#637: What Poker Can Teach You About Luck, Skill, and Mastering Yourself

#637: What Poker Can Teach You About Luck, Skill, and Mastering Yourself

Maria Konnikova, who has her Ph.D in psychology and studies human behavior, had never played poker when she approached Eric Seidel, a renowned player of the game, asking him to show her the ropes. Eric agreed to be her coach and Maria spent a year working towards the World Series of Poker, playing in numerous tournaments and winning a major title and hundreds of thousands of dollars along the way. But the real prize she was after in this experimental endeavor wasn't money, but insight into the intersection between skill and luck, and how much control we humans have over our fate.

She got those insights in spades, and shares them in her latest book: The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win. Today on the show Maria explains why the poker table may be the best place to learn about the balance between chance and skill, and why we have such trouble untangling those two forces. We then get into how gambling has long been an interest of philosophers and led to advancements in probability theory, as well as why understanding the dynamics of betting allows us to improve ourselves. Maria then shares how she learned to detach herself from the outcomes of hands and concentrate only on what she could control, and how liberating it is to separate process from results. She describes the connection between poker and Sherlock Holmes, and how the game helped her not just see things but observe them. We then delve into the biases that get you off track with your goals, and the simple technique you can use to overcome them. We end our conversation with Maria's conclusions on the respective roles luck and skill play in our lives.

Get the show notes at aom.is/poker.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jaksot(1159)

#160: How Face-to-Face Contact Can Make You Healthier, Happier, and Smarter

#160: How Face-to-Face Contact Can Make You Healthier, Happier, and Smarter

For the past year I've been doing a lot of research on the benefits of face-to-face conversation, and looking for more ways to incorporate it into my own life. One of the books that really helped is c...

4 Joulu 201544min

#159: Stronger, Faster, Harder to Kill

#159: Stronger, Faster, Harder to Kill

Last year I got an email out of the blue from a guy named Tod Moore inviting me to a weekend of doing various man skills: shooting guns, butchering animals, doing obstacle races. Of course, I was in. ...

1 Joulu 201540min

#158: The Prime of Life — What It Means to Be an Adult

#158: The Prime of Life — What It Means to Be an Adult

There's been a transformation in the West about what it means to be a grown up. There used to be scripts to follow, and markers to meet which would mean you're an adult. But those scripts have been th...

24 Marras 201548min

#157: Primitive Pursuits & Winter Survival

#157: Primitive Pursuits & Winter Survival

Winter is coming. If you like to be in the outdoors, one thing you need to start thinking about is what would happen if you were stuck in the wilderness with nothing but your wits. Would you be able t...

20 Marras 201532min

#156: Lost Detective - The Life and Times of Dashiell Hammett

#156: Lost Detective - The Life and Times of Dashiell Hammett

If you enjoy shows like The Wire or True Detective, or film noir, there's one guy you can thank for that: Dashiell Hammett. He was a writer in the 1920s-1940s, and he is the guy who created the modern...

17 Marras 201546min

#155: Reclaiming Conversation

#155: Reclaiming Conversation

More and more today, we're communicating with the people in our lives through screens. While this has greatly improved efficiency, there are some drawbacks that have come with the decline in face-to-f...

13 Marras 201551min

#154: Strength Training for Everyone with Matt Reynolds

#154: Strength Training for Everyone with Matt Reynolds

Matt Reynolds, a former power lifter and Strong Man competitor, is the co-owner of a gym in Springfield, MO called Strong Gym. He's been coaching me online, and I've seen significant improvement in my...

10 Marras 201542min

#153: Microaggressions and The Rise of Victimhood Culture

#153: Microaggressions and The Rise of Victimhood Culture

In the last few years we've seen an interesting phenomenon, especially on college campuses, where students will take slights or even just awkwardness incredibly sensitively and emotionally. Two sociol...

6 Marras 201557min

Suosittua kategoriassa Koulutus

rss-murhan-anatomia
psykopodiaa-podcast
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
rss-narsisti
adhd-podi
rss-liian-kuuma-peruna
rss-rahamania
psykologia
rss-niinku-asia-on
kesken
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-valo-minussa-2
rss-tietoinen-yhteys-podcast-2
leikitaanko-laakaria
ihminen-tavattavissa-tommy-hellsten-instituutti
puhutaan-koiraa
jari-sarasvuo-podcast
rss-hereilla
dreamtalk
rss-kohti-tasapainoista-ja-lempeaa-elamaa