Caspar Berry

Biography

After starring in Byker Grove and studying Economics and Anthropology at Cambridge, Caspar began his adult career a screenwriter. Then at the age of 25 he made a life-changing decision and became a professional poker player in Las Vegas.

Caspar has long since retired from poker, but he retains many of the lessons learned and applies them directly to business. He identifies risk as the single most important though least understood factor in turning potentially innovative managers into dynamic leaders. As testament to this, Bill Gates claims to have discovered everything he knows about business from the poker he played at college.

After the financial crisis (caused in large part by the failure to manage risk), Caspar argues that the priority is not to avoid risk altogether, but to better understand and calculate it. Whether you are leading a team, making savings, planning budgets or negotiating with suppliers and customers, risk plays a central role in your life; yet when challenged, few can define the difference between a calculated risk and a reckless gamble. He also reflects on the risk of telling the truth at work, as well as recognising the truth and how to create a more honest environment.

In his workshops Caspar uses game playing to provide practical insights into risk, uncertainty and the science of decision-making. Offering tools (not rules), he demonstrates the difference between a calculated risk and a gamble, how to balance short and long-term goals and how to make the most of opportunities. Participants discover that when given enough information and the ability to measure probability, risk-embracing behaviour pays substantial dividends.

Away from the serious side of risk, Caspar also hosts poker schools, taking even beginners through the steps of flushes and full houses and getting participants to play in a Texas Hold ‘Em competition.