For some people, poker is a way of life. It's all they do, it's all they think about.
For the rest of us, poker is just a diversion. It takes us away from the "real" world, if only for a time.
For all poker players, lessons learned at the table (or virtual table) can be applied to everything we do. Here's just a few:
The Four-Way Stop Sign
You and another car hit the stop at the same time. Who goes first? The law says you defer to the car to your right, but we know that no one really knows the law, so choas often rules.
A poker player will approach the stop, wait for any sign of weakness from the other driver, and make their move. A poker player is trained to sense hesitation and act on it.
I'm sure studies will prove that poker players spend less time at a four-way stop than other drivers.
The Contract Negotiation
You could always be paid more. That's just the way it is in life. Whoever signs your check has the money to give you a raise, but how are you going to get it?
It depends. What kind of hand are you holding?
Are you the hard-working, essential-to-the-office kind of employee? If that's the case, it's time to ram and jam. You have no reason to fold. You're holding the nuts, and your boss knows it.
Are you the play-computer-games, poker-blog-at-work, wait-until-the-last-second-to-get-anything-done kind of employee? If so, you've got one choice. Bluff. What's the worse that could happen? Well, except for busting out...
The Singles Bar
This is where pot odds clearly come into play. How big is the pot (i.e. how attractive is the target)? How much will it cost you to win that pot? And if you spend the money on that pot, how confident are you that another opponent won't be going home with the pot instead?
It's a difficult world, and poker players should have an advantage, as long as they get away from their keyboard every now and then!