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365 reviews for:
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Maria Konnikova
4.0 AVERAGE
365 reviews for:
The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win
Maria Konnikova
4.0 AVERAGE
Poker certainly isn’t a perfect metaphor for life, but the game can teach us a lot about it. As Konnikova repeats throughout The Biggest Bluff, nothing results purely from skill; luck always has a role. We can control our own actions and thoughts but really not much else. And that’s ok. By accepting that our locus of control is limited, we can better understand and develop our own predilections while improving our observations of and insights into others. Konnikova, a psychologist by training, set out to take a year to learn the ins and outs of poker — culminating in her playing in the World Series of Poker — so as to examine human behavior and decision-making. That one year soon turned into more, and the lessons extended beyond the poker table.
What a great read about how we humans consistently bluff ourselves regarding our own abilities and superstitions.
What a great read about how we humans consistently bluff ourselves regarding our own abilities and superstitions.
Este libro es un fascinante viaje de aprendizaje y evolución, el ángulo es interesantísimo, es fácil de leer y entretenido a rabiar, incluso si no tienes ni idea de póker, como es mi caso. El único pero es un exceso en la descripción de algunas partidas que en ocasiones lastran el ritmo y me dieron cierto sopor. Quizá un poquito de tijera lo habría dejado perfecto.
This was one of those books that I thought I would love after having read just a bit, but got thoroughly bored of before it was over. It's an amazing story, the tale of a person who learned poker from scratch to world-class mastery in two years! If nothing else, it should be entertaining.
It was, for a bit, but then I got tripped up by Konnikova's writing style. It took the faux naif thing too far (80% of the way through the book and she's amazed to learn that poker players take a bunch of caffeine pills and smoke weed), and spent too long on unilluminating metaphors, like what kind of predators poker players were, or how playing head-to-head is like going out on a date with someone you met at a party. She's also uncritical of her main subjects, the poker pros who are presented nearly without exception as admirable zen masters.
I may also have lost interest just because read a handful of books about poker, and the insights here were pretty standard -- play to the person, lucks wins in the short-term but over the long-term skill rises to the top, etc. There was nothing wrong with these insights; I just personally had already heard them, so this book wasn't getting me any further. But when the book tried to make larger connections, using ethos of poker as a king of over-arching philosophy for life, I just wasn't convinced.
It was, for a bit, but then I got tripped up by Konnikova's writing style. It took the faux naif thing too far (80% of the way through the book and she's amazed to learn that poker players take a bunch of caffeine pills and smoke weed), and spent too long on unilluminating metaphors, like what kind of predators poker players were, or how playing head-to-head is like going out on a date with someone you met at a party. She's also uncritical of her main subjects, the poker pros who are presented nearly without exception as admirable zen masters.
I may also have lost interest just because read a handful of books about poker, and the insights here were pretty standard -- play to the person, lucks wins in the short-term but over the long-term skill rises to the top, etc. There was nothing wrong with these insights; I just personally had already heard them, so this book wasn't getting me any further. But when the book tried to make larger connections, using ethos of poker as a king of over-arching philosophy for life, I just wasn't convinced.
Psychology + poker sums up the preface of this book. I really enjoyed how Konnikova puts us through a meaningful and exciting way to incorporate the lessons you get from poker into real life. In a way, it’s a self help book but with a poker face in mind. Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
This is a brand new book that combines two of my favorite things, the psychology of decision making and poker. The author is a young lady with a PhD in psychology who decides to explore the world of professional poker as the basis for a book. She is an impressive lady in many ways, maybe the biggest is that she is able to land poker legend Erik Seidel as a mentor based on a cold call and one meeting. As you would expect, she has ups and downs, but mostly ups. Remarkably, through training, practice and her own native intelligence, within the span of a year or so, she goes from not knowing whether or not a straight beats a flush to winning a professional poker event, winning over $300K in the 3 years since she started playing. That is amazing. Along the way, she met a lot of cool poker people, and learned a lot about poker and life. It's a fun and interesting book, if you like Texas Hold `em, and probably even if you don't.
I have never played poker, but this indepth look at the world of Poker and decision making is fascinating. I definitely don't think I would want to play professionally, but with friends would be fun. Like many sports there are tons of life lessons that happen along the way. That is what Maria Konnikova was searching for when she approaches legendary Poker player Erik Seidel. The Biggest Bluff is full of humor, mental skills training, and the science behind how people make decisions. This is a read I will come back to for a refresher as time goes on.
I received this as an ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this title.
I received this as an ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this title.
It's not really about the poker. Here's the thing - I did not enjoy reading this book. Too much poker jargon (I know -- how dare a book about poker include so many technical terms). But, the moment I started listening to the audiobook, the narrative transformed into this engaging story with so many worthwhile lessons. A great creative nonfiction read!
3.5 stars for book quality, rounded up just because a book about poker is interesting and different from what I usually read.
Konnikova's writer-to-poker pro stories has enough twists and turns to make it a page turner. At times the effort to apply lessons from her life in academia can be heavy-handed, slowing the read down, but it's a sincere effort. Hoping for a follow-up with more poker tales.