Maria Konnikova is a psychologist who studied her way into becoming a poker champion. She told me all the steps. And how this made her think better and more strategically about everything in life. She studied from scratch with one of the greatest poker players in history. Then she wrote a book about the experience, "The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win." But the book isn't just about poker. It's about chance, decision-making, measuring the likelihood of certain outcomes, cutting your losses, and more. And the game even taught her how to ask (and answer) some of life's big questions: "How do we figure out what we can control? How do we figure out what we can't control? How do we learn the difference?" Here's a list of topics we cover: How to find the right mentor in life How to get good at decision-making How to master the skill of learning How to leverage what you already know Why it's more important to be curious than certain (and how to practice this daily) The importance of removing your ego How to always be one step ahead and think through outcomes And more. I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltucher.com/podcast. Thanks so much for listening! If you like this episode, please subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" and rate and review wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts Stitcher iHeart Radio Spotify ------------What do YOU think of the show? Head to JamesAltucherShow.com/listeners and fill out a short survey that will help us better tailor the podcast to our audience!Are you interested in getting direct answers from James about your question on a podcast? Go to JamesAltucherShow.com/AskAltucher and send in your questions to be answered on the air!------------Visit Notepd.com to read our idea lists & sign up to create your own!My new book, Skip the Line, is out! Make sure you get a copy wherever books are sold!Join the You Should Run for President 2.0 Facebook Group, where we discuss why you should run for President.I write about all my podcasts! Check out the full post and learn what I learned at jamesaltuchershow.com------------Thank you so much for listening! If you like this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to "The James Altucher Show" wherever you get your podcasts: Apple PodcastsiHeart RadioSpotifyFollow me on social media:YouTubeTwitterFacebookLinkedIn See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.