Math, Logic, and Poker

[ptmusic]

I enjoyed the article, and I agree wholeheartedly with its premise. Math and logic skills are certainly very important in poker and in life, and I'm thankful that I hold my own in these areas. I especially enjoyed the extended analogy of the business world since I'm pursuing my MBA. While reading the article, it occurred to me that a very similar article could have been written about other characteristics that could help propel one in business.

Instead of extreme skills in math and logic, substitute, for example, extreme good looks, extreme communication skills, or extreme organizational behavior skills. Very successful businesspeople are unlikely to possess, say, extreme good looks, and very few extremely good-looking people vying for the top of the business world will make it. However, extreme good looks does indeed improve one's chances. (Interestingly, it takes math and logic to prove it!)

A fascinating study would make a comparative analysis of various extreme characteristics' effects on success in a given field. Such a study might just show that math is indeed the most valuable extreme characteristic to possess for business, but perhaps something like extreme empathy (e.g. Emotional IQ) would prove to be even more valuable.