I had never played live poker before,” said Maria Konnikova when asked about the early days of her poker career. Shortly after, she started winning big. She played her first high-stakes game at the renowned PokerStars Championship in Monte Carlo, where she finished in second place. Jun 23, 2020 Story by Maria Konnikova; June 23, 2020. Poker is all about comfort with uncertainty, after all. Only I didn’t quite realize it wasn’t just uncertainty about the outcome of the cards.
Sharp observers of human behavior have long been intrigued by poker, a game that consistently pits human biases against probabilistic thinking, with a little bit of luck sprinkled in. A few years ago, the writer and psychologist Maria Konnikova found herself drawn to the game, curious about what it might teach her about her own decision-making and biases.
- Maria brings a unique background to her poker career: apart from being a bestselling author and award-winning journalist, she holds a Ph.D. In Psychology from Columbia University. Her doctoral work was on risky and emotional decision making in uncertain environments—the precise sorts of conditions you encounter at the poker table.
- Author & Professional Poker Player, Maria Konnikova, explores how the mind learns drawing insights from psychology and poker.How the Mind Learns: Insights fr.
The answers to that question are in The Biggest Bluff, Konnikova’s recently published account of her successful attempt to go from novice to professional poker player and document her lessons along the way.
Her journey was supposed to take a year—but the game had other plans. “It became a new life,” she writes. “From novice, I turned champion. From amateur, I went pro. And all along the way, I watched with a mix of wonder and pride as my life changed for the better.”
We caught up recently over email about what she learned about overcoming destructive biases, mindfulness, and what poker can teach us about living through this tumultuous moment. For me, it was a powerful reminder that the only thing I can kind of control is myself—but sometimes, that’s enough.
Elizabeth Weingarten: You talk about the ways in which playing poker made you keenly aware of how you’d been conditioned to act in traditionally feminine ways—to be less aggressive and more passive. And this is something that surprised you; as a professional woman you thought you had overcome this socialization. You write, “Part of the reason that there are so few women in the game is that, in an environment that’s 97 percent male, the biases we’ve had to negotiate all our lives are put on a massive scale. There’s a lot to overcome internally if we’re to make it with the best.”
What were some of the keys to overcoming this for you? And what advice would you give to women who aren’t about to become professional poker players but still want to disrupt those behaviors?
Maria Konnikova: It was a process of constant awareness—and of working through, beforehand, how I would respond in certain situations. First, I had to identify what the underlying issues were that were holding me back. In this case, it was wanting to be liked, wanting to avoid conflict, not wanting tension at the table, and being afraid that my aggression wouldn’t work as planned (something I must have learned in the non–poker world: often, women are penalized for being aggressive).
Then, I had to figure out how the issues manifested themselves. I had a lot of poker-specific situations here, but it’s applicable to any area of life: figure out what the most common situations are that cause you to exhibit the issues you’ve identified earlier.
Poker forces you to realize that you can’t control everything. But you can control yourself—and often, that’s what matters.
Next, I had to write out how, specifically, I would react in the moment when these issues happened—a sort of modified form of Gollwitzer’s implementation intentions, if-then plans for what I will do if certain situations arise. It’s crucial to take the time to do this, because in the moment, you will be too emotional to think of the right response.
And then, it was practice, practice, practice. Do things that make me uncomfortable, over and over. In poker, it helped to play smaller stakes than usual to feel more comfortable trying new behaviors. In other areas, I’d recommend trying lower stakes situations, where the outcomes don’t matter quite as much. And then gradually move up.
You write about the crucial importance of observation, and of being present, in poker and in life, writing: “You’re not lucky because more good things are actually happening; you’re lucky because you’re alert to them when they do.” As a psychologist and a journalist, you are clearly an astute, mindful observer. How did poker sharpen or change this skill? What did it teach you?
In poker, if you don’t pay attention, you’re not going to make nearly as much money as you could—and you could end up losing a lot more than you otherwise would. Having real money tied to the necessity of observation forced me to, in a sense, pay attention to paying attention more than I’d ever previously done. I’ve been a big proponent of mindfulness for many years. It was the core theme of my first book, Mastermind. I meditate daily. But mindfulness is hard. It takes constant effort. Seeing the effort actually pay off financially, and seeing how my bottom line was hurt when I slacked off, helped me be far more aware of when and how I’m paying attention than ever before. Having a real stake in a behavior does wonders for performance.
I was struck by part of the book where you write about the parallels between knowing the characters in a story, and knowing the characters around a poker table: “As a writer, you always need to know what motivates your characters … If you haven’t thought through the motivation, the behavior will be off … Their stories will veer into the unbelievable. In poker, it’s much the same thing.”
Being a writer clearly influenced the way you saw poker. But how, if at all, has studying poker influenced the way you write?
For one, I now have a treasure trove of character studies for my work! I also think I’ve become much more aware of the logical flow of my writing, of how the shape of things holds together. In poker, you constantly dissect the logic behind certain actions—and learn to spot inconsistencies where they arise. I now do this much more naturally in my own work.
Another sentence that struck me, particularly in this national moment we’re in: “There’s a false sense of security in passivity. You think that you can’t get into too much trouble—but really, every passive decision leads to a slow but steady loss of chips.” We’re in a tumultuous, emotional moment in this country—where many people are both craving security and certainty, and at the same time waking up to the dangers of being passive or complacent. What, if anything, could poker teach us about making the right decisions right now?
Focus on the things within your control: your actions, your decisions, your reactions, your emotions. And the rest is beyond you. You can’t save the world in a global sense. But you can do your part on an individual level, by following the best advice, practicing distancing, and wearing masks, being kind and considerate, donating money when you can. Poker forces you to realize that you can’t control everything. But you can control yourself—and often, that’s what matters. If everyone did this, all of a sudden, we’d see changes on a much bigger scale.
ByThe exits continue from Team PokerStars Pro as the end of the year approaches. Contracts are set to expire, and players take stock of their poker lives as a new year approaches.
Just one week after two of the most recognizable faces in the PokerStars lineup announced their departure from the team, another one departed. Maria Konnikova reported on social media that she and PokerStars were “parting ways” after two years of sponsorship. This follows a similar message one week prior from Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov.
The timing of Konnikova’s departure is interesting, however, due to the impending release of her long-awaited book about poker and her immersion in the poker world under the guidance of Erik Seidel.
Another Tweeted Team Exit
Major announcements seem to happen via Twitter these days. Konnikova chose social media for her statement, a short and pointed message about parting ways with PokerStars but not with the world of poker in general.
It's been a fun two years, but it's time to say goodbye! Today, I'm parting ways with @pokerstars. But that doesn't mean I'm parting ways with poker! My new book will be out in 2020, and I'm looking forward to continuing to promote this beautiful game in the months to come. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/gJD8KJBlc8
— Maria Konnikova (@mkonnikova) November 20, 2019
Konnikova still seems to have a great deal of affection for the game and plans to stay involved, presumably playing when possible.
Her primary interactions with poker will be in the promotion of her upcoming book. The Biggest Bluff will be published in 2020 by Penguin Press.
Konnikova had only been with PokerStars barely two years, having signed on when she began working on her book and with Seidel as a student of the game. However, her departure came on the heels of Boeree and Kurganov leaving Team Pro. Boeree had been with the team for nine years, but neither of them played much anymore and Boeree wanted to use her science background in creating content.
It's been an amazing nine years but now it's time for @PokerStars and I to part ways. I want to say thanks to the incredible staff and my fellow team mates for all the wonderful memories, will miss you all! pic.twitter.com/RfRIbMwQaf
— Liv Boeree (@Liv_Boeree) November 13, 2019
The Biggest Bluff
Before she took any interest in poker, Maria Konnikova was a published author and trained psychologist.
Konnikova is the acclaimed author of The Confidence Game and Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, two books that were very well-received and translated into numerous languages. The Harvard and Columbia University graduate was also known for articles published in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Atlantic. Also, she wrote a regular column for the New Yorker.
The poker book idea developed for Konnikova as she became interested in the balance of skill and chance in life, which led her to research about the same balance in poker. By the time she looked into game theory, too, she was hooked.
Under the tutelage of Seidel, Konnikova began to study poker and play in tournaments. By the middle of 2017, she was playing regularly enough to have taken temporary leave from her writing for the New Yorker.
As she said in a 2017 interview, “We decided he was going to train me for a year from zero to wherever he could take me as a test of his poker philosophy. With a PhD in psychology, my approach is very psychological, and that is his approach as well.” She added that despite the mathematical nature of most current poker study, Seidel maintained his superiority in the game for 30 years throughout the changes.
Konnikova was and is the only student in Seidel’s poker career. And she wanted to know, “Can you actually – with just psychological insight and that thought process – train someone to become someone who can hold her own at the poker table?”
Maria Konnikova Poker Winnings
Some exciting news: my new book is now official! Spoiler alert: the champion is @Erik_Seidel—and he's *the* absolute greatest, not one of. pic.twitter.com/7okD1xlH8P
— Maria Konnikova (@mkonnikova) March 10, 2017
Learning from a Poker Legend
Maria Konnikova Pokerstars
Erik Seidel began his relationship with poker at private games at the Mayfair Club in New York decades ago. He was a backgammon tournament player but began to study poker, and then he began making his mark in tournaments around the United States and then the world.
Over the years, Seidel accumulated eight World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, a World Poker Tour (WPT) and a European Poker Tour (EPT) title, and many others.
To date, Seidel has earned more than $37 million in live poker tournaments alone, putting him fourth on the global all-time poker earner list.
Some exciting news: my new book is now official! Spoiler alert: the champion is @Erik_Seidel—and he's *the* absolute greatest, not one of. pic.twitter.com/7okD1xlH8P
— Maria Konnikova (@mkonnikova) March 10, 2017
As he began working with Konnikova, she began cashing in tournaments at the PokerStars Championship in Monte Carlo, the WSOP in Las Vegas, and in events like the PokerStars Festival in Dublin. By that time at the end of 2017, she also secured a sponsorship deal with PokerStars as a poker ambassador.
In January 2018, Konnikova won her first tournament, the PCA National event in the Bahamas at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $84,600. She continued to play and cash in tournaments, racking up nearly $300K by the end of the 2019 summer.
Finishing the Challenge
Konnikova called the game an “interesting intellectual challenge,” something so “strategically and psychologically fascinating.” And that was at the beginning of her journey in 2017 when she first announced the book.
Maria Konnikova Article
Poker tournaments seemed to stop for Konnikova in the late summer of this year, as she returned to writing her column for the New Yorker. She also organized and delivered more workshops using poker as a teaching tool.
And she appears to have completed the book. The Biggest Bluff was submitted in mid-October.
Is that my completed manuscript? Why yes. Yes it is. pic.twitter.com/n5jhOj6axA
— Maria Konnikova (@mkonnikova) October 21, 2019
There is not yet a publication date. Konnikova’s website merely states that the book is due out in 2020.