The Biggest Bluff
Maria Konnikova

Summary

Maria is a Harvard psychology professor who had never played poker in her life. She never even understood the rules. This book talks about her journey to winning a World Series of Poker tour event and how she became a professional poker player.

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Notes

‘Life single lesson: that there is more accident to it than man can ever admit to in a lifetime and stay sane.’ - Thomas Pynchon

You can do what you do but in the end, some things remain stubbornly outside of your control

Life is too short for complaining

We humans too often think ourselves in firm control when we are really playing by the rules of chance

You have to suffer defeat if you’re trying anything new

You become a big winner when you lose

Disaster is your teacher because disaster brings objectivity

Question more, stay open minded

Less certainty, more inquiry

Pick your spots: know when to be aggressive and how to be aggressive

Each future outcome in poker is completely independent of the past

Clarity of language is clarity of thought

Make the best decision possible w/ the info at hand - the outcome is irrelevant

‘Choice of attention - to pay attention to this and ignore that - is to the inner life what choice of action is to the outer. In both cases, man is responsible for his choice and must accept the consequences.’ - Will Arden

‘Where observation is concerned, chance favours only the prepared mind.’ - Louis Pasteur

Never do anything, no matter how small it may seem, without asking why you’re doing it. Don’t forget the why

Watch people’s hands specifically in poker

People react differently in different situations. Personality may be situationally dependent

Mastery is always a struggle for balance

No matter how good the starting hands, you have to be willing to let go

Never feel like you have to do something just because it’s expected of you.

You can’t control what will happen, so it makes no sense to try and guess it

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