Poker is a card game that requires strategy and skill. It can also improve your mental health and help you develop skills that you can use in other aspects of life. For generations, people have seen poker as a game that relies on luck and little else, but recent studies have shown that there is a great deal of skill involved in winning at the table. Here are a few ways that playing poker can help you become a better person:
It improves your working memory. Poker requires you to remember multiple types of information at once, including how your opponents have played in the past, their tendencies, and your own hands. This helps you to make quick decisions in the heat of the moment, which can be beneficial for your overall cognitive function.
Working memory is also important for reading other players. It allows you to notice the subtle physical “tells” that they might be giving off. For example, if they are scratching their nose or playing nervously with their chips, it is likely that they are holding pretty weak cards. This is the basis for reading other players, which is an essential skill in poker.
It teaches you to control your emotions. Poker is a fast-paced game, and it can be easy for stress levels to rise. If those levels are allowed to boil over then it can lead to negative consequences. Poker teaches you to keep your emotions in check and not let them get the best of you, which is beneficial for your life outside the poker room.