The Mental Side of Poker
Poker is a card game, played in many countries worldwide, in casinos, at home with friends, and over the internet. It can be a highly stressful game, especially when the stakes are high, and players must remain calm under pressure.
As a result, it can be a great way to build mental strength. It teaches you how to make decisions under uncertainty, which is a very valuable skill in both life and business. It also teaches you how to control your emotions, which is important when dealing with stress and anger in everyday life. Finally, it teaches you to persevere, even during long losing sessions, which is a good life lesson in itself.
The game requires patience and the ability to read other players, as well as to develop a strategy. It also requires discipline and determination, as the best players never give up on improving their skills. This is why it’s so important to study the game in a structured manner, with one concept per week (for example watching a cbet video on Monday and reading an article on ICM on Tuesday).
Moreover, poker is a very social game and it requires players to interact with their opponents. They must learn how to read other players’ tells, which are the little things a player does when they’re nervous or on tilt. These tells are usually invisible to the naked eye, such as fiddling with their chips or a ring.