Is poker good for the business world? Business set up to teach skills
Poker could be making its way into the office as one business owner suggests the skills are transferable.
Speaking to the BBC, the London-based Jo Living explains how she has founded a firm where people learn how to use the skills of the game in their work life.
The business runs corporate team events in the United Kingdom, with simulated chip poker games being included to test an individual and team approach to decision-making, risk-taking, and re-evaluating decisions.
“Everyone thinks poker is about bluff and faking it. It really isn’t. It’s about negotiation and assertive communication.”
The business owner describes it as being a “microcosm of how people show up in the boardroom. Poker is a contact sport. You are eye to eye with your opponents. It takes two of you.”
She goes on to explain: “There’s a conversation happening – you’re trying to bet the other person off the post.
“It’s about listening intently to their tells. Listening is a huge theme – it’s not about bravado, bluff or brag.”
Poker in business: Game described as helping ‘women be more assertive’Poker has long been considered one of the most popular card games in the world, with it often being described as having skill but also luck or chance. The best-known variety is called Texas hold’em.
A semi-professional poker player named Alex O’Brien, has agreed that the game has a number of skills that could be of benefit to the corporate world.
“Poker helps women be more assertive. I’m a massive ambassador for women in poker.
“The confidence poker instills is invaluable. You have a level of confidence in risk-taking,” she says to the publisher.
“Women are often socialised to avoid risks, because we’re treated more harshly than our male counterparts if we mess up.
“The poker mindset helps with assessing risk versus reward. It’s really helpful.
“You start to bet on yourself. I’ve seen the change in women becoming more willing to take bold, informed action.”
The game still has predominantly male players, but this was found to be growing in a study from a number of years ago. In 2022, it was found that there had been a 22% increase in female poker players across Britain over the past year.
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