Poker is a game of skill, and while luck will always play a significant role in the overall outcome, players can make substantial improvements to their chances of success over time. In fact, it’s often just a few small adjustments that can mean the difference between breaking even and winning at a high clip.
Teach you to read people
As a poker player, you need to learn how to read the body language of your opponents and determine whether they’re holding a strong hand or are on a bluff. This can be valuable for life outside of the poker table as well, as reading body language is a necessary skill in almost any business endeavor.
Teaches you to think quickly
Poker requires a high level of critical thinking and analysis skills, both in terms of your own actions as well as how to read other players’ moves. You must be able to assess the probability of getting the card you need on the next street and compare it to the risk of raising, as well as calculate pot odds quickly. This type of quick math is a great way to develop your mathematical skills over time.
Poker also teaches you to control your emotions, both in the short term and long run. This is important because it’s easy to become emotionally involved in a hand and start making bad decisions. The best poker players are able to stay calm and collected in every situation.