Leaders are people who learn not only from the business sphere but can soak up knowledge from people from all walks of life, particularly those people who have had professional successes in non-traditional ways. Pro gamblers walk outside the bounds of “regular life,” becoming wealthy in a field where the odds are typically stacked against you.

To make it as a pro gambler, you need tenacity, a well-thought-out risk appetite, and the ability to read others well to know when to shoot your shot. Here are some other ways that the lessons of a pro gambler can be an asset as a leader.

Know when to take a risk on your future

Have a risky business move you’re weighing up? It might pay to follow a seemingly wacky path. Just ask Huck Seed, WSOP’s 2020 Hall of Fame inductee. Seed’s game is poker, which over the years has amassed the Vegas local a net worth of $4 million. While he was originally a star basketball player in high school and going into uni, once he got into poker he dropped out of studying electrical engineering to concentrate on the game full time. Could basketball make you a millionaire? Highly unlikely. Electrical engineering? Probably not. But if you’re good at poker? Sure.

The same can be said in business. While you may have a number of different ideas about where you might run towards in business, if you come across a lucrative field that you’re good at - it might just pay to take that risk and jump in. Just because others may be wary doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a bad idea. You can always come back to other things later if it doesn’t work out.

The same goes if you are a leader. If you are chatting to employees about product performance, if you are a good reader, you may know when they are just telling you what you want to hear. When looking at strategic partnerships, you will be able to get a good gauge on the competition. In talks with customers or clients, you’ll be able to see how they really feel about your business.