Kim’s Message: Business & Poker – A Winning Combination

Two years ago my parents left Arizona and moved back to California to be closer to family. Growing up in a very small town in Oregon, Friday nights at my home were dedicated to “game night”. That’s right, no going out on a date, but we could invite friends over to join in on the fun. Everyone in our family learned to play a variety of card games and board games. To this day, my parents are still avid card players and in fact my Mom is a Life Master in Bridge. Once my folks moved near by, we all did our best to get my husband into the concept of game night. Games aren’t really his cup of tea, but we finally talked him into learning how to play Texas Hold ‘Em. I am happy to report he is now hooked! Every Sunday night at our house you can find us gathering together for dinner, then doing the dishes and finally finishing the evening off with a lively game of Poker.

I recently watched an interesting news story about the benefits of playing poker in business. In fact, there is a website dedicated to teaching more women how to play poker, in order to even the playing field at work. PokerPower.com emerged from the vision of self-made billionaire Jenny Just, who in 2020, co-founded the brand alongside her daughter Juliette Hulsizer. This mother and daughter duo are out to prove that playing poker:

• Enhances Strategic Thinking and Decision Making. Poker players have to make decision based on incomplete information.
• Improves Risk Assessment Skills. Poker players are constantly evaluating and managing risks in high-stakes environments. (Well at my house it’s just a $10 buy in, but you get the idea.)
• Boosts Emotional Resilience. In poker there are lots of ups and downs. As you experience more of these ups and downs you become better at handling them more gracefully.  (guess I need to do less trash talking at the kitchen table)
• Enhances Social Skills. Successful poker players learn to read behaviors and adapt their strategy in social settings.

Who knew you could have fun playing poker and improve your own decision making and negotiation skills at same time?

I found a similar story in Rolling Stone where a successful entrepreneur says that Poker taught him more about business than any class or book. Jason Saltzman said, “Looking back, I can attribute a lot of my accomplishments not to some fancy school, but to a game: poker.”

As leaders we work hard, and it’s important that we remember to play, when you aren’t working. I highly recommend you gather some friends and family together and sit down to a friendly game of poker. At a minimum it’s fun and keeps your mind sharp, and if it improves your confidence at work—well even better! If you ever find yourself near Sacramento on a Sunday night, give me a call, and we’ll make some room for you at the kitchen table!