Poker and the psychology of uncertainty

PLUS: One man's fight against ALS and how to make the government trustworthy. View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 06.28.20 Poker is a game of imperfect information. A player knows for certain only what is in their own hand; the rest is up to interpretation. There's an element of chance, of course, but unlike most other games in a casino, winning doesn't require the best luck—it requires the most skill. And that's why a writer with a PhD in psychology and an interest in human decisionmaking decided it was time to hit the tables. In 2017, Maria Konnikova, who at the time did not know how many cards were in a deck, enlisted the help of poker legend Erik Seidel and began her journey from novice to pro. Her family was less than thrilled at the thought of her becoming a gambler. But, as Konnikova would soon learn, it's that unseemly act of betting that makes poker such a powerful tool for understanding the pitfalls of our decision processes—on and off the felt. As she writes this week in an excerpt for Backchannel, "Poker isn't just about calibrating the strength of your beliefs. It's also about becoming comfortable with the fact that there's no such thing as a sure thing—ever. You will never have all the information you want, and you will have to act all the same. Leave your certainty at the door." A pointed reminder for our times: The table is full of unknowns. But with an honest evaluation of what's in front of you, it's less of a gamble than you might think. Ricki Harris | Associate Editor, WIRED   BACKCHANNEL Poker and the Psychology of Uncertainty BY MARIA KONNIKOVA The game has plenty to teach about making decisions with the cards we've been dealt—on and off the table.   LIFE, INTERRUPTED My Friend Was Struck by ALS. To Fight Back, He Built a Movement BY BRIAN BARRETT At 37, Brian Wallach was diagnosed with the fatal disease. So he tapped a lifetime of connections to give help and hope to fellow sufferers—while grappling with his own mortality.   WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? How to Make Government Trustworthy Again BY GIDEON LEWIS-KRAUS Why have some Asian countries controlled their outbreaks so well? It's because authorities have earned their citizens' confidence.   IDEAS Covid-19 and Living Through a New American Revolution BY VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN The collective action we've participated in over the past few months is transformational in a way we haven't seen in decades—maybe even centuries.   IDEAS It's Time for an End-of-Life Discussion About Nursing Homes BY ROSE EVELETH With residents and staff dying by the tens of thousands, the very future of long-term care should be in question.   SPONSORED CONTENT PayPal's New Money-Saving Tool Is A Must-Have Newsflash: PayPal's free money-saving feature can find you discounts on everything from new tech to pizza delivery. It's basically free money.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions