Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
Pushkin Industries
Risky Business is a weekly podcast about making better decisions. The hosts, Maria Konnikova and Nate Silver, are both journalists who moonlight as high-stakes poker players. On Risky Business, they bring their analytical framework to everything from politics to poker to personal decisions.
Maria has a PhD in psychology and is the author of several books including, most recently, The Biggest Bluff. While researching the book, she inadvertently became a professional poker player, with over $500,000 in tournament winnings. She is a PokerStars Team Pro.
Nate is the founder and former editor-in-chief of FiveThirtyEight, and one of the country’s leading election forecasters. He has over $800,000 in lifetime poker tournament winnings and his forthcoming book, On the Edge, is about gambling and risk.
Risky Business is a co-production of iHeart Media and Pushkin Industries.
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Top 10 Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Betting on Kamala Harris (with special guest Matt Glassman)
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
07/23/24 • 36 min
Biden’s out of the race! Matt Glassman joins Nate to talk about what the consolidation behind Kamala Harris reveals about party politics and who she might pick for a running mate.
Further Reading:
Why Biden Finally Quit from Politico
Can Harris Beat Trump? from New York Magazine
What a Kamala Harris Presidency Might Look Like from Semafor
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
The Leap from Maria Konnikova
Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The President Has No Clothes: Biden Should Drop Out
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
06/28/24 • 45 min
In this bonus episode, Nate and Maria discuss last night’s debate between President Biden and former President Trump. They argue that Biden should drop out of the race, and discuss what might happen if he does.
Further Reading:
“Joe Biden Should Drop Out” from Silver Bulletin
“CNN Presidential Debate: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump” from CNN
“Important Post Debate Analysis" from X user @drewjanda
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
“The Leap” from Maria Konnikova
“Silver Bulletin” from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Amazing Frauds, Faking Your Own Death, and the Latest on the Election
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
08/29/24 • 54 min
Nate and Maria briefly discuss the latest election news. Then Tim Harford, author and host of Cautionary Tales, joins to discuss two of history’s most compelling con artists: Sam Israel III and John Law. Risk-related lessons are learned.
Further Reading:
A Con Man Who Lives Between Truth and Fiction from the New York Times
The Murderer, The Boy King, and The Invention of Modern Finance from NPR (featuring our EP Jacob Goldstein!)
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
The Leap from Maria Konnikova
Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Conspiracy Theories, J.D. Vance, and Jury Duty
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
07/18/24 • 44 min
Nate and Maria discuss the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and the psychology of conspiracy theorists. They talk about what Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance means for the election. And they parse the latest in the Democrats’ intra-party fight over Biden.
Also on the show: Nate’s day at jury duty is a case study in bad bluffs.
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
The Leap from Maria Konnikova
Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Snap Elections, Global Warming, and Maria’s Favorite Hot Sauce
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
06/20/24 • 42 min
This week on Risky Business, Nate and Maria discuss the reasoning behind Macron’s decision to hold early elections in France, how heat waves could help communicate the reality of climate change, and what we can learn from the impending sriracha shortage. The theme that ties it all together: How to think about long-term risk.
Further Reading:
“The stakes are high in Macron’s gamble” from the Financial Times
“What A Sriracha Shortage Teaches Us About Supply Chains” from Forbes
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
“The Leap” from Maria Konnikova
“Silver Bulletin” from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nate’s Election Model, the Trouble with Insurance, and How People Get Risk Wrong
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
06/27/24 • 43 min
This week on Risky Business, Nate and Maria unveil Nate’s 2024 election model. (The forecast is bad news for Maria.) Also, they explain what insurance industry troubles tell us about the market for risk. And they discuss some key mistakes people make when thinking about risk.
Further Reading:
“Silver Bulletin 2024 presidential election forecast” by Nate Silver and Eli McKown-Dawson
“Climate Change Has Hit Home Insurance. Is Health Insurance Next?” from the Wall Street Journal
“The Home Insurance Crunch: See What’s Happening in Your State” from the New York Times
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
“The Leap” from Maria Konnikova
“Silver Bulletin” from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Backup for Biden
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
05/23/24 • 43 min
Nate and Maria start with something light: p(doom) and the possibility that AI will bring about the end of life as we know it. Then, Nate breaks down the news about the presidential debates and makes a shocking recommendation to the Democratic Party. And – most importantly – our hosts preview the upcoming World Series of Poker in Vegas.
Further Reading:
“OpenAI: Exodus” by Zvi Mowshowitz
“Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden” by Ezra Klein
“21 Tips for Acing the World Series of Poker” by Nate Silver
To Buy Into Maria’s WSOP Action:
Visit “StakeKings”
Or “PokerStake”
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
“The Leap” from Maria Konnikova
“Silver Bulletin” from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How to Convince Biden to Quit
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
07/10/24 • 46 min
Nate and Maria really, really, really want Joe Biden to drop out of the race.
Maria gives a psychological consult on the best way to convince Biden to quit. Nate estimates Biden’s chances of defeating Donal Trump if he stays in – and Kamala Harris’s chances of winning the election if she replaces Biden.
Also: An update from the Main Event of the World Series of Poker.
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
The Leap from Maria Konnikova
Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Lifetime Terms, Lifetime Bans, and the Return of Roaring Kitty
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
06/13/24 • 43 min
This week on Risky Business, Nate and Maria discuss whether Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor should retire, the perils of sports betting among professional athletes, and what the return of Roaring Kitty means for traditional market analysis.
Further Reading:
“Sonia Sotomayor Should Retire Now” from The Atlantic
“Should Sonia Sotomayor Retire?” from Slate
“MLB bans Padres’ Tucupita Marcano permanently for betting on baseball” from the NYT
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
“The Leap” from Maria Konnikova
“Silver Bulletin” from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
How to Gamble Like a Chess Player, with Jennifer Shahade
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova
07/04/24 • 40 min
Maria talks with Women’s Chess Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade about what chess and poker teach you about life; how statistics can help you think about having kids; and the time Maria lost a chess match in four moves.
For more from Nate and Maria, subscribe to their newsletters:
The Leap from Maria Konnikova
Silver Bulletin from Nate Silver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova have?
Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova currently has 36 episodes available.
What topics does Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova cover?
The podcast is about News, Society & Culture, Podcasts and Politics.
What is the most popular episode on Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova?
The episode title 'The President Has No Clothes: Biden Should Drop Out' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova?
The average episode length on Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova is 42 minutes.
How often are episodes of Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova released?
Episodes of Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova?
The first episode of Risky Business with Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova was released on May 2, 2024.
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