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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Sarah Lumley

If you want to be flushed with success at work, you should play poker

Damn straight. If you want to be flushed with success at work, play POKER.

Research reveals card players are better at decision-making, critical thinking - and more likely to get a pay rise.

A poll of 500 British adults, who play the card game, found more than half (54%) believe it’s given them abilities they can use in the workplace.

These include being able to read people (58%) and deal with pressure (56%), while 54% have boosted their levels of patience.

Overall, more than half of players polled in the study, commissioned by 888Poker.com, said playing the popular card game has helped them progress in their career.

Six in ten said poker gives them a better ability to read other people (Michael Bezjian/WireImage/Getty Images)

Abby Merk, teacher at the organisation Poker Power, said: “I now focus on the quality of my decision-making, not the outcome of the hand.

“I learned how to handle losses and how to take a front seat in my learning development to position myself best for success.”

Other areas where players felt poker skills could be particularly beneficial in the workplace included negotiating pay rises (40%), or having difficult conversations with clients (38%).

Of those polled, a higher percentage of women than men (64% vs 55%) believe poker further developed their abilities to read people.

Similarly, 62% of female poker players agreed their decision-making improved through playing the game, compared to 54% of men.

Confidence is also a key skill women in particular feel they’ve developed through poker - 54% agreed, as opposed to 46% of men.

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