BTI360 just held our second annual poker tournament, but this year we put a little wrinkle into the rules.

Each player was a part of a team competing over 4 Apple TVs!  Teams accumulated “orange chips” when players stayed in the competition.  Of 60 players there were two teams with two players at the final table!

I found it fascinating to watch the team strategy at the final table.

• Teammates did not compete against each other (even though the individual winner took home an iPad!)
• Players that were out of the competition cheered for their teammates in the game

I couldn’t help but relate this back to software development:

• First, great software teams remove personal egos from the work.  It’s about the product, not promoting self.
• Second, software teams have many stakeholders influencing the product.  When stakeholders are cheering on the team ideas flow freely and communication stays open.

If we focus on the team everyone wins, even in poker!

Enjoy the video recapping the poker tournament!