Psychology author Maria Konnikova burst into the poker world six years ago when she won a PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) event for $84,600 while researching her next book. Now, the Biggest Bluff author is a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner.
Konnikova took down an $888 buy-in Crazy 8’s event early Monday morning on WSOP.com for $68,477 and her first bracelet. The tournament drew 468 players from Nevada, New Jersey and Michigan for a prize pool of $374,400.
Full Interview w/ Maria Konnikova!
| PLACE | PLAYER | COUNTRY | PRIZE (IN USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maria “vesper1ynd” Konnikova | United States | $68,478 |
| 2 | “JGP729” | United States | $49,645 |
| 3 | “2stuck2eat” | United States | $35,980 |
| 4 | “supercycle” | United States | $26,283 |
| 5 | “NFin8” | United States | $19,356 |
| 6 | “Catchrvr” | United States | $14,227 |
| 7 | “Basura” | United States | $10,521 |
| 8 | “333ELJEFE” | United States | $7,825 |
| 9 | “dirteharry21” | United States | $5,841 |
Several players congratulated the PokerStars ambassador on her bracelet win, including Farah Galfond, Max Steinberg, chess streamer Alexandra Botez and fellow poker author Andrew Brokos.
Follows Circuit Ring Victory Earlier This Year
Though it’s Konnikova’s first bracelet, it isn’t her first piece of WSOP hardware. In January, she won the WSOP.com $525 buy-in Main Event for $57,531 by topping a field of 7,000 players in her first-ever Circuit event.
With the bracelet victory, she follows in the footsteps of her poker mentor, Erik Seidel. The Poker Hall of Famer coached Konnikova when she first got into poker and won a his tenth bracelet in December 2023 at WSOP Paradise, becoming just the fifth player to win ten or more.
Hear From Konnikova on Life Outside Poker
Though some joke about a “PokerNews curse” that dooms a player once they are interviewed, Konnikova’s bracelet victory occurred just weeks after her interview on the Life Outside Poker podcast, where she discussed her writing career, being mentored by Seidel and research on cheating in poker and other games for an upcoming book.
Watch the full interview with Konnikova on YouTube or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Editor & Live Reporter U.S.