Maria Konnikova

Last updated

Maria Konnikova
Sxsw-20230311-konnikova-PORTRAIT.jpg
Konnikova at SXSW 2023
Born1984 (age 39–40)
Moscow, Soviet Union
OccupationAuthor
Nationality American
Education Harvard University (BA)
Columbia University (PhD)
Genre
Notable works The Biggest Bluff
Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes
The Confidence Game [1]
Scientific career
Thesis The Limits of Self-Control: Self-Control, Illusory Control, and Risky Financial Decision Making  (2013)
Doctoral advisor Walter Mischel
Website
www.mariakonnikova.com

Maria Konnikova (born 1984) is a Russian-American writer. Konnikova has also worked as a television producer, poker player, and podcaster. She has written three New York Times bestseller list books, including Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes . [2] [3]

Contents

Biography

Early life and education

Maria Konnikova was born in Moscow, Russia. [4] Her family emigrated to the United States and settled in Massachusetts [5] when she was four years old.

Konnikova attended Acton-Boxborough Regional High School in Massachusetts. [6] [7] After graduating from high school she attended Harvard University and graduated with a B.A. in psychology and creative writing where she was mentored by Steven Pinker. [8] She earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University in 2013 [9] under Walter Mischel. [5]

Writing and media

Konnikova worked as a producer for the Charlie Rose Show, where she helped to set up the segment "Brain Series." [5] [10] She wrote the "Literally Psyched" column for Scientific American [11] and the psychology blog "Artful Choice" for Big Think. [12] [13] In April 2013, her article on uncertainty in decision-making was published in The New Yorker , [14] to which she continues to contribute. [15] [16]

Konnikova at the IdeaFestival (2013) Maria Konnikova at IdeaFestival 2013.jpg
Konnikova at the IdeaFestival (2013)

Konnikova's first book, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, was nominated for an Agatha Award and the Anthony Award for Best Nonfiction in 2013. [17] [15] Her book The Confidence Game was published in 2016 and appeared on the New York Times' Crime and Punishment bestseller list. [18] Her third book, The Biggest Bluff, published in 2020, chronicled her participation in the world of poker. [19] [20]

Konnikova makes regular appearances on The Gist podcast in her own segment, "Is That Bullshit?" In early 2017, she published a 10-part podcast about con artists and the lives they ruin, called The Grift. [21]

Poker career

Konnikova's interest in poker was piqued when she encountered John von Neumann's game theory. She saw poker as a way to explore the interplay of skill and chance in the human psyche. In an interview with The New York Times, Konnikova stated that her motivation was not rooted in gambling, but in understanding the psychological aspects of the game. [22] In 2016, Konnikova established contact with Erik Seidel, a seasoned poker professional, who became her mentor and coach as she immersed herself for a year in the world of competitive poker. [23]

Konnikova made her debut on a major poker stage at the 2017 PokerStars tournament in Monte Carlo. In January 2018 she won the PCA National event in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure No-Limit Hold'em Championship, earning a cash prize of $84,600. [24] She was awarded a Platinum Pass worth $30,000, which gave her entry to the PokerStars Players Championship in January 2019. Her accumulated winnings prior to this had amounted to approximately $30,000. [25]

After her win in 2018, Konnikova delayed work on her book The Biggest Bluff in order to compete in more tournaments with higher stakes [23] and she became a full-time professional poker player. From June 2018 to November 2019 she partnered with PokerStars, who sponsored her in professional tournaments. [19]

Konnikova won her first World Series of Poker bracelet in the U.S. 2024 WSOP Online series, winning the event NLHE Fall Crazy 8’s event, along with a cash prize of $68,478 [26] .

Awards

"Confidence Games" CSICon 2016 Maria Konnikova "Confidence Games" at CSICon Las Vegas in 2016.jpg
"Confidence Games" CSICon 2016

Selected bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherlock Holmes</span> Fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and logical reasoning that borders on the fantastic, which he employs when investigating cases for a wide variety of clients, including Scotland Yard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scam</span> Attempt to defraud a person or group

A scam, or a confidence trick, is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using a combination of the victim's credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators at the expense of their victims ".

Mastermind, Master Mind or The Mastermind may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie Duke</span> American poker player (born 1965)

Anne LaBarr Duke is an American former professional poker player and author in cognitive-behavioral decision science and decision education. She holds a World Series of Poker (WSOP) gold bracelet from 2004 and used to be the leading money winner among women in WSOP history, and is still in the top five as of April 2023, despite being retired from poker, last cashing at a tournament 2010. Duke won the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in 2010. She has written a number of instructional books for poker players, including Decide to Play Great Poker and The Middle Zone, and she published her autobiography, How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed, and Won Millions at the World Series of Poker, in 2005. Duke also authored two books on decision-making, Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts, and How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erik Seidel</span> American poker player (born 1959)

Erik Seidel is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada, who has won ten World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title. In 2010, he was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

<i>The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother</i> 1975 film by Gene Wilder

The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother is a 1975 American musical comedy film with Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Roy Kinnear, and Leo McKern. The film was Wilder's directorial debut, from his own original script.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acton-Boxborough Regional High School</span> Public secondary school in Acton, Massachusetts, United States

Acton-Boxborough Regional High School is an open-enrollment high school in Acton, Massachusetts, United States. A part of the Acton-Boxborough Regional School District, it serves the Massachusetts towns of Acton and Boxborough and has students in grades 9 through 12. It is situated downhill from the Raymond J. Grey Junior High School, at 36 Charter Road in Acton. Raymond J. Grey Junior High School occupies the facility that, until 1973, was the high school

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PokerStars Caribbean Adventure</span> Annual poker tournament

The PokerStars Caribbean Adventure is an annual televised poker tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Ho</span> Taiwanese-American poker player and television host/commentator

Maria Ho is a Taiwanese-American poker player and television host/commentator. One of the top-ranked female poker players in the world and a Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee, she has won more than $5,000,000 in live tournaments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liv Boeree</span> British poker player, television presenter, speaker, and writer

Olivia "Liv" Boeree is a British science communicator, television presenter, host of the Win-Win Podcast, and former professional poker player. She is a World Series of Poker (WSOP) and European Poker Tour (EPT) champion, and is the only female player in history to win both a WSOP bracelet and an EPT event. Boeree is a 3× winner of the Global Poker Index European Female Player of the year. As of September 2021, having retired in late 2019, Boeree still ranks among the top ten women in poker history in terms of all-time money winnings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanessa Selbst</span> American poker player (born 1984)

Vanessa K. Selbst is a poker player, the only woman to ever reach the number one ranking in the world on the Global Poker Index. She has over US$11.8 million in live poker tournament earnings and used to be a member of Team Pokerstars Pro, where she plays under the username "V. Selbst".

<i>Sherlock</i> (TV series) British mystery crime drama television series (2010–2017)

Sherlock is a British mystery crime drama television series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, the show stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as Doctor John Watson. Thirteen episodes have been produced, with four three-part series airing from 2010 to 2017 and a special episode that aired on 1 January 2016. The series is set in the present day in which it aired. The one-off special features a Victorian-period fantasy resembling the original Holmes stories.

<i>Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows</i> 2011 film by Guy Ritchie

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a 2011 period mystery action film and a sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes. The film is directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Dan Lin, Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram and Susan Downey.

<i>Elementary</i> (TV series) 2012 American procedural drama television series

Elementary is an American procedural drama television series that presented a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes. Created by Robert Doherty and starring Jonny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson, the series aired on CBS for seven seasons from September 27, 2012, and ended on August 15, 2019, after 154 episodes. The series was set and filmed primarily in New York City, and, by the end of season two, Jonny Lee Miller became the actor who had portrayed Sherlock Holmes in the most episodes on television or in film.

<i>Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes</i> 2013 book by Maria Konnikova

Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, released January 3, 2013, is a book written by Maria Konnikova exploring ways to improve mindfulness, logical thinking and observation using Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional character Sherlock Holmes as an exemplar. Konnikova intertwines her analysis of Holmes's "habits of mind" with findings from the modern-day fields of neuroscience and psychology and offers advice on how to become a more rational thinker.

Sandra L. Murray is Professor of Psychology at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York. She is a social psychologist known for her work on close relationships and their trajectories over time. Murray received the American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions to Psychology in 2003 for "distinguished and original contributions to an understanding of motivated social cognition in relationships." Other awards include the New Contribution Award from the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships in 1998 and 2000, the Outstanding Early Career Award from the International Society for Self and Identity in 2000, the Career Trajectory Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology in 2012, the Mid-Career Distinguished Contribution Award from the International Association for Relationship Research in 2016, and the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lyndsay Faye</span> American author

Lyndsay Faye is an American author. Her first novel was the Sherlockian pastiche Dust and Shadow: An Account of the Ripper Killings by Dr. John H. Watson and she has been nominated for the Edgar Award for The Gods of Gotham and Jane Steele. The Gods of Gotham was named "the year’s best mystery novel" by the American Library Association.

<i>The Biggest Bluff</i> 2020 non-fiction book by Maria Konnikova

The Biggest Bluff is a book written by Maria Konnikova published by Penguin Press in 2020. Maria is a psychologist, television producer and a Russian-American writer. In this book, Konnikova describes her poker journey from complete novice to poker champ after hiring some of the worlds greatest players to coach her. In addition to her newfound prowess in poker, Konnikova describes how learning the game helped her with her everyday life, illuminating the fine difference between skill and luck.

<i>Enola Holmes 2</i> 2022 mystery film by Harry Bradbeer

Enola Holmes 2 is a 2022 mystery film and the sequel to the 2020 film Enola Holmes, both of which star Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already-famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The film is directed by Harry Bradbeer from a screenplay by Jack Thorne that adapts the book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer. Unlike the film's predecessor, it does not adapt one of Springer's novels and instead takes real-life inspiration from the 1888 matchgirls' strike. In addition to Brown, Henry Cavill, Louis Partridge, Susie Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar, and Helena Bonham Carter reprise their supporting roles, while David Thewlis and Sharon Duncan-Brewster join the cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koray Aldemir</span> German poker player (born 1990)

Koray Aldemir is a German professional poker player of Turkish descent, born in Berlin and now residing in Vienna, Austria. In 2021, he won the World Series of Poker Main Event for $8,000,000.

References

  1. 1 2 "Maria Konnikova Wins Critical Thinking Prize from CSI for "The Confidence Game"". CSICOP.ORG. Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. May 18, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Maria Konnikova". The New Yorker. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  3. ↑ Marcus, Bonnie. "Psychology Helps Maria Konnikova Win At Poker And Life". Forbes .
  4. ↑ Konnikova, Maria (August 9, 2014). Maria Konnikova:TEDxColumbiaCollege. youtube.com. TEDx. Event occurs at 0:00 to 1:30. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Fong, Joss (January 10, 2013). "It's Elementary". The Scientist . LabX Media Group. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ Gerbic, Susan (September 25, 2017). "An Interview with CSICon Speaker Maria Konnikova | Skeptical Inquirer" . Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  7. ↑ Maria Konnikova (January 7, 2014). "The Open-Office Trap". The New Yorker . Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Alumni Profile: Maria Konnikova". soundcloud.com. Columbia University. October 11, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  9. ↑ Konnikova, Maria (2013). The Limits of Self-Control: Self-Control, Illusory Control, and Risky Financial Decision Making. Columbia University (Thesis). doi:10.7916/D8QR54B5 . Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  10. ↑ Maria Konnikova. charlierose.com. February 24, 2016. Event occurs at 0:00 to 3:00. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Stories by Maria Konnikova". scientificamerican.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Maria Konnikova". bigthink.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Book Brahmin: Maria Konnikova". Shelf Awareness. 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Why we need answers" . The New Yorker. April 30, 2013. Archived from the original on April 16, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  15. 1 2 "The Confidence Game - The Power (and Price) of Stories with Maria Konnikova AB '05'05". Harvard University. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Maria Konnikova". The New Yorker . Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  17. ↑ Christian DuChateau (January 11, 2013). "Become a 'Mastermind' with Sherlock Holmes' help". CNN. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Crime and Punishment Books - Best Sellers - February 14, 2016 - The New York Times". The New York Times . May 31, 2017. Archived from the original on May 31, 2017. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  19. 1 2 Newell, Jennifer (November 26, 2019). "Maria Konnikova Finishes Poker Book and Leaves PokerStars". www.legaluspokersites.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Dafabet". Star588.cc. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  21. ↑ "The Grift". panoply.fm. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  22. ↑ Dreifus, Claudia (August 10, 2018). "Maria Konnikova Shows Her Cards". The New York Times. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  23. 1 2 Nuwwarah, Mo (May 2018). "Konnikova Changes Plans, Delays Book After Incredible Poker Success". PokerNews.com. PokerNews. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  24. ↑ "PokerStars Caribbean Adventure - PCA 2018, #4 No Limit Hold'em - PCA National". The Hendon Mob. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  25. ↑ Lamers, Adam (January 9, 2018). "Friend of PokerStars Maria Konnikova Wins PCA Nat'l Championship". www.pokernews.com. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  26. ↑ "Maria Konnikova Wins First World Series of Poker Bracelet" . Retrieved October 17, 2024.
  27. ↑ "The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2017". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on October 7, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  28. ↑ "Excellence in Science Journalism Award | SPSP". spsp.org. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.