Dr Maria Konnikova's Poker Experiment Reaches New Heights

Maria Konnikova only recorded her first live tournament cash in March of 2017, but has now amassed $116,204 in winnings, including a victory on Tuesday at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) $1,650 NLHE event for $84,600.
The tournament attracted a total of 230 competitors, with Konnikova managing to navigate her way past the tough field, including a final table featuring the likes of Chris Moorman, Harrison Gimbel and Ryan Smith, to claim her first title. Following her impressive win, Konnikova said:
“I never thought that this would happen. I wanted it to, and I was working really, really, hard, but it’s just kind of incredible. It feels so validating to achieve this.”
Dr. Maria Konnikova will be familiar to many people as a twice winner of the New York Times best selling list, with her books including ‘Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes’ and “The Confidence Game”. The 33 year-old with a Ph.D. in psychology is also a regular contributor to magazines, online publications and television shows, including a segment on Charlie Rose.
What makes her win even more intriguing, though, is the fact her poker career is part of a year-long writing project, with her journey following the PokerStars circuit and having started at the Monte Carlo event last year and ending this coming April.
Helping her in her research and to better understand the game is Erik Seidel, a poker legend with 8 WSOP bracelets and $33,538,037 in winnings to his name, placing him at number 2 on poker’s ‘All Time Money List’. Acknowledging the huge part Seidel has played in her tournament success, Konnikova subsequently described Seidel as “the best coach in the world”. In addition to her win, Konnikova has now cashed in at 14 live events, including runner-up finishes at the Regency Airport Hotel in Dublin, and the Aria Resort and Venetian in Las Vegas.
Konnikova is expected to release her new poker book by the end of 2018, and judging by the amount of progress she has made so far it will surely prove a fascinating read and a must-read on every poker players’ shopping list.
Final Table Results:
1: Maria Konnikova $84,600
2: Alexander Ziskin $56,250
3: Kevin MacDonald $41,140
4: Loek van Wely $33,210
5: Harrison Gimbel $26,040
6: Ryan Smith $19,710
7: Marcos Antunes $14,480
8: Chris Moorman $10,640