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Summary of The Biggest Bluff 

4.5 . 3250 reviews

Short summary

People fail to internalize numerical rules, making decisions based on things like gut feeling, intuition, and what feels right rather than actual data. Being able to separate serendipity from acuity is so difficult in everyday decisions because it has a statistical undertaking we are not normally equipped to deal with. Poker has endless applications. It shows us that we are not in total control of outcomes and must accept a certain level of chance in what we do. From managing emotions, to reading other people, to cutting losses and maximizing your gains, “The Biggest Bluff” reveals how poker lessons can help you psych yourself up into the best version of yourself. The author, Maria Konnikova, graduated from Harvard University, has a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University, became an international poker champion and winner of over $300,000 in tournament earnings while researching “The Biggest Bluff,” and has won numerous awards for her writing skills. “Poker stands as a fulcrum that balances two oppositional forces in our lives — chance and control — which mirrors life.” ~ Maria Konnikova

Table of content

  • Summary of The Biggest Bluff
  • About the author
  • What is The Biggest Bluff about?
  • Who should read The Biggest Bluff
  • Topics in The Biggest Bluff
first key point

Poker teaches one how to take control of each situation — and how to make the most of lucky chances

Listen the first key point
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We make decisions every day. Some are recherche decisions while others are crucial decisions that carry particular import. Lessons from playing poker provide invaluable insights into decision making. From managing emotions, to thin-slicing people, to making the best of every situation — good or bad, to urging on yourself into the best version ever. In effect, you will not only catch the bluffs of others, but will effectively bluff yourself. Poker has endless potentials of application and revelation.
The mixture of chance and skill at the poker table is a mirror to that same mixture in our daily lives.
Poker provides a way of learning to play within those parameters in superior fashion. In this age of short attention span, poker reminds us just how vital living in the moment is to achieving all-around success. It shows how important it is to immerse yourself and to learn new things. Paying attention is the first lesson in playing poker. It is indeed the first lesson we need to learn when playing the world.

For over 3 decades, Erik Seidel led the poker world. He holds 8 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets (only 5 players in the tournament’s history have more) and a title in World Poker Tour. Also, the Poker Hall of Fame features his name; being one of the 32 living members. He boasts the 4th highest tournament career winnings in the entire history of the game and is 4th in the number of times he cashed in the WSOP (114). Over the years, he has spent 15 weeks ranked 1st in the Global Poker Index, and he’s considered to be the greatest of all time. Maria Konnikova struck a partnership with him to garner lessons from poker and to see how these lessons help in real world decision making, in finding the delicate balance between luck and skill.

In this summary, you will discover how poker lessons help us find a way to overcome our human inability to disentangle chance from skill in the morass of daily life. More importantly, you will learn to master it. Can poker help you to make that career change and show you when to start instead of waiting for perfect timing? Can it help you maximize your wins and minimize your losses in life? Read on to find out.
second key point

Poker is an important way to learn about decision making, but many have a misconception of poker as being equal to gambling

For Maria Konnikova, the person she had to convince about her decision to take up poker lessons was her only living grandparent — her grandmother, Baba Anya. To the untrained eye, poker is nothing more than getting good cards and raking in the dough. Most of us underestimate the skill involved.
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third key point

The merit of failure is a broadened perspective which success is unable to offer

fourth key point

Position is information, and the more information you have about your enemies, the stronger you are

fifth key point

Passivity gives a false sense of security, but it leads to a slow but steady loss of chips

sixth key point

As humans, we operate on subjective reality rather than objective reality every time we experience something

seventh key point

In everything, stability and support are important components of success

eighth key point

Work hard and prepare yourself, so that when chance appears, you will notice it

ninth key point

Conclusion

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What is The Biggest Bluff about?

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Do you find yourself staring at your computer for long minutes, unaware of time slipping by? Do you enter a room and suddenly cannot remember why you stepped in the first place? Is it a herculean task for you to sit through ten pages of a book without reaching for your phone? If yes, your focus needs some work and fast.

Actually, yours is not a unique situation. Many adults like you have issues concentrating on a given task. However, in this fast-paced world of ours, you can’t afford to be not focused at all times. Thankfully, this article comes to your rescue! With the tips and tricks from Hyperfocus by Chris Bailey, you will get in the top percent of folks who have mastered the art of concentration.