Poker Strategies for Women in Tech

When I moved to Charlotte two and a half years ago, I was looking for a cribbage league because I was hoping to make friends and build upon a hobby of mine. Instead, I found a poker league (shout out pubpokerchampionship.org). From a young age, my dad and I would play rummy every night. I never went on a trip without a deck of cards and if no one wanted to play with me I would play solo games. What I could not have imagined was the passion I would build for this game, the impact it would have on my career and the things it would teach me about life.

When I first started playing, I was what those in the poker community would refer to as a “tight passive” player. Tight passive players are known for playing just a small range of their hands and being unwilling to bluff or bet out with hands that did not connect well with the board. I did fairly well, mainly because when I did get in a hand I had a good hand (88+, AJo+, some larger suited connectors), and when I made it to the showdown it was only with the top of my range (your range is the group of possible hands you could be holding). I find that in a lot of ways, poker reflects life. Many women are tighter in poker and also more passive. On the other hand, men are more aggressive and more willing to take chances. In the real world, this is mirrored by technical women’s reluctance to take chances and also assert our standing without bulletproof facts to back it up.

I began my poker journey as an emotional player who allowed other people to control my success and was probably…