Episode•December 28, 2023•20 min

From the Felt to the Boardroom: How Poker Skills Can Boost Your Career Success | Ep. 289

In this captivating episode, Erin Lydon of Poker Power deals out a hand of wisdom showing how poker strategies can shape your financial and professional world. Learn why folding isn't just a poker move, but a life skill, and how calculating risks can lead to big payoffs both on and off the felt. About Our Guest Erin Lydon is a thought leader, frequent speaker on equal pay and workplace equity, and President of Poker Power. Her passion to lead Poker Power stemmed from her experience working on Wall Street twenty years ago. After learning that she was not being paid the same as her male colleagues, and struggling to find a seat at the table in the male-dominated financial industry, Erin was confronted with the reality of the “force field” surrounding tables of power that keep women from sitting down, playing, and competing equally. Erin discovered poker during this time, and made the connection that learning to think, negotiate and take risks, like a winning poker player, trained her in skillsets that offered a solution for pushing the needle on women’s empowerment in the workplace. Erin now leads Poker Power’s mission to teach one million girls and women how to stack their skills, negotiate, and take calculated risks by gamifying key leadership lessons with poker gameplay. Before joining Poker Power, Erin was the strategic advisor to the management team of Evil Geniuses, a global e-sports organization. She has previously served as an independent corporate director on the boards of Marbles and Roomlinx and began her finance career at JPMorgan. Erin received her MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and BA from Bates College. In 2023, she received the Global Gaming Women “Women of Inspiration–Woman to Watch” award and has spoken on many premier stages including TEDx, Money 20/20 RiseUp, AWS Women’s Leadership Summits, TEDx Talk, Monaco Positive Impact Summit, and many more. Erin serves on the Advisory Board for Money 20/20 RiseUp and was a mentor for SXSW Edu in 2023. Additionally, she is a member of McKinsey’s Midwest Executive Women’s Forum. Connect with Erin Website: https://pokerpower.com/ Twitter: @joinpokerpower Instagram: @joinpokerpower Facebook: Join Poker Power Connect with Tiffany Website: https://moneytalkwitht.com Facebook: Money Talk With Tiff Twitter: @moneytalkwitht Instagram: @moneytalkwitht LinkedIn: Tiffany Grant YouTube: Money Talk With Tiff Channel Pinterest: Money Talk With Tiff This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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Key Takeaways

Poker develops three levels of thinking that directly translate to negotiation skills

Level 1: Binary decisions based solely on your own information (raise or fold)

Level 2: Considering what opponents likely hold and adjusting strategy accordingly

Level 3: Meta-thinking about what opponents think you have, creating strategic advantage

Position at the table mirrors real-life power dynamics in negotiations

Seating positions create relative strength or weakness that shifts each hand

You must adapt strategy based on whether you're in a position of power or disadvantage

This practice helps navigate situations where you don't have the biggest 'chip stack'

Folding 80% of hands teaches valuable discipline and strategic patience

Professional players fold ~80% of hands, focusing on high-value opportunities

When betting, do so aggressively (3x the big blind) for maximum impact

This translates to knowing when to walk away from suboptimal deals or situations

The 'power of the pause' (checking) prevents reactive decision-making

Taking time to analyze information before responding leads to better outcomes

In poker, this is literally tapping the table to 'check' without committing chips

Applies directly to financial decisions—pause before purchases to avoid impulse buying

Winning at poker builds transferable confidence for workplace success

First lesson is 'courage'—overcoming fear of sitting at the table

Celebrating wins (even small ones) creates positive reinforcement

Skills like negotiation, risk assessment, and reading situations transfer to salary negotiations and promotions

Intro

Erin Lydon, President of Poker Power, joins Tiffany to explain how poker strategies—negotiation, calculated risk-taking, and reading imperfect information—can dramatically improve women's professional and financial outcomes.

Erin Lydon is President of Poker Power, a former Wall Street professional, and strategic advisor to Evil Geniuses esports. She holds an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School and is a frequent speaker on workplace equity. Her mission is teaching one million girls and women leadership skills through poker gameplay.

From the Felt to the Boardroom: How Poker Skills Can Boost Your Career Success | Ep. 289

Key Takeaways

Intro

– Why Poker for Career Success?

– The Three Levels of Thinking in Negotiation

– Poker Math: Calculating Risk Without Fear

– Building Confidence Through Gameplay

– The Power of the Pause and Discipline

– How to Get Started

Resources

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