Poker isn’t just a card game – it’s an intricate social game that puts people’s analytical, mathematical and interpersonal skills to the test. Whether you play poker for fun, or professionally, the game can teach you a lot of things that can be applied to real-life situations.

For starters, you’ll learn to control your emotions. When you lose, it’s easy to go on tilt and start making reckless decisions. But if you’re able to keep your cool and stick to a strategy, you can use this skill in other aspects of life as well.

You’ll also learn to read your opponents by looking for tells. These aren’t just the obvious cues like fiddling with their chips or wearing a ring, but also things like how they call and raise. A player who’s calling all night and suddenly raises a lot may be holding an unbeatable hand, for example.

Another important lesson is understanding the risk versus reward principle. As a beginner, you’ll probably lose a lot of money at first. But if you keep playing, you’ll soon see your profits grow. This is because you’ll be getting better at reading your opponents, and knowing when to call, raise or fold.

Finally, you’ll learn to think in terms of probabilities and EV estimations. This will improve your decision-making, both at the poker table and in your everyday life. Over time, you’ll develop a natural intuition for these concepts and will be able to apply them without even thinking about it.