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Maria Konnikova
- ISBN：0525522646
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Teodora Agarici
，
Konnikova spread herself too thin on this book。 I don’t know exactly what she wanted to achieve - a bestselling memoir？ A guide on how to play poker？ The psychology behind it？ Some interesting observations， however， not groundbreaking。 Also， at least a third of the book could have been left out without having altered the content。 Halfway through the writing becomes flat and filled with unnecessary monologue。 Konnikova is indisputably clever， brave and frankly， quite inspiring。 Her writing not s Konnikova spread herself too thin on this book。 I don’t know exactly what she wanted to achieve - a bestselling memoir？ A guide on how to play poker？ The psychology behind it？ Some interesting observations， however， not groundbreaking。 Also， at least a third of the book could have been left out without having altered the content。 Halfway through the writing becomes flat and filled with unnecessary monologue。 Konnikova is indisputably clever， brave and frankly， quite inspiring。 Her writing not so much。 。。。more
Benjamin S
，
Ultimately a fish taleKonnikova's insistent curiosity and at ease storytelling makes this a compelling read。 Her quest for self awareness reaches far past the Vegas felt， to the point that if we're ever at the same table， I'll know I'm the fish。 Ultimately a fish taleKonnikova's insistent curiosity and at ease storytelling makes this a compelling read。 Her quest for self awareness reaches far past the Vegas felt， to the point that if we're ever at the same table， I'll know I'm the fish。 。。。more
Johnpm
，
A book of wisdom。 I loved this book， it was so damned interesting and beautifully written with loads of wisdom and life lesson's。 It's also a ripping yarn about a person on a journey who meets so many interesting characters。 Highly recommended。 A book of wisdom。 I loved this book， it was so damned interesting and beautifully written with loads of wisdom and life lesson's。 It's also a ripping yarn about a person on a journey who meets so many interesting characters。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Alex Jeon
，
Describes Maria Konnikova's poker journey from novice to （quasi-？） expert。 The basic point of the book is that the only certainty is uncertainty， but despite this crushing fact， we do have control over our reactions to uncertainty。 In general， games give a flattened view of uncertainty but provide an excellent training ground to re-program our instinctual（？） aversion to uncertainty。 Poker happens to be the game with the least amount of "uncertainty compression"， which explains Konnikova's choice Describes Maria Konnikova's poker journey from novice to （quasi-？） expert。 The basic point of the book is that the only certainty is uncertainty， but despite this crushing fact， we do have control over our reactions to uncertainty。 In general， games give a flattened view of uncertainty but provide an excellent training ground to re-program our instinctual（？） aversion to uncertainty。 Poker happens to be the game with the least amount of "uncertainty compression"， which explains Konnikova's choice of poker。 。。。more
Linda
，
Interesting blend of story， insight， introspection， and a touch of psychology。 Using poker as a lens for decisionmaking is cool， but I especially like how Konnikova points out her own journey as just one of many paths that people take to get to the poker table。 The writing left a little something to be desired （especially towards the ending）， but generally doles out a good chunk of entertainment and life lessons。 Now I just want to start playing poker， ha。
Edith
，
The best kind of book: both informative and a riveting tale of adventure。
Ilana Long
，
What fun！ Smart， sassy， and revealing。 Konnikova keeps her tale personal， reflects on poker's universal connections to the real world， and offers some solid gambling tips。 It's been some time since I've played poker， and my game has improved considerably since I read this book。 I'm all in！ What fun！ Smart， sassy， and revealing。 Konnikova keeps her tale personal， reflects on poker's universal connections to the real world， and offers some solid gambling tips。 It's been some time since I've played poker， and my game has improved considerably since I read this book。 I'm all in！ 。。。more
Charity
，
I found this hard to follow along because I don't understand Texas Hold 'Em as well as I thought I did。 I was a bit lost on the passing and opening， as well as the blinds。 Rather than look it up， or watch a YouTube video on it， I just muddled through。 Besides， I was really most interested in the psychological insights。 I don't feel like I came out of this with any new insights。 This book most definitely wasn't for me。 I found this hard to follow along because I don't understand Texas Hold 'Em as well as I thought I did。 I was a bit lost on the passing and opening， as well as the blinds。 Rather than look it up， or watch a YouTube video on it， I just muddled through。 Besides， I was really most interested in the psychological insights。 I don't feel like I came out of this with any new insights。 This book most definitely wasn't for me。 。。。more
Sharon
，
Listened to this one。 A book about poker， psychology （of life with poker as the vehicle of explantation） and about playing as a woman in a still very male dominated game…。 It checks all my boxes。 I really miss playing live poker， and this book reminds me how I have barely scratched the surface of what the game has to offer。 Especially loved the sections on luck and uncertainty。
Byron Wright
，
Conceptually， I thought this book sounded interesting。 The idea of poker as a backdrop for a better understanding of decision making sounded fun and useful。 Unfortunately， I never really got into the narrative part of it and lost of most of factual info as a result。 Quite likely part of my issue was just how slowly I read the book in bits over about 2 months。
Erin
，
Interesting non-fiction read about the psychology of Texas Hold-Em poker and how it translates to our everyday lives。 I first heard about this book through an interview with the author on the Freakonomics podcast and I am glad that I read this book。
Chris
，
Despite its， at times， "dear diary" tone， Konnikova engagingly recounts the story of her own epic one-year journey to poker glory and personal transformation。 Armed with will-to-power， a psychology PhD， and the patient tutelage of a living legend of the poker world， Konnikova plunged into the wilds of modern poker gaming， initially encountering little success and lots of gender bias。 However， when her fortune turns， she realizes it has as much to do with overcoming her own self-imposed limits to Despite its， at times， "dear diary" tone， Konnikova engagingly recounts the story of her own epic one-year journey to poker glory and personal transformation。 Armed with will-to-power， a psychology PhD， and the patient tutelage of a living legend of the poker world， Konnikova plunged into the wilds of modern poker gaming， initially encountering little success and lots of gender bias。 However， when her fortune turns， she realizes it has as much to do with overcoming her own self-imposed limits to control as it does the blessings of chance or her mastery of method。 Konnikova's journey instructs us all on how to improve our odds in a world dominated by uncertainty。 。。。more
D'Arcy Michiel
，
Really great， more insight into randomness and renewed my interest in poker。
Judith von Kirchbach
，
Intriguing and a fun read ！In this story driven book author， New Yorker journalist and psychologist Maria Konnikova writes how and why she dedicates over a year of her life to becoming a poker player。 She entered the scene as a psychologist on a philosophical inquiry — how often are we actually in control when we think we are， how do we navigate uncertain situations with incomplete information， and how can we ever separate achievements or misses from strokes of random luck or misfortune ？ The lu Intriguing and a fun read ！In this story driven book author， New Yorker journalist and psychologist Maria Konnikova writes how and why she dedicates over a year of her life to becoming a poker player。 She entered the scene as a psychologist on a philosophical inquiry — how often are we actually in control when we think we are， how do we navigate uncertain situations with incomplete information， and how can we ever separate achievements or misses from strokes of random luck or misfortune ？ The luck <> skill balance …She uses poker as a way to explore her own psychological reactions to good luck and bad， delving into the uncertain realm of decision-making， and exploring life。She applies the lessons she learns in poker to real-life。 The chapters on superstitions surrounding good and bad luck are illuminating as is her writing on the “poker face”。 Fascinating to read how little faces actually tell us and how much more important body language especially early reactions are。 The book is inspiring。 It reveals the power of grit and determination， the joy of learning something completely new， and is full of insight about human nature and folly。 。。。more
Linda Shaffer
，
Some interesting life tidbits， and a lot of poker。
Yushi Wei
，
From someone who is clueless about poker， this turned out to be quite a read。 Maria is nothing short of marvelous in achieving what she did。 Better yet， she shares her journey here。 Relevant not just in poker， but in any pursuit， especially the meme filled stock market。
Brenda
，
I enjoyed this tremendously！ As a writer and psychologist， the author is able to engagingly describe her adventures in learning to play professional poker。 There’s lots of great information about how we make decisions and about gambling generally。
Elizabeth Jafek
，
A very interesting read！ Enjoyed the discussions on decision making， luck， variance， and psychology， and of course， poker。 The in-depth descriptions of the game itself went way over my head， and the pacing seemed a bit off at time， but still recommend。
George
，
Highly recommend the audio book， which Maria reads herself。 Unlike many authors， she is also a good performer of her words， and I found myself listening whenever I could; walking the dog， gardening， making dinner。 I'm sure I would have loved reading it as well， she's a hell of a writer， but then I would have gotten spaghetti sauce on the book。 Highly recommend the audio book， which Maria reads herself。 Unlike many authors， she is also a good performer of her words， and I found myself listening whenever I could; walking the dog， gardening， making dinner。 I'm sure I would have loved reading it as well， she's a hell of a writer， but then I would have gotten spaghetti sauce on the book。 。。。more
Azmir Ismail
，
An excellent book on self thinking and analyzing， user poker as the instrument。 I love the way Maria writes clearly on her journey to learning and mastering poker， from a newbie to a winning player， showing the ups and downs。 I will reread it again to gain more insights :） highly recommended。
Linda Heinsohn
，
Loved the book even though I have never played poker and don't intend to learn！ Konnikova， a writer with a background in psychology， takes a George Plimpton approach to learning to play poker。 Her aim is to discover how to learn about decision making， luck， self belief， getting ahold of herself when the chips of life， so to speak， are against her。 Some jargon at the end of the book I needed a friend who played poker to translate to fully understand it， but her overall correlations of good mental Loved the book even though I have never played poker and don't intend to learn！ Konnikova， a writer with a background in psychology， takes a George Plimpton approach to learning to play poker。 Her aim is to discover how to learn about decision making， luck， self belief， getting ahold of herself when the chips of life， so to speak， are against her。 Some jargon at the end of the book I needed a friend who played poker to translate to fully understand it， but her overall correlations of good mental discipline， paying attention， accepting what you can't change and moving on， correcting erroneous beliefs and playing strategies， and more make the book a fascinating read。 After she has mastered each skill， mastered herself， learned to stay calm and pay attention， she uses them ALL to walk herself through a crisis unrelated to poker。 Highly recommend if you like to study how the mind works and how to help yourself make it work better！ 。。。more
Julie Jones
，
Although I learned a lot about the poker， I walked away with so many life lessons and lessons that I can apply to my life as a coach。 The most important lesson I learned was to learn about myself。 "In turning my mind to tells and reads at this stage in my learning， I may have missed a crucial step: that the first person you have to profile - psychologically， not physically - is yourself" Although I learned a lot about the poker， I walked away with so many life lessons and lessons that I can apply to my life as a coach。 The most important lesson I learned was to learn about myself。 "In turning my mind to tells and reads at this stage in my learning， I may have missed a crucial step: that the first person you have to profile - psychologically， not physically - is yourself" 。。。more
Neha Singh
，
Excellent narrative on life uncertainties， decision making ， anxieties and learning and patience。 I was completely riveted from page to one the last。 Beautifully articulated life lessons which we all know but sometimes when told from different perspective ， make more impact in our minds and gets etched in our memory more deeply。 The kind of lessons which would really help improving our odds。 Few of my favourite quotes from the book are : - Do we see ourselves as victims or victors？ A victim: The Excellent narrative on life uncertainties， decision making ， anxieties and learning and patience。 I was completely riveted from page to one the last。 Beautifully articulated life lessons which we all know but sometimes when told from different perspective ， make more impact in our minds and gets etched in our memory more deeply。 The kind of lessons which would really help improving our odds。 Few of my favourite quotes from the book are : - Do we see ourselves as victims or victors？ A victim: The cards went against me。 Things are being done to me， things are happening around me， and I am neither to blame nor in control。 A victor: I made the correct decision。 Sure， the outcome didn’t go my way， but I thought correctly under pressure。 And that’s the skill I can control- People failed to see what the world was telling them when that message wasn’t one they wanted to hear。- And while probabilities do even out in the long term， in the short term， who the hell knows。 Anything is possible- If you don’t have an objective evaluation of what’s going on， you’re a loser。- The benefit of failure is an objectivity that success simply can’t offer。 。。。more
Liz
，
I do love her writing， but maybe it was the poker I didn’t connect with （despite the fact there was a glossary and a clear explanation game， I was never able to follow the play）。 I kept reading because I just knew there would be a valuable insight， and there was， but it wasn’t until the last 2 paragraphs。 This is effective in an article， but kind of manipulative in a book。
Staci
，
Well！ This book slowed me down。 I enjoyed it， but it didn't read quickly。 Maria Konnikova attempted to go from zero knowledge of poker to a tournament win in one year。 Through the experience， she hoped to learn how to make better decisions in her life。 I probably would have enjoyed the book more if I had a deeper understanding of the game - she， understandably， doesn't take time to explain the intricacies of poker。 However， it was fascinating to get insights into what the behind-the-scenes of th Well！ This book slowed me down。 I enjoyed it， but it didn't read quickly。 Maria Konnikova attempted to go from zero knowledge of poker to a tournament win in one year。 Through the experience， she hoped to learn how to make better decisions in her life。 I probably would have enjoyed the book more if I had a deeper understanding of the game - she， understandably， doesn't take time to explain the intricacies of poker。 However， it was fascinating to get insights into what the behind-the-scenes of the poker world looks like and what it takes to be serious about this game。 I also appreciate some of the lessons she learned on the journey - like the value of failure。。。 and that Macau is somewhere that both of us will avoid。 。。。more
Gianluca Truda
，
I really enjoyed listening to this on my walks these past few weeks， particularly as I've been getting more into poker myself。 Konnikova weaves great anecdotes about poker culture into the gritty details of her training and broader themes from the psychology literature。 Although I was familiar with most of the standard cognitive biases already， it was still interesting to see how they might apply to poker。 Half of the reason I play poker myself is as a means of training my intuitions and self-di I really enjoyed listening to this on my walks these past few weeks， particularly as I've been getting more into poker myself。 Konnikova weaves great anecdotes about poker culture into the gritty details of her training and broader themes from the psychology literature。 Although I was familiar with most of the standard cognitive biases already， it was still interesting to see how they might apply to poker。 Half of the reason I play poker myself is as a means of training my intuitions and self-discipline within a system of tight feedback loops。 The Biggest Bluff paired nicely with my own bitter lessons from online play and gave me some things to reflect on。 If you're of the rationalist persuasion and not into poker， you might not enjoy this as much。 Conversely， if you think poker is just gambling and has no lessons to offer， you should definitely read this book！For me， the book seemed to end quite abruptly and erred a bit too much towards a journalistic exposition style。 However， that may just be a matter of taste。 The story and the content are solid。 I highly recommend the audio version， which the author narrates herself。 。。。more
Kevin Wang
，
have to say， quite disappointed with the book。 It is more like Maria's journey or biography instead of actual methods to master herself in poker have to say， quite disappointed with the book。 It is more like Maria's journey or biography instead of actual methods to master herself in poker 。。。more
Lanette Sweeney
，
This is a fantastic book for poker players。 Anyone who considers themselves a serious player should read it to take advantage of the author's lessons and research into how individual psychology effects play at the tables， as well as what basic skills and math concepts are needed to be an excellent （consistently winning） player。 I already knew I was not a great poker player， but reading this book made me feel better about that; I don't have the single-minded focus that learning and memorizing so This is a fantastic book for poker players。 Anyone who considers themselves a serious player should read it to take advantage of the author's lessons and research into how individual psychology effects play at the tables， as well as what basic skills and math concepts are needed to be an excellent （consistently winning） player。 I already knew I was not a great poker player， but reading this book made me feel better about that; I don't have the single-minded focus that learning and memorizing so many percentages and hand odds would require， for one thing。 I am also far too friendly at the tables， something Konnikova shows us is used against her when she first starts out playing in live games。 Aside from all that， I also think this is a great book for women to read to help them consider how their confidence levels are shaped by societal expectations。 As her play improves， Konnikova notes how much societal expectations shape her persona at the table。 She must learn not to get bluffed or played， how not to make a play just to get people to like her， how to be more aggressive than women are traditionally expected to be。Finally， I would say that while the book is well written and clear in its concepts， if you don't know how to play Hold 'Em， I am not sure you would enjoy reading it。 。。。more
Norton
，
Excellently written book about an interesting story。 Konnikova keeps the narrative intriguing the entire way and has great descriptions for a cast of eclectic characters。
Max
，