Liar’s Poker: What Aussie Investors Can Learn from Wall Street’s Wildest Game

Liar’s Poker is more than a legendary memoir of 1980s Wall Street excess. For Australians navigating a volatile 2025 financial world, Michael Lewis’s book is a timely reminder that markets are shaped as much by psychology and hubris as by spreadsheets and rates. The big question: what can modern Aussie investors learn from the era of junk bonds, bravado, and breathtaking bets?

The Game Behind the Game: What is Liar’s Poker?

First published in 1989, Liar’s Poker chronicles Lewis’s time as a bond salesman at Salomon Brothers during Wall Street’s most turbocharged decade. The title refers to a high-stakes bluffing game played on trading floors, but it also stands as a metaphor for the deception, risk-taking, and gamesmanship that fuelled the finance world—then and now.

• Culture of bravado: Traders and bankers competed to out-bluff, out-earn, and outlast each other, often pushing ethical and financial boundaries.

• Innovation and risk: The rise of mortgage-backed securities and junk bonds revolutionised markets, but also set the stage for major crashes.

• Human nature at play: Greed, fear, and the desire for status drove much of the action, often overshadowing logic or prudence.

While Australia’s financial system is built on stricter regulation and a different culture, the core themes are universal—and just as relevant in today’s ASX, property, and superannuation debates.

2025: The Australian Market’s Own Liar’s Poker?

Fast forward to 2025, and Australian investors face a landscape that feels oddly familiar. With rising interest rates, the fallout from global banking wobbles, and a surge in speculative investments (from crypto to AI-driven stocks), echoes of Lewis’s world are everywhere.

• Speculation is back: Despite ASIC crackdowns, meme stocks and high-risk ETFs have surged in popularity. The ASX saw record volumes of retail trades in Q1 2025, with many investors chasing fast gains rather than fundamentals.

• Property market mind games: After a brief slump, property prices in Sydney and Melbourne have bounced back, fuelled in part by FOMO and aggressive marketing by developers. The ‘bluffing’ isn’t just on trading desks—it’s at every auction and open house.

• Financial products grow more complex: Structured products and alternative investments are flooding the market, echoing the innovation (and opacity) of Wall Street’s heyday. ASIC has issued multiple warnings about the risks for everyday investors.

Australians may not play literal liar’s poker, but the temptation to bluff, chase trends, and ignore risk is alive and well. The book’s underlying message: it’s easy to get swept up in the game, but the costs can be enormous.

Practical Lessons: How to Avoid Being the ‘Sucker’

Liar’s Poker is filled with lessons that resonate for anyone investing in 2025:

• Know the rules—and who’s making them. Regulatory shifts, like the 2025 review of responsible lending laws and new ASIC product intervention powers, mean the landscape can change fast. Stay informed and don’t assume yesterday’s rules still apply.

• Beware of herd mentality. The biggest market blow-ups—from the 1987 crash to the crypto corrections—often come when everyone’s convinced they can’t lose. If everyone’s piling in, ask why.

• Understand what you own. Many of Salomon’s clients bought products they didn’t fully grasp. The same goes for today’s ETFs, crypto funds, or even new super options. If you can’t explain it, don’t buy it.

• Don’t confuse luck with skill. A good run in the market can be as much about timing as talent. The best investors stay humble, sceptical, and always ready to learn.

Michael Lewis’s account is a warning shot across the bow for anyone tempted by shortcuts or easy money. Even with better regulation and transparency, the human side of finance—greed, FOMO, and the urge to ‘win’—remains unchanged.

Conclusion: Why Liar’s Poker Still Matters

In a world of trading apps, TikTok finance influencers, and ever-more complex investment products, the core lessons of Liar’s Poker are more relevant than ever. Australian investors have much to gain from remembering that behind every ‘hot tip’ or market craze, there’s always a game—and it pays to know when to fold.