Poker is, hands-down (sorry), one of the most popular card games of all time, played non-stop since the 1800s. Today, it?s featured in countless films and TV shows, single-handedly birthing the concept of a ?high-stakes lifestyle?.
But once you?ve played poker for an extended period of time, you?ll realize it offers all kinds of valuable life lessons - even for players who aren't into the whole high-stakes thing. For example, if you want to succeed at poker...
#5 You Have To Learn Math
If you watch movies or TV shows about poker, it?s all about sizing up opponents and figuring out their weaknesses. The truth is if you want to be a great poker player, you?re going to have to brush up on your math. Poker is a game of statistics where you crunch numbers to guess how good your hand is, what cards are likely to be drawn, and what cards the other players are likely holding.
Let?s say you have a pair of jacks in your hand. That sounds good, but there?s also a king on the table. So if you bet at this point, you?re not just betting against players - you?re betting the mathematical possibility that someone else has a king of their own. It?s the poker equivalent of Dirty Harry?s ?Do ya feel lucky punk?, and you need statistics to confidently play those odds.
That?s a very basic scenario too, which doesn?t get into the statistics behind flushes and straights. The best poker players are those who can figure this stuff out on the fly.
#4 Patience Is Essential
Here's a counterintuitive zen thought: The only way to win is to not play. But that's the truth in professional poker, where it's not unheard to play 20-25% of hands - the rest of the time you fold and patiently wait for a better hand. That?s the part they don?t show much of Casino Royale: James Bond letting everyone else play for hours while he orders drinks.
This approach feels tedious because we?ve equated folding with losing. But it?s absolutely crucial to stay the course. If you play every single hand thinking you'll win eventually, you?ll get crushed by the player who waited for one absolutely amazing hand. ?Slow and steady wins the poker game? is a fantastic motto to live by.
#3 You Can?t Bluff Your Way Through Everything
Here?s another common movie trope - poker players win because they're fantastic bluffers. Sometimes you can win by bluffing - it feels great at the time too. But do not, do not make it your sole strategy. It?s a trap, and playing every hand that way is how the Imperial Navy blows up your ragtag Rebel Alliance.
The thing about bluffs - even when someone isn?t using the math and patience rules above - is that eventually someone calls you on it. And then what do you have? Probably nothing - not to mention you?ve just advertised to everyone else you?re the player who can?t back up their bluster.
Bluffing can be an important skill - but it?s usually better to approach from a position of strength.
#2 You Must Know Your Limits
You did everything to prepared: Brushed up on your mathematics, practiced bluffing, and did pre-game yoga to enter Poker Patience Zen. It didn?t matter. You got nothing but bad hands, and are losing a ton of money. Maybe you could win it back - but long-time poker players are usually humble enough to know when to walk away.
If you play any poker video game that tracks your earnings, you'll probably find that number sitting in the negative. Winning a few games can wipe it out quickly, but statistically you?ll always lose more often than you win. Always. If you?re playing a five-person tournament, that means four people are losing every single hand. Guess which side you?re most likely to be on? Now imagine that lesson is learned with your life savings.
That?s not saying you can?t play - but when you do, always set a hard limit for when it?s time to walk away.
Alternatively, you could...
#1 Just Play For Fun
Even if it?s gambling, poker can be a fun game - why not take the risk out of it? You can play for fun, or turn to video games that don?t require a thousand dollar buy-in. And what?s more, it can help you take the lessons above to heart in a safe environment where you won?t lose all your money.
One such example is Natural Born Poker Player - a series of interactive games which evaluate the individual skills of poker players, including quick thinking, logic, and keeping a cool head. From there, you can head to the Playroom to see if your knowledge can get you through an actual poker scenario.
If you think you could be a professional poker player? Good luck to you. But you can learn something just by playing for fun - something which all true games should be.
