Poker – A Game Teaching Life Lessons Poker is a rollercoaster of emotions – stress, excitement and anxiety are some of the many emotions that you will experience

Poker is more than just an ordinary game; it is a mathematical marvel. While many are still unaware of the positive impacts of poker, it is hard to ignore the immense popularity the game has gained in the country. Thus, it is necessary to throw light on its unheard-of benefits.

Poker is a mind game that puts an individual's analytical, mathematical and interpersonal skills to test besides challenging one's own convictions. It is a game that pushes one's mental and physical endurance to the limit. It is a game which indirectly teaches life lessons. Many people are not aware of the underlying facts about poker. Here are a few.

1. Improves Your Concentration

Poker requires concentration. Cards are not random; they are a mathematical problem. To excel, you need to pay attention not only to the cards but also to your opponents. Notice the way they are dealing with the cards and their body movements (if playing in a physical environment). In poker, it is important to not lose focus because one miss can result in a huge loss. Poker trains the mind continuously enabling you to improve your concentration levels.

2. Builds Emotional Maturity

Poker is a rollercoaster of emotions – stress, excitement and anxiety are some of the many emotions that you will experience. The game is also about concealing these emotions when required. You cannot let your opponents read your face or mind which otherwise gives away a clue to the cards that you may have. After all, keeping a "poker face" on the table is a virtue! Poker is a game that will assess your emotional control and help you acquire the skills to manage these emotions.

3. Improves Your Decision-Making Ability

Poker trains your mind to make better decisions. According to Annie Duke, once a globally renowned poker player and now a consultant and author, "Approaching decisions in a probabilistic way, getting help from people who offer different viewpoints, exercises to get ourselves to see decisions from other perspectives, learning the right lessons from outcomes — these are all habits of mind that will improve our decision quality." Poker is a game that constantly pushes you to make complex decisions, and irrespective of whether a decision makes you win or lose, you are always improving your decision-making skills.

4. Increases Your Observation Skills

Playing poker not only improves your memory but most importantly, helps you to observe people and their moves in an efficient manner. This is possible because, during the game, you constantly observe the cards and also observe the expressions and body movements of your opponents to have an edge over them.

5. Lets You Play With the Best

Online poker provides you with a chance to interact with world-renowned poker players. Some of the online poker sites have a virtual assistant platform that enables you to connect with some of the best poker players, providing you with an opportunity to consult and play with the best. This, in turn, helps you to learn, practice and improve your game.

Poker teaches you to focus on important subjects in life. It is a mind game that enhances your mental skills; after all, intelligence is the true measure of the wealth of an individual. There are multiple online portals where you can play poker.