#637: What Poker Can Teach You About Luck, Skill, and Mastering Yourself
The Art of Manliness19 Aug 2020

#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.

Episoder(1159)

#88: Edit Your Personal Story for Lasting Change with Dr. Tim Wilson

#88: Edit Your Personal Story for Lasting Change with Dr. Tim Wilson

Do you feel stuck in behaviors or mindsets that hold you back from the man you want to be? In today's podcast we're going to introduce you to a technique scientifically proven to help bring lasting ch...

6 Nov 201425min

#87: The Wonder of Boys with Dr. Michael Gurian

#87: The Wonder of Boys with Dr. Michael Gurian

I talk to boyhood psychology expert, Dr. Michael Gurian about his book, The Wonder of Boys. We discuss how biological differences between boys and girls affect the neurology and consequently the psych...

31 Okt 201441min

#86: Demonic Males With Dr. Richard Wrangham

#86: Demonic Males With Dr. Richard Wrangham

Why are men (generally) more violent then women? Why are men (generally) drawn to competition? Is the idea that masculinity means having courage and strength just a complete cultural construct or is t...

25 Okt 201437min

#85 Left of Bang With Patrick Van Horne

#85 Left of Bang With Patrick Van Horne

The Marine Combat Hunter Program was developed during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to give soldiers tools on how to detect threats before they happen. The goal is to make Marines as situationally awa...

10 Okt 201428min

#84: Shock Yourself Into New Habits with Maneesh Sethi

#84: Shock Yourself Into New Habits with Maneesh Sethi

Maneesh Sethi is the creator of Pavlok. It's a wearable device that connects to your smartphone and helps you make and break habits. One of the things Pavlok does is shock you if you do something you'...

3 Okt 201438min

#83: Crossfit & the Primal Future of Fitness With J. C. Herz

#83: Crossfit & the Primal Future of Fitness With J. C. Herz

In this episode I talk to writer J. C. Herz about her book, Learning to Breathe Fire: The Rise of CrossFit and the Primal Future of Fitness. Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably hea...

26 Sep 201451min

#82: The Secrets of Happy Families With Bruce Feiler

#82: The Secrets of Happy Families With Bruce Feiler

I talk to Bruce Feiler, author of the book The Secrets of Happy Families. We discuss what recent research says on how you can create a positive culture in your family. If you're a dad or plan on becom...

19 Sep 201428min

#81 Target Focus Training With Tim Larkin

#81 Target Focus Training With Tim Larkin

I talk to Tim Larkin, self-defense instructor and creator of Target Focus Training. We discuss why people need to get comfortable with violence if they want to survive a life-threatening encounter, th...

12 Sep 201453min

Populært innen Fakta

fastlegen
dine-penger-pengeradet
mikkels-paskenotter
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
treningspodden
foreldreradet
rss-strid-de-norske-borgerkrigene
jakt-og-fiskepodden
rss-bisarr-historie
rss-kull
rss-kunsten-a-leve
sinnsyn
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
hagespiren-podcast
gravid-uke-for-uke
rss-sunn-okonomi
hverdagspsyken
level-up-med-anniken-binz
rss-bak-luftfarten
fryktlos