Return of the Queen! Maria Konnikova Is Once Again a PokerStars Ambassador
We’ve had quite the share of fairytale-like stories through the years in the poker community. Some of the most recognizable ones are Chris Moneymaker’s amazing WSOP run 2003, the incredible story of legend Doyle Brunson…this list surely could be made much, much longer.
Another fascinating tale is the journey of Maria Konnikova. The author/journalist decided a few years back to tackle the poker world and has since then become a prodigy in the community. Just a couple of days ago, it became public information that Maria now is returning to PokerStars as an ambassador in North America!
The Story of Maria Konnikova
The Russian born Maria moved to the United States together with her parents when she was four years old. Growing up, Maria was always a fan of the written word and had written both a book and a play before finishing fourth grade.
Maria grew up to become a well-recognized author and journalist. It was back in the late 2010’s that she decided to play on the live poker circuit for a year, with the intention of writing a book about the experience. Maria was lured by the game theory aspect of the game and reached out to poker legend Erik Seidel for coaching. 2020, her mission had been accomplished as she released her New York Times best seller “The Biggest Bluff”. On top of that, she became a poker tournament champion (after becoming the first woman to win a PokerStars Platinum Pass back in 2018 during the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure) and has acquired more than $450 000 in career earnings. The fact that Maria just decided to do this and to not only get a book published about it, but also delivering quite the good result, is an incredible feat.
Once Again a PokerStars Ambassador
But of course, Maria is not your ordinary human being. She has a unique way of describing the poker phenomenon, and there is no surprise she is a much respected journalist/author. Last week, PokerStars could proudly announce the return of Maria as an ambassador of the world-renowned online poker site. She represented PokerStars as an ambassador back in 2018 and will once again wear the red-and-white logo on her sleeves.
The vice president of PokerStars North American, Steve Preiss, were happy to express his joy about Maria’s return to the ambassador team:
“Maria’s ability to communicate the virtues of poker is unrivalled. She will be integral in our goal of expanding the game to new audiences.”
Maria herself is also thrilled to be back to the poker community in form of a PokerStars ambassador:
“I’m very happy to once again be joining the PokerStars team as an ambassador. Poker is a game of skill that can teach us so much about our minds and ourselves – and I can’t wait to share my passion for it along with the incredible team at PokerStars. I’m quite excited for the vision that PokerStars has for U.S. expansion and am thrilled to play a small part in helping the world appreciate the true beauty and promise of a game I have come to love.”
The next opportunity people will have running into Maria is during the North American Poker Tour in November, where she will be attending the USCOOP and Ten-Deuce freeroll in the capacity of not only a player, but also once again, a PokerStars ambassador.
