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. Mar 11, 2019 When Maria Konnikova took up poker for the first time in 2017, she wasn’t in it for the money. Instead, the author and New Yorker writer — who also has a Ph.D. In psychology — learned the game as research for her latest book, The Biggest Bluff, which comes out later this year. Within months, though, she was winning — big. Maria KONNIKOVA: Yes, I thought there were 54. This is a true story. It’s not exaggerated for the book. That’s Maria Konnikova. Her new book is called The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win. It chronicles her journey from poker novice to poker professional. The Biggest Bluff is Konnikova’s third book.

1. Maria Konnikova Poker Book
2. Maria Konnikova Hendon
3. Maria Konnikova Poker Results
4. Maria Konnikova Poker Book
5. Maria Konnikova Poker Winning
6. Maria Konnikova Poker

(Photo: WSOP.com)

Maria Konnikova made $200,000 her first year playing poker. That WAS NOT the plan. She didn’t even know how to play at first. “I knew zero,” she said. Did you know the order of the hands?” “No. I didn’t even know how many cards were in a deck.” We were only four and half.

Maria Konnikova, a writer who immersed herself in the world of poker just to research her upcoming book, recently won the PCA National for $84,600. Her story got into the “non-poker” news media as well, Newsweek has published a piece about her recently.

The Russian-American Konnikova has an A.B. diploma in creative writing and psychology from Harvard and a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. She has released two books so far - How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes (2013) and The Confidence Game (2016), both non-fiction - and is currently working on a third one which will be about the great game of poker.

That is why in early 2017 Konnikova decided to hit the tables and learn all she can about poker. She chose 8-time WSOP bracelet winner Erik Seidel to be her mentor - it seems the learning curve has been successful.

Even before the Caribbean Adventure, Konnikova has added some impressive scores to her tally in live tournaments: she racked up 3 ITM finishes in the PokerStars Championship in Monte Carlo, and cashed in the WSOP 3 times in the summer.

But it was the $1,500 PCA National that brought her the real breakthrough. She managed to come in first in the 200+ player field, ahead of such seasoned pros like Chris Moorman, the player who has won more money on online tournaments than any other player. She got paid $84,600 for her victory, then snatched one more ITM finish before the PCA was over, a 42nd place for $22,020 in the $10K Main Event.

At the very beginning of her poker journey, she talked to PokerNews.com about her new endeavor. Newsweek used this interview for quotes in their article.

'I was interested in the question of skill vs. chance in life, and how much of my life do I control(...) And I’ve decided to use No-limit Hold’em specifically as a metaphor for life.' - she said. 'I’ve learned, first of all, that poker is an even better metaphor for life than I thought.'

She elaborated on how very similar skills are useful at the poker table and in real life situations, be it reading people or controlling emotions. She also talked about how a woman’s experience may differ from a man’s during a game; she feels women are more likely to have insults directed at them on the felt.

Newsweek themselves has talked to Konnikova last year about the insults she had to suffer as a female poker player, especially in the low-level live games.

The writer turned poker player also spoke about how she came into the poker world wondering whether she can use her knowledge of psychology to make up for what she lacks in GTO plays or just sheer poker experience. So far she learned that focus is the number one factor in poker success in her opinion; she believes that is where she can have an edge against other players who often get distracted by their phone or simply get up from the table in live games, giving up crucial information.

Konnikova will have more opportunities to study the professional poker scene, as she is planning to go “from Monte Carlo to Monte Carlo” with PokerStars, meaning she will be present at all the big PS series events until the 2018 Monte Carlo PokerStars Championships where her poker journey began last year.

Poker has taken the spotlight during the Coronavirus pandemic and the game gets a bit more publicity this week. Bestselling author, New Yorkerwriter, and now poker player Maria Konnikova releases a new book this week and her life in poker is a major focus.

For those not familiar, in 2017 Konnikova looked to explore how luck plays a role in people’s lives. Her research led to poker followed by tutoring from one of the biggest names in the game – Erik Seidel.

That eventually led to nice tournament success. The highlight was winning a $1,650 event at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure for $84,600. For a time, Konnikova even served as an ambassador for the site.

She now documents her life in poker as well as an exploration of psychology and philosophy in The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win. The bookis published by Penguin Press and debuts Tuesday. Konnikova spoke with USPoker about the book, learning the game, and playing online poker.

Taking a seat at the poker table

At first, Konnikova didn’t even know the rankings of hands. She seemed an unlikely person to jump head-first into major tournament poker.

“I didn’t know anything about poker,” she says. “I wanted to write a book about luck. I wanted to explore the role that luck plays in our lives, and how we can learn to tell the difference between what is luck and what is skill.”

Her studies of game theory had her returning again and again to poker. It seemed the more she studied, the more the game intrigued her.

“You realize that the game of poker was best suited to model human decision-making because it’s a game of incomplete information,” she says, “and everything about life is a game of incomplete information.”

Three years later, Konnikova is now a regular at the tables. The book takes readers on her own personal journey, but mixes in much more. The author attributes much of her success to Seidel’s help.

Maria Konnikova Poker Book

“I was incredibly lucky that I decided to work with Erik Seidel,” she says. “He was my first choice and said yes. He introduced me to poker. He introduced me to this world and he loves the game. He instilled that love to me and introduced me to the most phenomenal players who love the game. They could do anything and be anything, but they chose to be poker players.

“I think that my experience in the poker world was colored by that from the get-go, and I really did fall in love with the game. I think that there are so many great minds in it.”

That isn’t to say everything has been rosy during her time at the tables. In the book she makes note of some rough treatment from other players. However, Konnikova didn’t let that deter her.

“I think it’s a fascinating world,” she says. “Sure, there are some assholes, but there are assholes everywhere. I came from the media and there are assholes in the media world. It’s not like poker has an exclusive right to assholes. There are some things that I would change, but I love the game and love the people in general.”

Online poker as a starting point

While Konnikova has found success in some major tournaments, she began at the online poker tables. A native New Yorker, her location made this a fairly easy starting point.

“Before I played live, Erik made me start off playing online,” she says. “I started off going to New Jersey multiple days a week to play. It’s really great to get experience, but I don’t like it nearly as much [as playing live] to be perfectly honest. And it’s exhausting.”

Some of that had to do with the frustrations of having to travel to play. She doesn’t drive and has to rely on mass transit. Running deep in a tournament can also mean a long stay in the Garden State, requiring a late trip home.

She stuck at it, however, but needed some education initially on the state of online poker. Playing online was critical to her quick learning curve.

“Among everyone I consult, there is a consensus: I have to play online if I want to improve on any sort of manageable timescale,” she writes in Biggest Bluff. “The only problem is that online poker is illegal in New York, my home state.

Maria Konnikova Hendon

“At first the news confuses me. We have lotteries galore. And fantasy sports ads greet me all over the city. Surely poker is more skill-based than all of the above?”

As her poker tale progresses, Konnikova and her readers learn plenty about the skill needed for poker success. And she’s not quite finished with online poker.

Back to the online poker tables

Like other players, the Coronavirus pandemic has sidelined Konnikova from major tournaments. The new book would have actually debuted at the World Series of Poker, but those plans are now obviously scrapped.

Trips back to New Jersey are now back on her poker schedule. That includes some bracelet hunting.

The new WSOP Online series debuts on WSOP.com on July 1 and offers 31 bracelet tournaments. Konnikova would love to snag her own bracelet, which would also be a nice addition to her book promotion.

Like others, she has her own opinions on adding so many bracelet events online. But that won’t stop her from playing.

“I don’t think online bracelet events should necessarily exist because I do think there’s a lot of potential for cheating and shenanigans online,” she says. “That said, it’s happening so why not see if I can go out there and play a few events. It almost seems lazy not to.”

Maria Konnikova Poker Results

Getting more women into poker

In recent years, there has been a push by many in poker to get more women in the game. Females usually make up only 3-5 percent of a tournament field, and Konnikova experienced this disparity first hand.

Maria Konnikova Poker Book

Biggest Bluff tracks Konnikova’s play in this mostly-male pastime. She offers some advice for other women interested in getting in the action.

Maria Konnikova Poker Winning

“I think that it’s really important to realize that yes it’s 3 percent female and a 97 percent male world,” she says. “Yes, when you first get into it, it may feel uncomfortable. But keep your eye on the bigger picture.

“This can be a really beautiful game and if you persist, if you get better, and are able to move up in stakes in the poker world, you will become more comfortable and people will become nicer and friendlier.

Konnikova had her own experiences in this regard and details some of those in the book. She hopes some women will find inspiration in her own story.

“That’s probably why a lot of women don’t end up playing poker because it’s not hospitable,” she says. “I had a lot of bad stuff happen to me. I’ve been called everything under the sun. I’ve been propositioned. Lots of nasty things have taken place and had I not had Erik and that entire group – Phil Galfond, Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton, and all these incredible guys who had my back – had I not had seen how many good, decent, and amazing people were in the game, I may have quit.

Maria Konnikova Poker

“I may have been discouraged. I think some people when they walk into a casino, if one of their first experiences was like one of my first experiences, they’ll walk right out and never come back. I hope my book shows them that there’s more there.”

* Poker table photo by Joe Giron/WPT; Maria Konnikova photo by Landon Speers