Take a photo of a barcode or cover
367 reviews for:
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Maria Konnikova
4.0 AVERAGE
367 reviews for:
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Maria Konnikova
4.0 AVERAGE
Rounding up from 4.5 stars.
This book was such a delightful surprise. I never expected to love—or even read—a book about poker, but several readers with great taste told me to prioritize this one, and I'm glad I listened. In this story-driven narrative, author and New Yorker journalist Konnikova tells how and why she dedicated several years of her life to becoming a professional poker player, and seamlessly connects what she learns at the table to making better decisions and living a more satisfying life.
Endlessly fascinating and laugh-out-loud funny: I kept reading parts of the story out loud to my family because I wanted them to enjoy the surprising and funny bits as well.
This book was such a delightful surprise. I never expected to love—or even read—a book about poker, but several readers with great taste told me to prioritize this one, and I'm glad I listened. In this story-driven narrative, author and New Yorker journalist Konnikova tells how and why she dedicated several years of her life to becoming a professional poker player, and seamlessly connects what she learns at the table to making better decisions and living a more satisfying life.
Endlessly fascinating and laugh-out-loud funny: I kept reading parts of the story out loud to my family because I wanted them to enjoy the surprising and funny bits as well.
This was great! I’m not a poker person, and everything was well explained so I could follow despite a limited familiarity with the game (my husband plays, I don’t). Seeing the reflections of lessons from poker to life and back again was fascinating, and Maria tells good stories. I rarely read nonfiction but thoroughly enjoyed this.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
“Poker isn’t just about calibrating the strength of your beliefs. It’s also about becoming comfortable with the fact that there’s no such thing as a sure thing—ever. You will never have all the information you want, and you will have to act all the same. Leave your certainty at the door.”
I read Konnikova's [b:The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time|25387895|The Confidence Game Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time|Maria Konnikova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494595504l/25387895._SY75_.jpg|44482090] earlier in the year and wanted to read about her take on poker. This has a combination of psychology, human behavior and poker, and I liked a lot of the lessons here. Although maybe could have waited until after the election to read about how we don't really understand probability and luck, especially on a larger scale. But you know, the library holds sometimes force your hand. This is a great memoir, and it's a great book about poker, uncovering a subculture and how the lessons of poker are applicable in every day life.
“Whatever I may think about God, I believe in randomness. In the noise of the universe that chugs along caring nothing about us, our plans, our desires, our motivations, our actions. The noise that will be there regardless of what we choose or don’t choose to do. Variance. Chance. That thing we can’t control no matter how we may try. But can you really blame us for trying?”
I read Konnikova's [b:The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time|25387895|The Confidence Game Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time|Maria Konnikova|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1494595504l/25387895._SY75_.jpg|44482090] earlier in the year and wanted to read about her take on poker. This has a combination of psychology, human behavior and poker, and I liked a lot of the lessons here. Although maybe could have waited until after the election to read about how we don't really understand probability and luck, especially on a larger scale. But you know, the library holds sometimes force your hand. This is a great memoir, and it's a great book about poker, uncovering a subculture and how the lessons of poker are applicable in every day life.
“Whatever I may think about God, I believe in randomness. In the noise of the universe that chugs along caring nothing about us, our plans, our desires, our motivations, our actions. The noise that will be there regardless of what we choose or don’t choose to do. Variance. Chance. That thing we can’t control no matter how we may try. But can you really blame us for trying?”
I've always thoroughly enjoyed [a:Maria Konnikova|6461111|Maria Konnikova|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1588422221p2/6461111.jpg]'s writing, and this book was no exception! When I saw that she had written a "memoir" about her poker journey interspersed with her usual psychology—cognitive biases, decision theory, and more—I knew I had to pick it up.
She mixes in psychology research through analysis of her decision-making shortcomings, tying theory into practice with real-world examples. I've always enjoyed Texas Hold'Em and appreciated the in-depth play-by-play anecdotes and the layer on top about what poker can teach us about life.
She mixes in psychology research through analysis of her decision-making shortcomings, tying theory into practice with real-world examples. I've always enjoyed Texas Hold'Em and appreciated the in-depth play-by-play anecdotes and the layer on top about what poker can teach us about life.
When it comes to learning, Triumph is the real foe; it's Disaster that's your teacher. It's Disaster that bring objectivity. It's Disaster that's the antidote to that greatest of delusions, overconfidence. And ultimately, both Triumph and Disaster are impostors. They are results that are subject to chance. One of them just happens to be a better teaching tool than the other.
This book felt like a philosophy book told through poker. I thoroughly enjoyed it and now want to learn how to play hold em. I enjoyed the references to other books, historic figures, and more. It felt like a stoic philosophy book with a mixture of how to roll through life’s many punches. Hand by hand we play the game of life with the cards we’re given.