Dogfooding Your Poker Strategy
Just like in startups, the best poker players test their own strategies in real time—adapting, learning, and refining their approach with every hand played, embracing a fail fast, fail forward mentality to quickly adjust and improve.
Applying Razors in Poker
In decision-making, a "razor" is a principle that simplifies choices by cutting unnecessary details. In poker, applying razors enhances strategic thinking:
- Occam's Razor: The simplest explanation is usually correct—if an opponent plays like they have a strong hand, they probably do.
- Hanlon's Razor: Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence—some players aren’t bluffing geniuses, they just don’t know better.
- Ed's Razor: Never be afraid to fold a good hand to a better player—sometimes, the best move is letting go.
Modern Razors for Decision Making & Poker
Iterate or Die "You don’t win by playing it safe—you iterate your strategy until you find what works."
Zero to One Thinking "To dominate, you must redefine how the game is played."
Fail Forward "Every lost hand is a data point for your next big win."
First Principles Only "Great players break the game down to fundamentals and rebuild it in their favor."
Poker-Inspired Quotes from Thought Leaders
Jensen Huang: "Smart players focus on the right hands."
Elon Musk: "When the pot is big enough, go all-in, even if the odds aren't in your favor."
Sheryl Sandberg: "A quick fold is better than a perfect bluff."