What Does Poker Teach Us?

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Poker

Poker is an extremely popular card game, played by millions around the world. Although a large part of the game’s success depends on luck, good poker players have a clear understanding of what they need to do in order to win in the long run. This includes identifying when they have an edge, measuring their odds, learning from mistakes, avoiding the “sunk cost trap” and making constant improvements.

Moreover, Poker teaches us to be patient and calm in changing situations. This is a great skill to have in the business world, where many decisions are made under pressure and uncertainty. Poker also helps to improve concentration levels by training the mind to focus on the cards, as well as on other players’ reactions and by-play.

One of the most important things Poker teaches you is to play your strongest value hands as straightforwardly as possible, i.e. to bet a lot when your expected value is ahead of the opponent’s calling range. If you overplay your strong hands, you risk making your opponents overthink and arrive at the wrong conclusions about what you’re doing – which will make it much easier for them to call your bluffs. On the other hand, if you fold pre-flop every time you have a decent starting hand, you’ll bleed yourself dry and leave yourself vulnerable to big bets by your opponents with strong pre-flop holdings.