New Yorker writer Maria Konnikova is killing it at poker

One of my favorite authors, psychologist Maria Konnikova (who I've interviewed many times for Boing Boing and Institute for the Future) is writing a book about the world of professional poker. As part of her research, Maria decided to play in some tournaments. It turns out she's a really good poker player, and is making a lot of money. So much, in fact, that she's delaying the release of her book until 2019 so she can pursue her new career.

From Deadspin:

In January, Konnikova won $86,400 by beating a 240-person field at the PCA National; in her first tournament after deciding to drop blogs for cards, she won $57,000, according to PokerNews.

"I'm a total poker outsider. I came to this as someone who'd never had any experience with the game" - but she's nearly peerless in the outcome. ... Obviously Konnikova had some advantages - she's being coached by a legendary player, she has a PhD. in psychology, and poker is a purely mental game. But this is just about the best case scenario for a post-media pivot, and she didn't even have to get laid off from her job to pull it off.

Image: YouTube/PokerNews.com