Once upon a time, I worked as a bartender. I learned a lot. Just not about making drinks. My latest: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Fake it 'til you make it
Lessons from my (mis)-adventures in the bartending trade
open.substack.com
Maria Konnikova
@mkonnikova.bsky.social
Mostly I write things. Sometimes I play poker. mariakonnikova.substack.com
How do you make good decisions when millions are on the line? My latest, with a throwback to my own psych research with Walter Mischel and insights from one of the best poker players in the world, Jason Koon: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
What does it mean to be human - and how can we keep that in the face of ever-more-powerful technology? My latest, inspired by the late great Kurt Vonnegut: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Happy book birthday, @jenshahade.bsky.social! Read an excerpt in the link below--and also find out why, to this day, I find chess traumatic: mariakonnikova.substack.com/p/playing-ch...
Playing chess like a poker player
An excerpt from "Thinking Sideways," by Jennifer Shahade
mariakonnikova.substack.com
Zero Americans benefit from this. All of us, every Conservative and every Liberal American, are watching our future hobbled. Shattering a treasured national asset: our former status as the top destination for global talent, hard-wrought by generations of visionary Republicans and Democrats.
He Had a Full Ride at Duke—Until America Cut Him Off
Student visas for Africa’s best and brightest were canceled by the Trump administration, leaving behind empty seats and broken dreams.
wsj.com
It took me a while to put my thoughts together, but I had to write about that Atlantic piece--even though I've never placed a single sports bet in my life: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Welcome to poker, Kylie. My latest: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
When I was in Paris, I had a meal that came with some fairly strict rules. My latest, on the current crisis of attention: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
"To kill a man is not to defend a doctrine: it is to kill a man." My latest: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
"It takes far more courage to stare down the barrel of a gun while you’re armed with only a whistle and a phone than it does to point a gun at an unarmed protester." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
theatlantic.com
My latest, on the importance of sometimes putting aside your keyboard for an actual pen: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Copy Editing Matters, from HHS's release on the new childhood vaccine schedule: All the diseases will still be available to anyone who wants them
Wishing you all a wonderful 2026, inspired by one of my favorite poets, Seamus Heaney. New piece: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
This speaks for me too. I felt sure there was an element of elaboration in what Oliver wrote, but it went far further than I imagined. I still consider him a friend, but sometimes friends can deeply disappoint you (and doubtless vice versa). What a complicated man.
Maria Konnikova@mkonnikova.bsky.social · 8mo agoOliver Sacks was a hero of mine. I couldn't let @rachelaviv.bsky.social’s brilliant piece pass without comment. My latest, on why Sacks's fictions are so much worse than those of your garden-variety journalist fabulist. . open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Oliver Sacks was a hero of mine. I couldn't let @rachelaviv.bsky.social’s brilliant piece pass without comment. My latest, on why Sacks's fictions are so much worse than those of your garden-variety journalist fabulist. . open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
The man who mistook his imagination for the truth
The disappointing reality of one of my (ex-)heroes, Oliver Sacks
open.substack.com
When (and how) should AI be used in creative settings — and when is it a betrayal of your audience? My latest: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Is it ever ok to use AI in a creative setting?
A poker-world fiasco with real-world creative implications
open.substack.com
You, too, can live your best life. And maybe win a Nobel?? My latest: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
OPINION TODAY featured podcast — Will Eric Adams’s Exit Change the NYC Mayoral Election? (Risky Business with Nate Silver and @mkonnikova.bsky.social) opiniontoday.substack.com/i/175001460/...
The first episode of the solo-host era of LOW ROLLERS is here, featuring a conversation w/ @mkonnikova.bsky.social about her friendship with Nate Silver, her passion for tournament poker & much more. Also, my analysis of Kalshi offering SGPs, and a tale of player prop pain: rss.com/podcasts/low...
Low Rollers, Episode 38: Maria Konnikova on poker, podcasting, and making better decisions (like not gambling) | Podcast Episode on RSS.com
It's a new episode of CasinoReports.com's weekly gaming-biz podcast, Low Rollers! Host Eric Raskin analyzes the implications for FanDuel, DraftKings, and other regulated operators of prediction market...
rss.com
I love @asherperlman.bsky.social’s work. So I decided to ruin the magic by figuring out why. My latest: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Join mkonnikova.bsky.social and Nate Silver on Risky Business, the podcast where journalism meets high-stakes poker. Explore their analytical approach to decisions in politics, poker, and life, blending Maria's psychology insights and Nate's forecasting acumen.
To celebrate the start of the school year, I made you all a fiction reading list (and wrote a bit about it): open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Fall is for reading
A fiction reading list, for all seasons
open.substack.com
Had such a blast talking to the wonderful Boston Rob for the Risky Business pod this week. (He also happened to be my HU opponent for the NBC National HU Championship!) lnk.to/vDRYVk
It's time we re-learn how to be bored. It's going to help a lot more than your poker game. New piece on the sub that stacks: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
I enjoyed reading and learning about "kindness contagion." Sort of the opposite of what we have going on in the US right now, which is a contagion of cruelty and performative cruelty.
Maria Konnikova@mkonnikova.bsky.social · 12mo agoWhen I was 12, I met someone whose kindness made all the difference. My new piece, on the phenomenon of kindness contagion: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
When I was 12, I met someone whose kindness made all the difference. My new piece, on the phenomenon of kindness contagion: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
Goodbye to a legend. My last living grandparent, Baba Anya, died at 100. We are all so lucky to have had her in our lives. open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
My latest, on mind sports, gender, competition, and Leo Margets's run in the WSOP main event: open.substack.com/pub/mariakon...
