First of all given the popularity in poker in the US and how it is viewed as a sign of masculinity it is not at all surprising that a lot of successful men used

First of all given the popularity in poker in the US and how it is viewed as a sign of masculinity it is not at all surprising that a lot of successful men used to play poker. A lot of men play poker, period. So I am not sure being a good poker player should be viewed as a precursor to success. Even if it is, it is definitely not a positive one. If it is a precursor of success it probably means that good poker players are probably good at manipulating other people and lying, that's all. Here is what poker taught me: - people can be bastards, and are generally not to be trusted. And I am not referring to the sanctioned lying that is accepted in poker (i.e., bluffing). There is a lot of shit behaviour in poker games outside of that narrow accepted form of lying. - never never drink alcohol and do anything important. In poker you quickly discover that even one beer can cloud your judgement even if you feel completely fine.