Risk Management—
Texas Hold’em Tactics for the Project Manager

Keynote Speech by Dr. James Brown

Texas Hold’em has seen an explosion in popularity since the World Poker Championships have been featured on TV. Part of this popularity is the easiness of the game to learn, the rush of winning, and the luck factor that is involved. Playing the game is simple. Winning consistently is not simple. The winning Texas Hold’em player has two tactics that project managers must also have to be successful.

Ability to make probabilistic assessments

Ability to read human behavior as it responds to risk

Just like the Texas Hold’em player, project managers must deal with uncertainty and work with humans. This keynote presentation will provide the project manager with tips for probabilistic assessments and an understanding of human behavior as it specifically relates to risk.

To quote Texas Hold’em player Anthony Bee, from Important Concepts in Limit Holdem, “This means being able to recognize profitable situations and exploit them to the full. It also means avoiding unprofitable situations and therefore costly mistakes.” Could Anthony Bee have been talking about project management?

What Others Are Saying

This was one of the most candid, "real" presentations on project management and leadership I have enjoyed in the past twenty years in the industry. THANK YOU!”

— W. Rabon
Florida Department of Environmental Protection