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From PhD to Poker Pro: The Story You Didn’t Know You Needed
The Harvard PhD Who Took On Poker’s Best — And Won
Art Parmann
April 12, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 3 minutes
Maria Konnikova wasn’t a gambler. She had a Harvard PhD and no clue how to count cards. But she cold emailed one of poker’s GOATs — and he said yes. What happened next changed her life (and might just change yours too).
But before we get to that, let me tell you one of my favorite quotes:
“Poker’s like a couch, the money’s in the folds.” Just kidding, only nitty nerds like that quote. But speaking of nitty nerds, if you’ve got stablecoins just sitting in your wallet, it’s doing absolutely nothing for you. Gauntlet.XYZ lets you algorithmically lend out your crypto. They do the math, you get the interest—better than letting them collect digital dust!
And here’s the kicker THEY DON’T TOUCH YOUR PRIVATE KEYS. Your Keys, Your Crypto. Check it out here: https://gauntlet.xyz/t1 (Do your own research OBV)
And speaking of gambling, play online poker with Justin and Art at Phenom Poker!
Episode 73 -Maria Konnikova
You don’t need to sit at a final table to use this skill. Maria Konnikova’s journey into poker became a crash course in decision-making under pressure — and what she learned will stick with you far beyond the cards.
📌 Plus:
– Her best insights from the game
– What poker taught her about writing
– And why she’s writing about CHEATERS now (in every sport)
📌 Click Subscribe for more high-stakes poker stories & interviews! (And so we keep making these!)
Cheers,
Art and Justin
PS – Check out www.table1.vegas to play with us at Table 1!