Why mastering poker is an essential life skill

A game of poker can teach you a lot more about human nature than you might imagine. Maria Konnikova’s The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned To Pay Attention, Take Control And Master The Odds (Fourth Estate, ₹499), proves this thesis through an entertaining mix of autobiographical insight and behavioural science. When the acclaimed journalist approached Erik Seidel, a legendary poker champion, for training, she didn’t even know the rules of the game. But after months of practice, interspersed with frustration and bad luck, she began to notice subtle shifts in her thought patterns and overall psychological make-up. Poker not only taught her to understand other human beings better but also make wiser decisions and be more resiliently accepting.

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