The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
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- Create Date：2021-06-04 08:54:27
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Maria Konnikova
- ISBN：0008270864
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Summary
How a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor parlayed a strong grasp of the science of 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
It'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 knew her man: a famously thoughtful and broad-minded player， he was intrigued by her pitch that she wasn't interested in making money so much as learning about life。 She had faced a stretch of personal bad luck， and her reflections on the role of chance had led her to a giant of game theory， who pointed her to poker as the ultimate master class in learning to distinguish between what can be controlled and what can't。 And she certainly brought something to the table， including a Ph。D。 in psychology and an acclaimed and growing body of work on human behavior and how to hack it。 So Seidel was in， and soon she was down the rabbit hole with him， 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 that derived from her new pursuit， 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。 In a little over a year， 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， until the luck once again breaks our way。
It'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 knew her man: a famously thoughtful and broad-minded player， he was intrigued by her pitch that she wasn't interested in making money so much as learning about life。 She had faced a stretch of personal bad luck， and her reflections on the role of chance had led her to a giant of game theory， who pointed her to poker as the ultimate master class in learning to distinguish between what can be controlled and what can't。 And she certainly brought something to the table， including a Ph。D。 in psychology and an acclaimed and growing body of work on human behavior and how to hack it。 So Seidel was in， and soon she was down the rabbit hole with him， 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 that derived from her new pursuit， 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。 In a little over a year， 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， until the luck once again breaks our way。
Reviews
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
，
Terrific piece of experiential journalism。 Well written， with an excellent balance of the blow-by-blow of her poker journey against the broader themes of luck， chance， skill， learning and self-awareness。 There were a couple of moments where it dragged but I mostly found it quite fun and gripping。
David Laing
，
About 30% longer than necessary， but overall a fun read。 I want more books like this—that chronicle a person's journey mastering a skill。 It's pretty impressive that Konnikova got as good at poker as she did， in such a short period of time。 I want to learn poker！ About 30% longer than necessary， but overall a fun read。 I want more books like this—that chronicle a person's journey mastering a skill。 It's pretty impressive that Konnikova got as good at poker as she did， in such a short period of time。 I want to learn poker！ 。。。more
Jessie Embrey
，
Fun read！ It made me want to play poker， which wasn't why I read it， but anyway。 ;） I thought it would be more about decision-making （it was， to be fair， just not as I expected it）， but what I took away was more about the importance of thoughtful negotiation。 Great writing。 Fun read！ It made me want to play poker， which wasn't why I read it， but anyway。 ;） I thought it would be more about decision-making （it was， to be fair， just not as I expected it）， but what I took away was more about the importance of thoughtful negotiation。 Great writing。 。。。more
Janusfac3
，
3。5。 1。 A welcome to poker world entry book for anyone wishes to learn the bare minimum knowledge of terminologies， popular tournaments， Las Vegas insides and behaviors of professional poker players。 e。g。 Not all Vegas hotels host poker tournaments on the same level。 Poker is a mentally exhausting sports and players make decision based on the feelings at the morning of the tournament。2。 A practical application guide of how to avoid decision making fallacies and psychological blind spots in poker 3。5。 1。 A welcome to poker world entry book for anyone wishes to learn the bare minimum knowledge of terminologies， popular tournaments， Las Vegas insides and behaviors of professional poker players。 e。g。 Not all Vegas hotels host poker tournaments on the same level。 Poker is a mentally exhausting sports and players make decision based on the feelings at the morning of the tournament。2。 A practical application guide of how to avoid decision making fallacies and psychological blind spots in poker playing， which may not be as useful for the common readers if taken literally。 However， this can be applied to business world as a guide for human relationship mastering and business strategy making。 3。 A successful mentorship to grow a layman into a pro with constructional guidance at each stage of the career development。 It's not only about the mixed use of compliments and critiques but also goal setting and enhancements at a proper pace。 e。g。 The final goal is not to play safe and receive min cash but rather to win tournaments。 。。。more
Jonathan Crabb
，
This is an excellent book on several levels。 It is an intriguing story of Konnikova's rise to fairly high levels of poker play while sharing the insights from her mentor [[Erik Seidel]] and her own thoughts through the process of learning and competing。 She starts the book as a PHD expert in human behavior who looks to apply that knowledge to the world of poker。 In her learning process， she teaches readers a fair amount about the game of poker， but really provides a deep look on the mindsets nee This is an excellent book on several levels。 It is an intriguing story of Konnikova's rise to fairly high levels of poker play while sharing the insights from her mentor [[Erik Seidel]] and her own thoughts through the process of learning and competing。 She starts the book as a PHD expert in human behavior who looks to apply that knowledge to the world of poker。 In her learning process， she teaches readers a fair amount about the game of poker， but really provides a deep look on the mindsets needed to be a champion。 In those descriptions， she provides valuable insights not only for poker， but for how to make better decisions in general。 A great book on thinking well， especially if you like the topic of poker。 。。。more
Suzy Bennett
，
Very interesting book about a psychologist who learned to play poker as an experiment and became a champion。
Michèle Marchand
，
Wasn't sure what I was expecting out of this book because I've never played poker， but it was really good。 It turns out that poker can teach you some important life lessons， I might give it a try。 Wasn't sure what I was expecting out of this book because I've never played poker， but it was really good。 It turns out that poker can teach you some important life lessons， I might give it a try。 。。。more
Philip Levinton
，
An outstanding discussion of the psychology of poker。 Maria， a who is a PhD in Psychology， decides she wants to become a professional poker player to explore the decision making process successful poker players use。
Megan R
，
Disclaimer: poker does not fascinate me。 However， this is an intriguing story！ It was fun to look at the game through a psychology lens and ride along as the author made mistakes， even when her PhD told her to do otherwise。 The author’s narration went off on ramblings at times （i。e。 other players’ superstitions。。。）， but this piqued my interest。 Perhaps now I’ll be able to pay attention to more than one hand if the WSOP happens to be on！
Byram
，
I like many other people have thought of poker as a game of chance。 That the skill was some combination of knowing the probabilities of getting certain hands and certain draws， as well as some basic psychology in how to carefully mask or reveal your intentions while reading it in others。 But indeed， just like everything else I'm wholly ignorant of， there is of course so much more。 The author， herself an expert in psychology and the study of chance， turns herself into an expert poker player with I like many other people have thought of poker as a game of chance。 That the skill was some combination of knowing the probabilities of getting certain hands and certain draws， as well as some basic psychology in how to carefully mask or reveal your intentions while reading it in others。 But indeed， just like everything else I'm wholly ignorant of， there is of course so much more。 The author， herself an expert in psychology and the study of chance， turns herself into an expert poker player with zero previous experience by fusing her understanding of human psychology with an unbounded curiosity and willingness to adapt （and with the help of some incredible teachers）， and chronicles not only her journey， but what she's learned about how poker reveals so much about luck and how to create it in life and game。 Funny， engaging， and insightful， you'll learn a lot about not just poker but how to approach the uncertainty in the every day， how to roll with the bad streaks， how to prevail with a cool head through the good ones， learning to live life from one hand to the next in dialogue with other humans and all of their inner motives and outward expressions。 Read by the author herself gives it an even more intimate memoir quality。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Seth
，
Excellent book， not so much about poker but about the journey to re-frame life and decision-making （and learning yourself） through the lens of poker。
Heather O'Neill
，
Maria is a psychologist who decides that she wants to learn how to play poker and put her knowledge of people and how they react to situations to see if it helps her。 She enlists the help of a renowned poker player to coach her through her process。This book was highly recommended by MMD， but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it was going to be。 I was looking for more of memoir and this had a lot of science backed information along with poker terminology， which bogged down the book for me。 I thin Maria is a psychologist who decides that she wants to learn how to play poker and put her knowledge of people and how they react to situations to see if it helps her。 She enlists the help of a renowned poker player to coach her through her process。This book was highly recommended by MMD， but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it was going to be。 I was looking for more of memoir and this had a lot of science backed information along with poker terminology， which bogged down the book for me。 I think that if you are into poker this book would be more captivating for you。 This book was my "read before bedtime" book and it always put me to sleep so fast。 I think that the book picks up once she has been practicing for a year and is finally in some decent tournaments。 It also made me curious to know more about how to play poker。 。。。more
Laura
，
I am developing a pet theory that a book about anything can in fact be a book about philosophy。 This is a book about poker， kind of。 The author， who presumably leveraged the credibility granted her as a regularly contributing writer to the New Yorker to gain access to the mentorship of many poker greats （I am taking her word/Penguin Press's fact checking for it） as she set out to learn how to play poker， but in fact， learned so much more than she ever expected about herself。 Because poker provid I am developing a pet theory that a book about anything can in fact be a book about philosophy。 This is a book about poker， kind of。 The author， who presumably leveraged the credibility granted her as a regularly contributing writer to the New Yorker to gain access to the mentorship of many poker greats （I am taking her word/Penguin Press's fact checking for it） as she set out to learn how to play poker， but in fact， learned so much more than she ever expected about herself。 Because poker provides thousands of opportunities to apply and learn from in a very practical way concepts that the author picked up getting her PhD in psychology。This sounds kind of cynical， and it is， but I also really enjoyed this book and will carry some things forward with me。 The idea that letting go can be a truly strong act。 The idea that the more you learn， the harder it gets， because as you learn more， you see flaws you weren't even aware of that now you need to fix。 There's this idea of an inchworm， where you slowly push your best work， your average work， and your worst work forward。 The mantra "less certainty， more inquiry。" 。。。more
Drew
，
Well written and insightful; I just don't know enough about poker to fully appreciate this book。 Well written and insightful; I just don't know enough about poker to fully appreciate this book。 。。。more
Jkhickel
，
This is a rare book。 It’s one of the few I’ve gone out and bought， based on all the great reviews， rather than waited to borrow from a library or make it to the half-price book shelves。 The book was worth it。 It could have used a lot more about the psychological components of poker and the important role that luck plays in poker and life， and a lot less detail about every hand she played， conversation she had， and meal she ate during every tournament she ever played in。 But the good stuff was re This is a rare book。 It’s one of the few I’ve gone out and bought， based on all the great reviews， rather than waited to borrow from a library or make it to the half-price book shelves。 The book was worth it。 It could have used a lot more about the psychological components of poker and the important role that luck plays in poker and life， and a lot less detail about every hand she played， conversation she had， and meal she ate during every tournament she ever played in。 But the good stuff was really good。 I had to stop， take notes， and reflect on several points， including:1。 You’re not lucky because good things happen to you。 You’re lucky because you are alert to those things when they occur。 （See particularly the reference to the “count the photographs” exercise。）2。 People who watch videos of poker players’ faces aren’t good at predicting whether they are good or bad poker players。 People who watch videos of the players’s hands are much better at it。3。 “We have won the impossible， improbable lottery of birth。。。and we don’t know what will happen。 We never can。” 。。。more
Casey
，
I always enjoy her writing whether it's books or magazine articles。 She explores concepts of psychology through cultural touchpoints。 I appreciate her take in this one- Tournament Poker is like life in terms of the combination of skill and chance。 I learned a little about poker too。 I always enjoy her writing whether it's books or magazine articles。 She explores concepts of psychology through cultural touchpoints。 I appreciate her take in this one- Tournament Poker is like life in terms of the combination of skill and chance。 I learned a little about poker too。 。。。more
Lara
，
3。5 stars。 Somewhat drier than I was expecting， and not as fast-paced as I’d heard。
B
，
DNF at 30%。 I actually had to create a DNF shelf for this since I'm usually committed to finishing books even when I don't enjoy what I'm reading。 I like Konnikova's writing， but as someone who doesn't play poker， there was too much that I couldn't understand or relate to in this book。 I might pick it up again if I ever develop an interest in poker。 DNF at 30%。 I actually had to create a DNF shelf for this since I'm usually committed to finishing books even when I don't enjoy what I'm reading。 I like Konnikova's writing， but as someone who doesn't play poker， there was too much that I couldn't understand or relate to in this book。 I might pick it up again if I ever develop an interest in poker。 。。。more
Ellen Bard
，
Eloquent and thoughtful， this book uses the narrative of learning poker to demonstrate many of the psychology learnings around bias， decision making and our thinking。 It was interesting to see it applied in this way， and the book’s author really impresses both in terms of her ability to learn and grow and to tell her story。
Dorothy Meyer
，
Interesting insight into psychology through the realm of poker。 A study in why we make the decisions we do， and how we are fooled by chance time and time again， despite being highly educated on its principles。 I thought the book was interesting， though probably could have been shorter。 It became repetitive as she basically was emphasizing the same point about the fallacy of chance from page 1 to page 326。 I read this through a combination of audio and on the page。
Umur
，
I found this a great book overall， it thought me a ton of things as well as having an interesting narrative。 It was really fun following Maria Konnikova from zero to hero and because how open she was throughout the book， I feel like I know her a bit now。 I definitely recommend it to everyone who likes poker and to everyone else too。 Think about how poker movies end with villains having aces full， full house， small flush and the hero has a royal flush and beats everyone because he "super-plays po I found this a great book overall， it thought me a ton of things as well as having an interesting narrative。 It was really fun following Maria Konnikova from zero to hero and because how open she was throughout the book， I feel like I know her a bit now。 I definitely recommend it to everyone who likes poker and to everyone else too。 Think about how poker movies end with villains having aces full， full house， small flush and the hero has a royal flush and beats everyone because he "super-plays poker"？ Well， this book is exactly the opposite of that。 。。。more
Anny
，
Is it possible for a complete amateur to win International Poker Championship in just a year？ Turned out it is （that ten-thousand hours rule is a myth by the way）。 Maria Konnikova started trying to understand whether skill in psychology would help one wade one's way through poker， bluff and all， and ended up learning more than just how to win a game。 Poker is a game not unlike real life。 There is no perfect information （unlike chess） and it's not completely up to chance （unlike roulette）。 Just l Is it possible for a complete amateur to win International Poker Championship in just a year？ Turned out it is （that ten-thousand hours rule is a myth by the way）。 Maria Konnikova started trying to understand whether skill in psychology would help one wade one's way through poker， bluff and all， and ended up learning more than just how to win a game。 Poker is a game not unlike real life。 There is no perfect information （unlike chess） and it's not completely up to chance （unlike roulette）。 Just like real life where we have to make decision based on incomplete information （do I pick job A or B， invest in C or D） and often we either get bluffed （scammed） or trying to bluff others （eg。 bluffing our way through job interview）。 Hence， one could argue that skills useful in helping one win a poker game， could also be useful in helping one navigate through real life。 Interesting read！ 。。。more
Fritz
，
Listen to it again…。 Fantastic book will work to listen should listen to it again in the future is a strong educator for the value in the poker for me self personal self growth stand for and if you’re actually mastering it rather than just dabbling in it。
Kearney
，
for those that enjoyed Thinking in Bets， this is along similar lines。 Academia --> professional poker player with a bit of behavioral psychology tossed in the mix。 An enjoyable read
DjS
，
An interesting， entertaining， and easy read。 The author deserves props for having the nerve and resolve to engage and compete in the real world of poker play as she did with her own time， money， and confidence on the line throughout。 Of course this praise assumes that all or most of what is written is true， i。e。 non fiction。 You have got to believe that much has been left out in order to keep it interesting， but hey， such detail/reality would have detracted from what reads as an incredible story An interesting， entertaining， and easy read。 The author deserves props for having the nerve and resolve to engage and compete in the real world of poker play as she did with her own time， money， and confidence on the line throughout。 Of course this praise assumes that all or most of what is written is true， i。e。 non fiction。 You have got to believe that much has been left out in order to keep it interesting， but hey， such detail/reality would have detracted from what reads as an incredible story。 Kudos to the author on multiple fronts！ 。。。more
Lisi Tesher
，