Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win

A New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor, Maria Konnikova, sought out Erik Seidel, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, to be her mentor. Despite her lack of experience and knowledge of the game, Konnikova was drawn to poker as a way to learn about decision-making and chance. Under Seidel's guidance, she gained insights into life and improved her decision-making skills, ultimately winning at poker and becoming a student of human behavior. The book emphasizes that skill is enough to succeed in life.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 370 pages
Publication date: 24 June 2021
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

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

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, winner of tens of millions of dollars in earnings – and asked him to be her mentor. She had faced a stretch of personal bad luck, and her reflections on the role of chance in her life had pointed her to poker as the ultimate master class in learning to distinguish what can be controlled and what can't. Seidel was in, and soon Konnikova was down the rabbit hole with him, a journey that would lead her to the following years World Series of Poker.

Then something extraordinary happened. Under Seidel's guidance, Konnikova began to 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. She found her way to making better decisions and to a place where she could accept luck for what it is, and what it isn't. But she also began to win. She even learned to like Las Vegas.

In the end, Konnikova is a student of human behavior, and ultimately the point of her incredible adventure was to render it into a container for its invaluable lessons. The biggest bluff of all, she learned, is that skill is enough. This is a book that will focus your mind and strengthen your hand.

Weight: 262g
Dimension: 130 x 197 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780008270872