Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova, Hardcover, 9780008270834 | Buy online at The Nile
Departments
 Free Returns*

Biggest Bluff

How I Learned to Pay Attention, Take Control and Master the Odds

Author: Maria Konnikova  

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

Read more
Product Unavailable

PRODUCT INFORMATION

Summary

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

Read more

Description

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

As long as she can remember, Maria Konnikova has been fascinated by the tension between luck and skill. But nothing could prepare Konnikova for the string of bad luck that befell her in 2015, when, in quick succession, she was diagnosed with a painful auto-immune disease, her beloved grandmother died in a tragic accident, and unexpected layoffs for her mother and husband left the family in financial disarray.

Searching for a way to understand her fate, Konnikova revisited the work of legendary mathematician and game theoretician John von Neuman, who believed that oker was the best lens through which to understand the role of chance in our lives. What if she tried to find out? Could she, a total poker novice, find some better way to approach her own decision-making in life by mastering a game she had barely tried?

Determined to follow von Neuman's lead, Konnikova scored a coup - she convinced Erik Seidel, one of the greatest poker champions in history, to take her on as a student. In exchange, Konnikova agreed to an improbable challenge: after one year's training, Konnikova would compete to win the World Series of Poker, a feat never accomplished by a woman.

Lady, Cowboy, Joker, Knave is the remarkable story of that year: of Konnikova's fish-out-of-water immersion in the colourful world of competitive poker and of her impressive mastery of the game. As she develops skills at the poker table - how to truly pay attention, take control, and beat the odds - she comes to understand that have powerful applications to the higher stakes decisions of daily life. Konnikova has accomplished a very rare feat: an irresistible, once-in-a-lifetime narrative, told with humour and charm, that illuminates the world around us - and ourselves.

Read more

About the Author

Maria Konnikova is the author of Mastermind and The Confidence Game. She is a regular contributor for the New Yorker, and has written for the Atlantic, New York Times, Slate, New Republic, Paris Review, Wall Street Journal, Salon, WIRED, among many other publications. Her writing has won numerous awards, including the 2019 Excellence in Science Journalism Award from the Society of Personality and Social Psychology.

Read more

Product Details

Publisher
Harpercollins Publishers | Fourth Estate Ltd
Published
25th June 2020
Pages
368
ISBN
9780008270834

Returns

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.

Product Unavailable