Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Every day, you play a game you don't even know you're playing. Daycare slots, good jobs, medical care, concert tickets: all these are allocated through a powerful phenomenon called "hidden markets." And by understanding their rules, you can make them work for you.
This week on Lavin Voices, we talk to Lavin Exclusive Speaker Judd Kessler. Judd is a Wharton professor who has spent two decades researching how hidden markets work and how to use them to your advantage. He's also the author of Lucky by Design, in which he offers a wealth of examples of everyday hidden markets, and offers a framework for identifying and succeeding in them. Annie Duke (Thinking in Bets) says that "Kessler reveals the hidden rules of the game, and arms you with the strategies you need to win them."
In this episode, you'll learn:
- What hidden markets are—and how you're already competing in dozens of them without realizing it
- The "go for gold vs. settle for silver" strategy that can help you win restaurant reservations, concert tickets, and daycare spots
- Why Taylor Swift left billions on the table—and what it reveals about the psychology of pricing and demand
- How to design markets that are fair to everyone, and how to win in markets where the rules aren't clear
In conversation with The Lavin Agency's Director of Intellectual Talent, Charles Yao, Judd answers these questions and more:
- What are hidden markets and how do they work?
- How do I get a reservation at a popular restaurant?
- Why are concert tickets so hard to get?
- How do daycare waitlists work?
- What strategies help you win lotteries and raffles?
- How are promotions really decided at work?
- How should I manage my calendar to protect my time?
Learn more about Judd or book him as a keynote speaker: thelavinagency.com/speakers/judd-kessler/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Lavin+Voices+Judd+Kessler
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for more big ideas: @TheLavinAgency
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Credits:
Producers: Alethea Ng and Kshiteej Sawhney
Host: Charles Yao
Guest: Judd Kessler
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Timestamps:
0:00 Cold Open
0:37 Intro to Judd Kessler
1:43 Defining hidden markets
3:07 What are the other rules besides price?
3:21 How hidden markets work in daily life
4:54 From lineups to online races
6:28 How do you win a first come, first serve market?
8:26 The restaurant story – going for gold vs settling for silver
9:06 Winning in daycare and waitlist markets
10:30 Other strategies for winning hidden markets
12:44 How lotteries and randomization shape results
13:03 The kindergarten strategy
14:21 The Taylor Swift example – pricing, fairness, and fans
17:24 Why markets move beyond money
18:48 Why randomization and lotteries are growing
20:10 Scarcity, buzz, and hype markets
20:59 Can companies fix the ticket system?
23:45 Hidden markets at work – the office perspective
24:16 How hidden markets work inside firms
26:33 Transparency and fairness in workplace rules
29:09 Promotions as hidden markets
31:14 Budgets, incentives, and spending behavior
33:52 Rollover rules and flexibility across time
35:23 Designing your own hidden market at work
39:03 Scarcity, perception, and influence
41:23 The strangest hidden market – hunting tags
43:56 Broader social inequity and public housing
47:15 Closing thoughts and outro
Every day, you play a game you don't even know you're playing. Daycare slots, good jobs, medical care, concert tickets: all these are allocated through a powerful phenomenon called "hidden markets." And by understanding their rules, you can make them work for you.
This week on Lavin Voices, we talk to Lavin Exclusive Speaker Judd Kessler. Judd is a Wharton professor who has spent two decades researching how hidden markets work and how to use them to your advantage. He's also the author of Lucky by Design, in which he offers a wealth of examples of everyday hidden markets, and offers a framework for identifying and succeeding in them. Annie Duke (Thinking in Bets) says that "Kessler reveals the hidden rules of the game, and arms you with the strategies you need to win them."
In this episode, you'll learn:
- What hidden markets are—and how you're already competing in dozens of them without realizing it
- The "go for gold vs. settle for silver" strategy that can help you win restaurant reservations, concert tickets, and daycare spots
- Why Taylor Swift left billions on the table—and what it reveals about the psychology of pricing and demand
- How to design markets that are fair to everyone, and how to win in markets where the rules aren't clear
In conversation with The Lavin Agency's Director of Intellectual Talent, Charles Yao, Judd answers these questions and more:
- What are hidden markets and how do they work?
- How do I get a reservation at a popular restaurant?
- Why are concert tickets so hard to get?
- How do daycare waitlists work?
- What strategies help you win lotteries and raffles?
- How are promotions really decided at work?
- How should I manage my calendar to protect my time?
Learn more about Judd or book him as a keynote speaker: thelavinagency.com/speakers/judd-kessler/?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=Video&utm_campaign=Lavin+Voices+Judd+Kessler
Follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok for more big ideas: @TheLavinAgency
------
Credits:
Producers: Alethea Ng and Kshiteej Sawhney
Host: Charles Yao
Guest: Judd Kessler
------
Timestamps:
0:00 Cold Open
0:37 Intro to Judd Kessler
1:43 Defining hidden markets
3:07 What are the other rules besides price?
3:21 How hidden markets work in daily life
4:54 From lineups to online races
6:28 How do you win a first come, first serve market?
8:26 The restaurant story – going for gold vs settling for silver
9:06 Winning in daycare and waitlist markets
10:30 Other strategies for winning hidden markets
12:44 How lotteries and randomization shape results
13:03 The kindergarten strategy
14:21 The Taylor Swift example – pricing, fairness, and fans
17:24 Why markets move beyond money
18:48 Why randomization and lotteries are growing
20:10 Scarcity, buzz, and hype markets
20:59 Can companies fix the ticket system?
23:45 Hidden markets at work – the office perspective
24:16 How hidden markets work inside firms
26:33 Transparency and fairness in workplace rules
29:09 Promotions as hidden markets
31:14 Budgets, incentives, and spending behavior
33:52 Rollover rules and flexibility across time
35:23 Designing your own hidden market at work
39:03 Scarcity, perception, and influence
41:23 The strangest hidden market – hunting tags
43:56 Broader social inequity and public housing
47:15 Closing thoughts and outro
