Whether you are a tech entrepreneur looking to break into the big leagues or a citizen developer beavering away on your latest app or software project, there are many case studies and examples of people who led the way in their field.

However, with the focus on gamification in training programs these days, it comes as no surprise that there is plenty for every budding entrepreneur to take away from playing online games, be they strategy thinkers or reaction based shooters.

In this article we look at how the classic card game of poker has strategies and tactical plans that can give food for thought to anyone looking to make moves in the tech industry.

Staying Cool When Things Go Against You

One thing that will immediately become apparent to anybody playing poker for the first time is that while most of the rules are pretty easy to get a hang of, they are tricky to master.

Because of this, it can very quickly happen that you find yourself on what people in the game call “tilt”, whereby you lose your cool after a few bad beats and become dangerously gung-ho. Trying hard to master this natural instinct is one of the biggest strategic challenges in poker, but it can also prepare you for similar situations in the business world, where one badly worded email or phone conversation can undo so much good work.

Making Good Decisions Under Extreme Pressure

Allied to the previous point, is being able to make the right decisions just as the heat is being turned up on you.

Poker is the ideal training ground for creating such scenarios, with money bubbles and final table bubbles adding extra tension to every single decision you make, especially if you dare to play more than one table at a time.

Put yourself in enough pressure situations over time and before you know it you will be a cold as ice business killer.

Play the Game and Not the Person

There is always that one person at work who you just cannot see eye-to-eye with, or a competitor from a rival start-up who knows exactly how to get under your skin.

The exact same thing can happen in poker, with a certain player singling you out for punishment.

What the game teaches you, that real life will not, is that remaining cool and playing the game rather than the personalities around you is the key to success.

Bide your time. Roll with the punches and wait for your competitors to slip up so you can take advantage. It is a classic poker tactic that anyone in any field of work can use.

Only Bluff When It Is Worth It

There has long been a debate in the business world about whether bluffing is the ethically correct thing to do in certain situations.

No such debate exists in poker, with bluffing being an intrinsic part of the game and which is viewed in a particularly positive light if you can get a bluff to work.

The key to getting a bluff to push your opponent off a hand is to be abreast of all the possible eventualities and odds that are at play, a rule that tech entrepreneurs would be wise to put into practice on an almost daily basis.

Always Know What Your Odds of Success or Failure Are

Following on from the previous section about bluffing, we thought it prudent to highlight once again how important is to know where you stand mathematically and statistically in any given situation.

Poker necessitates this from every person who plays it, otherwise, they may find themselves overplaying or even underplaying their hand, missing out as a result. That is the last thing you want in the boardroom, so maybe it is time to get dealt some poker hands!