Poker is a game that not only puts your analytical, mathematical and interpersonal skills to the test but also pushes your mental and physical endurance. It is a game that indirectly teaches life lessons to its players and has been known to improve their overall mental health and even their relationships with significant others.

One of the most important lessons that poker teaches is how to manage risk. It is a skill that you will use in all areas of your life. For example, you will learn to never bet more than you can afford to lose, and you will also learn to be able to recognize when your chances of winning a hand are slim. This will help you avoid bad investments and protect your bankroll.

Another important lesson that poker teaches is how to read your opponents and make informed decisions. For example, you will develop a quick math mind that will allow you to calculate things like implied odds and pot odds, which will help you decide whether to call, raise or fold. This ability to quickly evaluate the probability of a certain outcome will also benefit you in other areas of your life, such as business and investing.

Learning to play poker used to be much more difficult than it is today. There were only a few poker forums worth visiting, a handful of good poker software programs, and a small number of books that deserved to be read. Now there are a nearly infinite number of poker forums, Discord channels and FB groups to join, as well as hundreds of poker programs and seemingly endless poker books.