Poker is a game that puts your analytical, mathematical and interpersonal skills to the test. It also indirectly teaches you how to make decisions under uncertainty. In poker, the player must estimate probabilities in order to make smart decisions, but this is a skill that can be applied to many areas of life.
Poker also teaches you how to control your emotions. While there are moments in poker when unfiltered emotions such as fear and anger are justified, the vast majority of the time it’s best to keep your emotions under control. Otherwise, your performance could suffer. This is a lesson that can be applied to all areas of your life, from work to relationships.
One of the most important lessons poker teaches is that your hand’s value is relative to what the other players are holding. For example, if you hold K-K and another player is on A-A, your pair of Kings are losers 82% of the time.
Other factors that influence how good a hand is are bet sizing (the larger the raise, the tighter you should play) and stack sizes (when short stacked, you must play fewer speculative hands and prioritize high card strength). There is no point in putting yourself in bad situations at the table, which is why it’s important to know your opponents well and always take the maximum amount of action when you have the opportunity. This is a key part of playing the game correctly and making money.