Poker is a game of skill and psychology. There is a lot of math involved too as you have to calculate odds and probabilities. If you learn to play poker properly, you can gain life-skills that will benefit you in many other ways.
One of the most important lessons in poker is learning to make decisions under uncertainty. This is a useful skill for many other areas of your life, including business and finance. The key to making good decisions under uncertainty is estimating the probabilities of different scenarios. Poker can help you develop this ability by teaching you how to estimate odds and probabilities.
Another skill that poker can teach you is discipline. Top poker players are usually very disciplined and will not make rash decisions under pressure or take big risks without doing the calculations. They also will not get distracted easily or allow their emotions to affect their decision-making. If you lack this kind of discipline, you can lose a lot of money playing poker.
The game is also a great social experience, as you will meet people from all walks of life and backgrounds. This can improve your social skills.
If you want to become a better player, there are many books and coaches available to help you. The best way to learn is to focus on studying ONE concept per week, instead of bouncing around from topic to topic. For example, study a cbet video on Monday, read a 3bet article on Tuesday and listen to a podcast about tilt management on Wednesday.