More and more women in the financial world have realized that poker is a useful tool that can boost your strategic skills in real life – that is if you manage to put your gaming experience into practice.
If you think playing poker is only about money, then you might need to rethink how you view the game. There are many benefits to mastering the ability to take risks, make swift decisions, and hide your emotions in the company of others, especially if you are embarking on negotiation at work. That’s why more and more American women working in fields like finance are turning to poker.
Anyone who has tried poker will know how nerve-wracking it can be in the beginning. You need to take chances and make decisions based on limited information while trying not to give away your strategy to your fellow players. Sounds familiar?
Building confidence, one game at a time
The thing about poker is that it’s a lot closer to real-life than most people realize. Although it’s a card game, it shares many similarities to high-stake, corporate negotiations as the player will need to exhibit confidence, even when they don’t feel it, and test different approaches until they find the one that works for them.
It’s a game that places us in uncomfortable situations where confidence and fearlessness are key. So perhaps it’s no wonder more women in the corporate world are giving poker a go for the money. Use this American Casino Guide to learn more about the expert strategies that can help you get started in poker and put your decision-making skills to the test.
Learning from our mistakes
Once you dive into poker, you will discover that it’s not a pure luck-based game as some people would have you believe – it’s predominantly about skills. Even though it might not always seem that way, a lot of things are within your control, but the road to get there isn’t straightforward. That’s why learning how to play can be difficult.
It requires perseverance, hours of practice, and the ability to learn from our mistakes. But it’s also an activity where emotional intelligence kicks in as we try to read the other players in the room, which is where the phrase “poker face” comes from the ability to maintain a neutral expression. That’s why the skillset from poker is so useful in a corporate work context.
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Leveraging poker skills to get ahead
Business professionals who play poker can get a head start in their careers simply by utilizing the skills they already know from gambling. They are used to playing out each scenario in their head before making decisions and can often do that with more confidence than most. Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management poker leadership program is a testament to that.
Here, women are taught how to use poker skills in the boardroom in a quest to make them better at advocating for themselves, negotiating pay, and having the confidence to own the room when it’s required. It also focuses on emotional intelligence, which is important both in our professional and personal lives. So, if you are looking to boost your career and find a new hobby, poker is not a bad shout.
