Review:
Thanks to the song and movie by Kenny "The Gambler" Rogers, most of us now understand that "you've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em." This axiom can be applied around a conference table as well as a card table. In The Poker MBA, Jeffrey Gitomer and Greg Dinkin take this concept to the extreme by drawing a world of business advice from the popular pastime. "There is no better training ground for business than a poker game, where your ability to measure risk and make split-second decisions determines whether you cash out a winner," note Dinkin, an MBA-carrying columnist for Card Player magazine, and Gitomer, a writer and sales-and-service consultant. The authors use simulated hands and real tournament settings to illustrate how both pursuits relate in strategy (reading the competition, keeping cards close to the table), technique (acting on prior knowledge, maintaining sufficient cash), and starting anew (choosing a setting, selecting proper partners). Sprinkling the book with quotes from the likes of Dale Carnegie, Sun Tzu, and Peter Drucker, they stress that success in each undertaking is largely determined by discipline, skill, and cunning, and they recount a variety of proven applications from cards that could prove equally effective in commerce. --Howard Rothman
From the Back Cover:
“You can deal yourself a winning hand in business. The first card you deal yourself is to buy this book. The second card is to read it at least once. The third card is to get its principles under your skin. Now you’re on your way to a royal flush. The last part is the best. Just rake in your winnings. Try not to laugh out loud.”—Jon Spoelstra, author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller Marketing Outrageously
“The only difference between a boardroom and a poker table is the shape. In The Poker MBA, Dinkin and Gitomer illustrate that the same principles apply to the game of life and business as they do to the game of poker.” —Bobby Baldwin, CEO of Mirage Resorts and CEO/President of Bellagio, and World Series of Poker champion
“The Poker MBA turns the risk averse into effective negotiators and savvy risk-takers by continuous examination of the human condition. It shows not only how to get inside someone’s head, but also how to profit from it.” —Wendeen H. Eolis, CEO, Eolis International Group Ltd., former first assistant to Governor George Pataki, and European Open No-Limit Texas Hold’em Champion
“I’m not surprised that someone wrote a book that parallels poker to business. I’m only surprised that it didn’t happen sooner. Be thankful that Dinkin and Gitomer took the time to write this book and aren’t sitting across from you at the poker table.”—Mike Caro, America’s Mad Genius and author of Caro’s Book of Tells
“Like a good poker strategy, The Poker MBA is deceptively intelligent, imaginative, and well-executed. It examines a central part of negotiating strategy that most professionals never get but is the secret to success for both business and poker. Dinkin and Gitomer strike the perfect balance of being analytical, creative, and entertaining.”—Hal Kant, attorney for the Grateful Dead and winner of the World Series of Poker Pot-Limit Omaha tournament
“Greg Dinkin and Jeffrey Gitomer certainly understand poker as well as human nature. The Poker MBA is a must read for anyone in business whose job it is to balance risk and reward.” —Lyle Berman, CEO of Lakes Gaming and winner of three World Series of Poker events
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