Poker is a card game that includes a significant element of chance, but it’s also a competitive skill game that involves a lot of calculation and logic. Playing regularly will help improve your mental arithmetic and make you a more confident decision-maker.

One of the main reasons to practice poker is to develop your ability to read other players’ tells. These are not only the obvious things like fiddling with their chips and looking tense, but they can include more subtle signs such as a sudden rise in blood pressure or a reddening of the face. You can learn a few tells at a time over time by watching other players.

Another benefit of playing poker is learning to stay patient in the face of adversity. A good poker player will not throw a tantrum when they get a bad hand, but will simply fold and learn from it. This is an important lesson that can be applied to other areas of life, such as the workplace.