Why Entrepreneurs Learn Poker: A Surprising Way to Sharpen Business Skills

Introduction

A game is quietly but steadily breaking through in Japan: poker. It’s said that around 2.4 million people in Japan have played poker, known domestically as Texas Hold’em, within the past year. In addition, the December 2024 issue of Nikkei Trendy featured its “2025 Hit Predictions Best 30,” ranking poker at No. 7. Poker once carried a strong gambling image, but today it’s increasingly recognized as a mind sport, drawing attention for its strategy and psychological battles.

https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOUB148T40U4A111C2000000/?n_cid=SNSTW001&n_tw=1731856893

https://xtrend.nikkei.com/atcl/contents/18/01086/00008/

What’s especially interesting is how poker is gaining support among entrepreneurs and business leaders as a tool for improving business skills. In fact, many advanced poker players are also well-versed in stock investing and business investing, because the two fields share many similarities.

A well-known example is Naoya Kihara, a professional poker player who graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Science. In 2012, Kihara became the first Japanese player to win a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet, earning roughly 40 million yen in prize money. Today, he’s also known as a prominent investor in the stock market.

https://diamond.jp/zai/articles/-/1038343

OpenAI founder Sam Altman, who helped introduce the world to AI’s potential through ChatGPT, also took poker seriously while studying at Stanford. Altman has said, “In college, I played pretty seriously. It’s not for everyone, but I strongly recommend it as a way to learn about the world, business, psychology, risk, etc.” Reportedly, he even covered his college expenses with income from poker.

https://www.businesstoday.in/technology/news/story/played-a-lot-in-college-openai-founder-sam-altman-is-a-poker-fan-recommends-people-play-it-384511-2023-06-07

Decision-making with incomplete information, the importance of risk management, psychological warfare and hand reading. These are essential skills for success in both poker and business. This is exactly why global investors and business leaders choose to learn poker.

1. Strategic Thinking: What Poker Sharpens

Poker isn’t a game of pure luck. It demands deep strategic thinking. On every hand, poker players read opponents’ actions and the intent behind them, then choose the best next move. That same strategic mindset translates directly to business.

To succeed as an entrepreneur, you need to anticipate market shifts and competitive moves, then adjust your strategy quickly. Poker players do something similar: they estimate opponents’ possible ranges and choose the best line. In the same way, entrepreneurs must forecast market demand and customer needs, then plan several steps ahead. Just as importantly, business requires the ability to course-correct when predictions miss. By watching how poker players respond to unexpected turns, you can learn how to adapt your business strategy under pressure.

2. Risk Management Lessons from Poker

Risk management in poker isn’t about simply playing more hands. It focuses on how to reduce downside while maximizing long-term profit. In business, managing risk properly is also a key driver of success. Strong entrepreneurs constantly consider worst-case scenarios, evaluate risk calmly, and then act.

Why “Taking a Shot” Matters in Business

In business, “going for it” doesn’t mean winning all the time. A crucial link between poker and business is that stacking up lots of small wins isn’t the most important thing. To succeed, you must always account for catastrophic risk and prepare to avoid it.

As an extreme example, even if 99 investments succeed, a single failure can wipe everything out. Poker works the same way: a player can win for a long time, then lose it all in one massive pot. Playing more often doesn’t automatically make someone a market winner, and that reality applies to business too. For example, Apple generated enormous profit from a few focused successes rather than entering every possible category.

Balancing Risk and Capital

At the same time, avoiding risk isn’t always the best option. If you become overly risk-averse, you can miss profitable opportunities. Focusing too much on minimizing risk can cost you growth. What matters is taking risk when it’s justified and making decisions that match your capital and your risk tolerance.

In investing as well, you should decide how much risk to take based on your available funds. Taking excessive risk can ultimately lead to a fatal loss.

3. Psychological Warfare: What Poker Teaches

Build Insight, Not Just Instinct

Professional poker players analyze every detail of an opponent’s behavior and make decisions optimized for the exact situation. This high-level analytical skill and decision-making process can become a source of competitive advantage in business.

In poker, information analysis goes beyond gut-feel “reads.” Players integrate multiple signals, including bet sizing, timing, decision speed, and past patterns. This multi-angle approach delivers direct value in business decision-making, such as understanding competitors’ strategies and forecasting market trends.

How Your Actions Influence Opponents

Skilled players also control the psychological impact their actions have on others. For example, they apply pressure with a large bet or induce mistakes by using small bets strategically. These advanced psychological tactics translate to M&A negotiations and high-stakes sales discussions, where reading true intent and steering the conversation can determine outcomes.

What’s notable is that this psychological game isn’t based only on intuition or rules of thumb. Modern professionals actively use insights from behavioral economics and psychological statistics to analyze how opponents make decisions. This analytical mindset can be applied to market research, user behavior analysis, and many other business contexts.

Advanced Emotional Control

Emotional management developed through poker also becomes a major business asset. The ability to stay calm under high stakes and make data-driven decisions is extremely valuable when markets shift suddenly or unexpected crises hit.

In this way, poker psychology is best understood as a sophisticated skill set that combines structured analysis with a scientific approach. In today’s increasingly uncertain business environment, it can become a core competency for building strategic advantage.

4. Decisiveness: What You Gain Through Poker

Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

One of poker’s most important elements is making fast, accurate decisions with limited information. Players weigh multiple variables, including opponent tendencies, table dynamics, and probability, to choose the best action. This experience directly improves decision-making in uncertain business situations.

Startup founders, in particular, often face major decisions with unclear market signals and unpredictable competitor moves. Product direction, fundraising timing, and hiring choices frequently require commitment without perfect information. Poker helps sharpen judgment for exactly these moments.

Emotional Control and Performance Management

In poker, you must avoid getting swept up by short-term swings and keep making clear decisions. Players call this avoiding tilt, and it’s a form of self-management that protects your ability to perform at your best. Business demands the same discipline: you need to stay focused on long-term goals without being driven by short-term wins or losses.

For example, when a major deal falls through or the market changes unexpectedly, you need to stay objective, analyze the situation, and respond appropriately. Emotional control built at the poker table strengthens your ability to handle these difficult business moments.

Time Management and Handling Pressure

Poker often requires decisions within a time limit, which also supports stronger time management in business. It trains you to stay calm under pressure, even when large amounts of money are at stake, and to choose the best option in the moment. These skills carry over to deadline-driven project management and high-impact investment decisions.

Conclusion: Apply Poker Skills to Business

Poker is more than a card game. It’s a highly effective way to build skills that matter in business: strategic thinking, risk management, psychological warfare, and decisiveness. For entrepreneurs and executives, these abilities are essential for long-term success. If you want to experience how useful poker can be in business, start by sitting down at the table and developing these skills through the game.