The Big Billionaire Gamblers (may be controversial)

Every now and then I'll travel interstate for a get-together with old friends. During the trip a poker game is ALWAYS organised.

To really get into the spirit of the thing we all - 8 to 10 of us - bring cigars. And a special cap is brought along for the dealer to wear.

We all agree on winning hands and write this down - saves disagreement later.

Then play begins.

From the many games we've played over the years - starting at around 7 in the evening and going through to 4 in the morning - two hands stand out in my mind.

The first, when a good budy of mine and I bluffed everyone else out of the hand. I ended up winning the pot with a pair of twos. He had nothing.

It was so funny. People had folded with MUCH better hands. And they really let their feelings be known when they saw my pair of twos. HA!

The other memorably event was...

It was very late (or early, depending on your point of view). Most people had gone home and there were just three of us left. I'd had enough and the last hand of the night was being played.

To make it super fair I was the dealer even though I wasn't playing.

Some time during the night two jokers had been added to the pack as wild cards.

I delt both hands and both players drew new cards. I got to see both of their hands.

They placed their bets, upped each other until finally they both said "Stuff it" and put all the money they had on the table into the pot.

Both players thought they had a winning hand. And if I'd been in their shoes I would have too.

One player had four Jacks, and the wild card. The other, four Queens, and the wild card! Incredible.

Certainly with any card game there's an element of chance. BUT, with some games, such as poker, there's also an element of skill.

I believe it's this skill factor which makes it attractive.

Not just skill with the cards though. Skill in things that aren't related to the cards, as shown by the bluffing element.

To out-smart the other player under totally equal conditions. And doing so under "game" conditions. Game conditions which reflect life in the business world to a degree - nerves of steel, bluffing, out-smarting competition, etc.

Of course, poker isn't the only other game that reflects (simulates) business.

The most well known one that springs to mind is Monopoly - the real estate trading game.

The basics of Monopoly are simple - buy land, build a house on it, upgrade to hotels, and charge people rent.

Sure there's some luck in Monopoly - the luck of the dice and the cards you draw. But there's also skill.

And I think by playing "simulation games" you learn by a kind of osmosis. You have fun while learning something useful.

More than that though, you do the learning without real financial risk.

AND, you can keep your skills in sharp form.

I mean, lets face it, Tiger Woods didn't get to where he is today because he didn't practice until he got good, and practice to stay good. He got to where he is today precisely because he practices.

I'm not telling you anything you don't know already.

But what gets me is, every day, all over the planet, people go into business WITHOUT practicing.

This is akin to a non-golfer going to Walmart, buying a set of clubs, joining the Pro tour and expecting to make a living.

Is it any wonder so many businesses flop?

But once they're in business, they stop doing what's necessary to keep sharp.

If Tiger stopped practicing his game would go off, he wouldn't win as much, if at all, and his earnings would reflect it.

So to stay at the top making a living he practices.

Business owners don't do this on the most part. They hang their sign and try to learn as they go. A very costly way to do it.

Some try to do the smart thing and seek outside assistance - books, videos, business coaches, etc. But still it COSTS them thousands to get the hands on learning.

I can pick up a golf book and read about how to improve my game. But nothing will happen until I get on the course and give it a go. And when I do, I find it doesn't cost me an arm or a leg, and certainly won't ever come close to costing me my house. I am able to "practice" with very little cost and no great risk.

Business isn't like that though. A book may be cheap, but to practice what the book says isn't cheap.

There should be games we can play that help us learn the business skills we need. And to help us keep sharp.

Then business owners wouldn't have to put their house on the line to acquire skills. They could just learn them by osmosis from a game. And they could easily and cheaply keep their new found skills up to scratch by repeatedly playing the game.

They could get their kids involved and their kids could learn the skills at an early age.

Want to learn the stock market? Buy a stock market simulation game (if there is one). Want to learn real estate trading? Try Monopoly for starters. Want to learn (insert what you want to learn)? Buy the simulation game. It's far cheaper than learning the basics in the real world.

Of course, the problem is, these real life simulation games are not too common. Oh sure there are simulation games, but so much about them is removed from reality their use as a learning tool is minimal, if it exists at all.

Games are a fun way to learn. It's how we did it as children and we learnt very fast.

Michael Ross.