Poker conquers a place of honor at Harvard Law School

Second article of the series

The rehabilitation of poker has certainly reached its peak with the introduction of Charles Nesson's Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society at Harvard Law School, considered one of the most prestigious schools in America and worldwide.

Charles Nesson introduces poker at Harvard Law School
In recent years, poker strategies were adopted as a subject of study in the departments of several business universities. Now, Harvard Law School, one of the most prestigious law departments in the United States is taking a leadership role thanks to one of its professors.

The introduction of poker at Harvard Law School is the result of professor Charles Nesson’s initiative. As part of his commitment to poker as education, Nesson also founded GPSTS, the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, an association which has four main goals:

• 1. To create poker chapters in universities all over the world.
• 2. To organize seminars, lectures and discussion groups to examine poker as a means to teach strategic     thinking.
• 3. To sponsor poker focused meetings between business, law and other professional schools.
• 4. To organize lectures which educate professors on applying strategic thinking in poker to university courses.

Poker is more than just a game. It is one of the best ways to teach skills essential to succeed in life.

Poker gives life lessons
Nesson believes that poker is a game of skill that represents an excellent teaching tool on an academic level. During a lecture at the university, he argued that, “Poker is more than just a game. It is one of the best ways to teach how to conduct negotiations, how to assess risks, how to develop strategic thinking and other skills essential to succeed in life.”

Nesson is also one of the most active defenders of online poker liberalization in the United States. He plays poker, and on several occasions has played with his students.

Online poker brings benefits too
Andrew Woods, executive director of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society founded by Nesson, is a graduate of Harvard Law School and professor of economics at Harvard College, along with being an avid poker player. Woods argues that poker has allowed him to develop the skills that have helped him to overcome the acceptance tests to university. “Instead of getting lost in the details of each question asked in the LSAT (a law exam), I used the strategy learned playing poker to identify in a short time the crux of the matter."

Woods argues that even playing online poker brings benefits: more and more people do online business and conduct online negotiations. “Typically,” says Woods, “people considered smart and successful in their lives tend to be good poker players too.”