The 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event recently concluded in Las Vegas, with winner Jerry Yang besting a field of 6,358 players and walking away with a cool $8,250,000. Not bad for a guy who only started playing two years ago.

Poker is a fascinating game. On the surface, it seems like such a simple, almost pedestrian pastime–you either have the best hand or you don’t, right? But those who delve deeper into the game know that every hand tells a story, a mystery rich in strategic depth and beauty.

I’m a Poker nut. I once played an online session that lasted 17 hours straight. I love the challenge. I love the psychological warfare. I love having a hobby at which I can actually make money.

And, what’s really interesting, is that many of the skills that apply to being a good Poker player also apply to being successful with women.

A Game of Incomplete Information

In game theoretical terms, Poker is a game of incomplete information. The goal of Poker is to make decisions that maximize your overall expectation, trying to squeeze the most profit out of your opponents, without actually knowing what cards they hold.

When you approach a girl in the park, at the cafe, or in a nightclub, you want to make a good impression, but there are all kinds of questions for which you won’t yet have an answer:

• Does she have a boyfriend?
• Is she really shy and introverted, or outgoing and easy to talk to?
• Is she into the kinds of things I’m into?
• What if she’s completely grossed out by me?
• Is this waitress flirting with me because she’s into me or because she wants a decent tip?

Faced with uncertainty, you make the best decision you can based on the information available. If it doesn’t work out, there’s always another hand. And there’s always another girl.

Intuition

A serious Poker player spends endless hours at the table, honing their intuition, reshaping their neural pathways into networks of No Limit know-how. Though there’s plenty of room for logical reasoning, raw scientific analysis will only get you so far. Being truly successful at Poker requires developing a sixth sense, and having an uncanny ability to translate verbal and non-verbal clues into decisions that have a positive expectation.

With women, some questions questions just can’t be asked. Are we ready to have sex now? Mmm, probably too blunt. Are you a good match for me? Not the kind of thing that lends itself to direct questioning. Are you attracted to me? Creepy!

Consistent success with women requires developing an informed inner voice. You need to gain the experience to read between the lines, to listen to what she is and isn’t saying, and to trust your instincts to Do The Right Thing.

Willingness to Gamble

Being a truly great Poker player requires more than just card clairvoyance. You’ve got to be willing to push all your chips in the middle at the right time. The best players have an almost insane zeal for risk and adventure. And these attributes will reward you in your love life.

You’ve got to be willing to put your balls on the line to talk to women you find attractive. You will get blown out, brushed off, and rejected at times, but a habit of taking social risks will yield a long-term profit. You’ll develop a remarkable capacity to handle yourself under social pressure and your proactive approach will create sexual opportunity.

Short-Term Volatility, Long-Term Rewards

There are not too many jobs in which there is a 40% chance that your compensation on a given day is below zero.

– Luke Kim, on playing Poker for a living

Every serious student of Poker is all too familiar with the slings and arrows of playing cards for fun and profit. Daniel Negreanu, Card Player magazine’s Player of the Year in 2004, once lost a $575,000 pot when his opponent, Poker superstar Gus Hansen, caught the one and only card in the deck that could beat him. In Poker terminology, this is a “bad beat” of the highest order.

Great Poker players deal in the realm of long-term and infinite. They know that as long as they keep working hard and making sound decisions, the luck will average out, and the profits will flow in the direction of the sharks.

A long-term mindset is extremely useful with women too. I’ve had days where I’ve talked to over a dozen people, and never got to the point of exchanging contact info. I’ve also had days where I’ve talked to just one girl and really hit it off. Dating and relationships are full of short-term heartache and day-to-day woes, but persistence and patience pays off in the long-term.

If you meet someone new every day for a week, it’s possible that you won’t get very far. But if you meet someone new every day for a year, you’ll have given yourself 365 chances to cross paths with the girl of your dreams.

Shuffle Up and Deal

Not only is Poker a fascinating game and a profitable pastime, it can also teach you lessons about your love life. Success with women requires being able to take action the face of uncertainty, to put yourself on the line knowing you might get shot down, and to rely on your instincts to help carry you through. A persistent, committed approach to meeting people will yield long-term profits in your social and sex life.

Finally, it all comes down to action. If you’re unsure where to begin meeting people, start with one approach a day and, before you know it, you’ll be a master flirter with a Poker addiction. :)