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363 reviews for:
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Maria Konnikova
4.0 AVERAGE
363 reviews for:
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Maria Konnikova
4.0 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Really enjoyed this. The author did an awesome job at striking the balance between writing something that wasn't too esoteric for the non-poker player while keeping it in-depth enough to be interesting for people that do play. Hard feat! I feel like a lot of "total beginner immerses themself in a new world and reports on their experience" non-fiction reads can miss the mark if you are someone that has a deeper understanding of the topic *cough cough* Bill Bryson *cough cough*. Also more interesting when the author actually finds success instead of just fumbling around lost in the new activity, kudos Maria Konnikova.
I don't play poker, but it was still interesting. If you play poker or other serious card games, I recommend it. I would have given it 3 1/2 stars but...
She writes very long sentences. I found myself mentally diagramming ("OK, the verb that goes with this noun is...wow, that far downstream."). There's a sentence on p. 64 that takes up 7 lines, contains 3 long dashes, and has an entire quoted sentence inside the sentence.
It's in present tense. This style annoys me. I suppose authors use it to try to give the impression that it's all happening Right Now How Exciting You Are There. But I don't think this can be justified: "[T]he year before, I FIND myself in Barcelona during a terrorist attack that puts our casino on lockdown." Or this: "I GET a few decent pairs. I'd like to tell you what, exactly, they ARE, but my brain WAS so busy ... I'VE forgotten them."
She writes very long sentences. I found myself mentally diagramming ("OK, the verb that goes with this noun is...wow, that far downstream."). There's a sentence on p. 64 that takes up 7 lines, contains 3 long dashes, and has an entire quoted sentence inside the sentence.
It's in present tense. This style annoys me. I suppose authors use it to try to give the impression that it's all happening Right Now How Exciting You Are There. But I don't think this can be justified: "[T]he year before, I FIND myself in Barcelona during a terrorist attack that puts our casino on lockdown." Or this: "I GET a few decent pairs. I'd like to tell you what, exactly, they ARE, but my brain WAS so busy ... I'VE forgotten them."
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Update to review: upon reflection, the long-winded passages, especially towards the beginning of the book probably pull it down from 5-star perfection to a 4-4.5 stars. (The excellent ending probably overshadowed the boring parts of the beginning
adventurous
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Sexual harassment
The author describes unwanted advances from other poker players, and about how it affects her emotional state.
As someone who has played a lot of poker, this evoked so much of the feeling of diving into the game and learning the math and storytelling parts of poker. There are so many misconceptions of what poker is but this book had an authenticity that really resonated.
Interesting idea, but the narrative falls short of engaging.
informative
inspiring
reflective