âThe Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to
Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Winâ
By Maria Konnikova
326 pages
Konnikova is a psychologist with an interest in con artistry and game theory. She approached her publisher inspired by Colson Whiteheadâs Noble Shuffle, where a magazine gave a novelist 10K to play a Vegas poker tournament. It was an entertainment. Konnikova does another take â ultimately as entertaining, and more helpful to the novice.
The author wasnât a player when she pitched the idea to her publisher, but gave herself a year to try to win at a Vegas tournament. She gained the interest of Eric Seidel, a famous tournament player, who gave her lots of insight and advice. Going in, her view of the poker world was very much colored by poker movies and poker memoirs, but she chose the right mentor.