Poker has become one of the most played games in the world. Some people refer to the game of poker as a game of luck. It should be admitted that luck has its fair share in the game, but it is not only it – skills also matter. In fact, playing poker may develop some important and useful skills, which help the players not only at the poker table, but also in various aspects of life. Different researches show that poker players can easily turn their skills to business.
Poker is an intricate game, which is surprisingly similar to business. To better understand in what way poker skills are useful in doing business, it is worth to explore the game itself and the required abilities at the poker table.
A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush
The good player knows that even the smallest opportunity might be the greatest. This means that instead of blindly chasing the highest goal, players should be aware of every possible opportunity and benefit from it. In other words, it is better to benefit from something that we are sure we can get, instead of trying to get something of greater value, which we may or may not achieve. Everybody will agree that this rule is applicable also in business, as every entrepreneur should welcome the different opportunities, no matter how inconspicuous these may seem to be.
Evaluation of the Situation
Poker is also about giving the right estimation of the current situation and evaluate the risk. In some cases, the things do not go that well, and that may continue for long. That is the reason why poker players use the term “losing streak”, as they cannot predict when their luck will change. But the right evaluation of the risk may protect players from significant losses and even bankruptcy.This is important not only in a game of poker and business, but in every aspect of life one can think of.
Stay as Cool as a Cucumber
The game of poker is often referred to as a psychological battle between the opponents. The term “poker face” stems namely from the special character of the game, in which one of the winning strategies is to keep your emotions under control. Another helpful ability, which poker players develop sooner or later is to read their opponents’ emotions under their poker “masks”. Reading people and keeping control over your emotions is of vital importance in doing business, helping entrepreneurs to communicate with their partners and strike the best deals with the right people.
Missed Chances are Good New Opportunities
The chances to win big or to lose everything are equal in both business and in a game of poker. Sometimes no matter how hard one tries to avoid the negative outcome, such things happen and the person should be prepared to meet the loss with pride. Loss does not mean defeat, but it means that one should learn from the mistakes and eliminate them for the next time. After all, it is human nature to make mistakes, but it is not smart to carry the mistakes in the future. And as people say, there is no rainbow without rain.
Your Win is Someone’s Shattered Dream
Players, as well as entrepreneurs and business owners should learn how to lose, but also how to win. It may sound strange, but to win may appear to be as hard as to lose. For example, all the players, who enter the poker field of a tournament hope that they will win the first prize. In most of the cases, the winner is only one. But even if in the position of the winner, one should not forget that this is someone’s dream and missed chance. Namely such situations became the reason for so many broken relations and friendships. To preserve people’s respect, one should learn to win, without bragging.