August 7, 2024 • 2hr 8min
#761: General Stanley McChrystal and Liv Boeree
The Tim Ferriss Show
Key Takeaways
- General Stanley McChrystal's daily routine includes eating one meal a day (dinner), working out every day alternating between running, weight lifting, and biking, and listening to audiobooks while exercising
- McChrystal's advice for preparing people for combat focuses on pushing physical limits, dealing with uncertainty, and making decisions with incomplete information
- Liv Boeree turned €500 into €1.25 million by winning a major poker tournament in 2010, five years after first learning to play poker
- Boeree recommends an intensive 8-week training program studying game theory and practicing 40 hours per week to become competitive at poker
- Key poker skills include statistical analysis, psychological modeling, reading body language, and emotional control
- Boeree has had unexplainable metaphysical experiences that have caused her to be more open-minded while still maintaining scientific skepticism
- Techniques for emotional regulation in poker include deep breathing, laughing at yourself, and practicing stepping outside the situation
- Boeree recommends resources like Julia Galef's work on motivated reasoning and Eliezer Yudkowsky's "Inadequate Equilibria" for improving critical thinking
Introduction
This episode features segments from two previous episodes of The Tim Ferriss Show - one with retired U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal and another with professional poker player Liv Boeree. The episode covers topics ranging from military leadership and training to poker strategy and unexplainable metaphysical experiences.
Topics Discussed
General Stanley McChrystal's Daily Routine (07:24)
General McChrystal discusses his habit of eating only one meal per day, typically dinner around 8-8:30pm. He explains this developed from his time as a lieutenant in special forces when he was trying to lose weight and found it easier to defer gratification to one larger meal rather than multiple small ones.
His daily exercise routine includes:
- Alternating between running, weight lifting, and biking
- 45-50 minutes of pushups, sit-ups, planks and yoga at home
- 30-35 minutes at the gym doing pull-ups, incline bench press, curls, and balance exercises
McChrystal emphasizes the importance of working out every day, both for physical fitness and mental discipline. He states: "There's a certain self image. I think that if I was struggling with my weight or if I was not as fit as I wanted people to perceive me and I couldn't perceive myself that way, I think my own self esteem would suffer."
Preparing People for Combat (19:33)
When asked how he would select and train people for combat in a short timeframe, McChrystal focuses on three key areas:
- Pushing physical limits through activities like long foot marches
- Realistic live-fire training to create stress and a sense of danger
- Dealing with uncertainty by making decisions with incomplete information
He describes an exercise he used as a regimental commander that put soldiers in a no-win scenario, forcing them to choose between rescuing civilians or saving wounded comrades. The goal was to make them "more thoughtful than just this automatic black and white reflexive" decision-making.
Liv Boeree's Introduction to Poker (42:04)
Boeree describes how she first learned poker at age 21 after graduating university with a physics degree. She was selected for a reality TV show that taught five beginners how to play poker. Though she had an emotional meltdown on the show after misreading her hand, she fell in love with the game.
Shortly after, she won her first live tournament, turning £10 into £750. Boeree recalls: "I remember going home to my boyfriend at the time and waking him up at 5am and just throwing the cash on him. Like, this is the best thing ever."
Qualities That Helped Boeree Excel at Poker (49:45)
Boeree attributes her early success in poker to:
- Intense competitiveness and desire to prove herself as the best
- Ruthlessness required for bluffing and aggressive play
- Ability to pay deep attention to opponents' behaviors and patterns
- Physics background helping with statistical analysis
She notes that poker requires a blend of skills: "There's the statistical side, you know, the scientific side, there's the game theory...But then you've also got this more...psychology, trying to mentally model what level someone is thinking at and be one step ahead."
Boeree's Advice for Learning Poker (55:55)
For someone wanting to become competitive at poker, Boeree recommends an intensive 8-week training program studying 40 hours per week. This would include:
- Learning poker terminology and basic concepts
- Practicing live games to get comfortable with betting patterns
- Studying game theory and optimal play strategies
- Using poker simulation software to analyze different scenarios
- Working on emotional control and the mental aspects of the game
She emphasizes that emotional control is crucial, stating: "You can study all the charts and think you're a GTO machine...But then you get down there, and he looks you in the eyes...and you'll forget everything."
Unexplainable Experiences (1:28:27)
Boeree shares two unexplainable experiences that challenged her materialist, rationalist worldview:
- A premonition before a major poker tournament that she would win, which came true
- Being cured of a degenerative ear condition through "energy healing" at Burning Man
She describes the premonition: "This voice in my head said, you are going to win this tournament. And it sounded like my own voice, but what I can't remember is whether it was, I am gonna win or you are gonna win, but I'm pretty sure it was you are gonna win."
Integrating Unexplainable Experiences (1:44:19)
Boeree discusses how she integrates these unexplainable experiences into her worldview as a trained rationalist:
- Maintaining a balance between open-mindedness and skepticism
- Thinking in probabilities rather than certainties
- Updating beliefs based on new evidence, but requiring extraordinary evidence for extraordinary claims
- Remaining committed to the scientific method while broadening possibilities
She states: "I continued still, like, I still am an adherent to the scientific method. It's just that I've now broadened my...as you mentioned, you know, it's almost like people become...they believe in scientism as opposed to being scientists."
Becoming a Better Skeptic (1:48:09)
Ferriss and Boeree discuss recommendations for people wanting to improve their critical thinking and skepticism:
- Learn to read and understand scientific studies, including study design and statistics
- Study cognitive biases and how to avoid them
- Read Julia Galef's work on "The Scout Mindset" and motivated reasoning
- Check out Eliezer Yudkowsky's "Inadequate Equilibria" for understanding systemic issues
Boeree recommends Yudkowsky's work, saying: "It has one of the best things. It has a discussion, a fictitious discussion with an alien from a perfect society...and they have this three-way discussion talking about like reason why the US healthcare system is so expensive."
Conclusion
The episode covers a wide range of topics from two very different guests. General McChrystal provides insights into military leadership and training, emphasizing the importance of physical fitness, dealing with uncertainty, and making difficult decisions. Liv Boeree offers a deep dive into the world of professional poker, from learning the game to mastering its psychological aspects. She also shares personal experiences that challenged her rationalist worldview, prompting a discussion on maintaining scientific skepticism while remaining open to unexplained phenomena. Both guests demonstrate the value of discipline, continuous learning, and adaptability in their respective fields.