If you’re looking to plan an exciting team building event for your team, do not overlook an exciting game of poker! Virtual poker in particular makes for an awesome corporate team building event idea. Remove the less desirable aspects of the game.
This strategic game can be played for fun and social interaction only, with no money or real gambling involved.
The coolest part? Lots of aspects of poker mimic real life business concepts. This is a game that goes far beyond the casino, as it helps to teach and even enforce strategies that help to make individuals successful in business.
The Keys to Playing a Game of Poker
All of the rules and regulations in poker may feel a bit overwhelming to a beginner. But have no fear! The game is actually quite easy to get the hang of. Mastering it, on the other hand, can be a challenge for some.
First, you’ll have to learn the basic ten 5-card hand plays that are used in all games of poker. These are the Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, One Pair and High Card.
The second thing you need to understand is how betting works in poker. Players will take turns being the dealer and each round starts with two blinds (forced bets). The player to the left of the dealer posts a small blind, while the player to the left of that bets doubles it. In each subsequent round, the betting increases incrementally.
The third key concept you need to understand is how hands are ranked in poker. This will help you determine when you should fold (give up) your hand and when you should continue betting. The rank of a hand is determined by the poker value of the cards within it.
Why is Virtual Poker Perfect for Team Building?
Think of a game of poker as a business. There are several strategies and concepts that overlap. Sitting at a poker table is very much like sitting in the boardroom in many different ways. Those who are able to develop and master the discipline involved to win will be successful – both in playing the game and in the business world!
What are some of the key benefits to playing virtual poker for team building? Allow us to count the ways!
Understanding Your Strengths & Weaknesses
First and foremost, poker is a great way to help people learn about themselves and others. As in business, poker is all about strategy, risk taking, and making calculated decisions. In order to be successful in the game, players learn how to understand their strengths and weaknesses, and those of others.
Planning
Just like in business, poker requires careful planning and execution. In playing the card game, you’ll quickly learn that you must have a plan of attack before sitting down at the table if you want to be successful.
Making Decisions with Little Information
Oftentimes in business, individuals must think quickly and make big decisions with very little information. This same concept carries over in poker. You will never fully have all of the information you will need in order to know what kind of move to make, but you will have to be able operate without all of the necessary information available.
Knowing Your Opponents
Another interesting link between poker and business is knowing your opponents. In any competitive situation, it is important to understand your competition. What cards do they hold? What are they betting?
Learning when to take Risks
This is a game that helps players learn when it’s best to hold back or push forward. In poker as in business, the ultimate goal is to gain control over your own success by making wise decisions about risk taking. Through each hand played, virtual poker can help team members to develop an understanding for how to read people and situations. This is a critical skill in business, where so much relies on interpersonal interactions.
Working within a Rapidly Changing Landscape
In poker, you have to learn to work within a rapidly changing landscape. This means playing the cards you are dealt, no matter how terrible your hand may be. This is the same in business as you will hardly ever be able to control certain external factors. Think of all of the factors that can affect your business’s success: the changing economy, the introduction of new technology, political factors, changing demographics, social factors, ethics, and more. Sometimes in business you will have to learn to play the hand you are dealt, regardless of how challenging it may be.
Practicing Your “Poker Face”
We have all heard of the importance of having a “poker face”. This is important when playing poker for obvious reasons, but can be especially important in the business world! Oftentimes, we have to maintain a sort of “table image” to keep feelings and emotions out of business. Doing business with too many emotions attached or giving too much confidential information away can be detrimental to the business.
Communication
In addition, poker helps team members to understand the importance of communication. In order to win at poker, players must be able to clearly communicate their thoughts and plans with others. Good communication is, of course, essential in business. Through playing poker together, team members learn how to communicate effectively, and this is a skill that can be taken back into the workplace.
Knowing When to Bluff
One of the most important parts in poker is knowing when to bluff. We also know that in business, learning the art of bluffing in certain business negotiations can really come in handy. While the ethics of bluffing in business have certainly been questioned in the past (and for a good reason!), just like in a game of poker, learning to bluff correctly and in the right spots can be quite important in “winning” some negotiations.
Patience
Another important aspect of poker is patience. Patience is key to being successful in the game, as you should not ever “force your hand” too much when playing the game. Sometimes you just will not get a good hand and you will have to learn to manage the hand you were dealt while also being patient and waiting for the next favorable situation to occur. Patience is a very important trait to learn to take on in the business world as well, as just like in the game, often times you will have to wait it out for a favorable situation to pop up. Learning patience helps in the business world and also in everyday life.
Managing Assets
In a more literal sense, poker requires players to be able to manage their chips. They have to keep track of how many chips they have, how much they have won, how much they have lost, and how much they can afford to bet. This is very similar to business in that team members must be able to manage important business resources. This can include a variety of resources such as cash, clients, vendors, products, manufacturing resources, marketing materials, and more. The types of resources an individual has to manage will depend on their position within the organization, but this management is always important nonetheless.
Tradeoff of Risk and Reward
Arguably the biggest lesson to be learned from poker is the tradeoff of risk and reward. In poker, players must constantly weigh the risks and rewards of any given hand. This is an important lesson for business as well. Too often we see organizations take unnecessary risks that can have a negative impact on their bottom line. Conversely, businesses sometimes miss out on potential rewards by being too risk-averse. Learning to find the right balance between risk and reward is essential for any business.
Knowing When to Cut Losses Without being a Sore Loser
As with any game, learning not to be a sore loser is another important lesson that can be learned from poker. In business, things will not always go as planned and it is important to know how to cut losses when necessary. Learning not to lose your temper, keeping calm, learning from your mistakes, and simply losing with grace will carry you a long way in life and in business.
Taking Cues from Others
Finally, poker teaches team players about the importance of taking cues from others. In order to make educated decisions on when it’s best to hold or fold, players must not only learn how to read one another but also learn how to accurately interpret cues. This is a skill that can be used in business and throughout life. Learning from the successes and failures of others helps us all make better decisions, improve our skills, and become more successful.
Virtual Poker is an Amazing Way to Bring Your Team Together!
As you can see, virtual poker can be a great way for team members to learn important business skills. The game mimics several very important concepts that are critical for success in the business world. Through playing the game together, team members can develop an understanding for how to read people and situations, work together as a team, effectively communicate, manage important resources, make good decisions based on risk and reward, and take cues from others. These are all essential skills for any individual looking to excel in business!
If you want your next team building event to be fun but meaningful, virtual poker is the way to go! Not only will team members have a great time, but they’ll also walk away with some very important skills that can be used in business and beyond. So what are you waiting for? Get your poker on!
Virtual Poker Events Offered by Team Building Unlimited
As leaders within the corporate team building industry, you BET that Team Building Unlimited can help you to plan, facilitate, and host the most awesome in-person or virtual poker team building event of all time!
Don’t know where to start? Just leave it to us. Our team will prepare everything that you need for your event and our charismatic hosts will have your entire group laughing and smiling the entire time. Give us a call at 609-443-6550 to get started with planning your poker event.
Also check out our Virtual Texas Hold ‘Em Event!
If poker is just not your thing, why not try out Texas Hold ‘Em? Here at Team Building Unlimited, we have curated an awesome virtual version of the super popular casino game!
What Makes Texas Hold ‘Em Different than Poker?
Texas Hold ‘Em is essentially a version of poker. Both games involve more than two or three players who are attempting to make the best hand based on the game’s defined hand system.
In Texas Hold ‘Em, the primary goal is for players to use the cards in their hand along with the community cards to make the best five-card poker hand. The game is played with a standard 52-card deck and can be enjoyed by up to 22 players.
The key difference between poker and Texas Hold ‘Em is that in poker, players are each dealt their own hand of cards while in Texas Hold ‘Em, all players share the same two hole cards. The remaining cards are community cards that are shared between all players.
This makes for a more collaborative game as players must strategize not only with their own hand but also with the community cards in order to make the best possible hand.
There’s a pretty good chance that your group already has an idea about how to play the game. Texas Hold ‘Em is known as the most popular poker game in America.
The Team Building Unlimited Virtual Texas Hold ‘Em Event
In our virtual Texas Hold ‘Em event, participants will have the chance to sit around a virtual “table” as they converse with each other, place their bids, and practice their bluffing skills. The most important part, of course, is that they will have the chance to simply bond over a fun, well-known card game.
Want to include players who have never played Texas Hold ‘Em before? Not a problem! Our entertaining hosts will be sure to explain the rules and betting procedures in full before kicking off the team building event.
The event will last between one and two hours and can be played with a minimum group size of 6 and a maximum group size of 60.
Get Started with Planning Your Event!
The great thing about Team Building Unlimited is that we will take all the stress and confusion out of your hands when it comes to planning a really memorable and entertaining corporate team building event.
Not sold on virtual poker or virtual Texas Hold ‘Em despite all of the similarities between the games and the business world? We offer a variety of fun team building events to choose from. Also, be sure to check out our list of over 28 fun virtual team building events.
Whether you’re looking for a virtual poker or Texas Hold ‘Em team building event, Team Building Unlimited has got you covered! Give us a call today to get started with planning your next fun team building event. You can reach us at 609-443-6550 or by filling out the form on our site.