<p style="text-align: justify;">Poker never gave me what I wanted. Not what I wanted at first, that is.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">My goal, when I first began to play poker, was money. Of course it was money. I wanted to get so good at poker I could <b>win game after game</b> and gamble some weight into my bank account.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I’ve won money, of course. I’ve lost money, too. In the end, it’s more or less evened out, and I never achieved that colossal bonus that used to spur me on. Instead, I’ve found a <b>new benefit to poker</b>, and I’ll never stop playing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Poker has <b>made me smarter</b>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Would IQ tests agree? I don’t know. Would my boss agree? Probably not, but that’s just because I prefer to work in moderation. (Insert pre-recorded laugh here.) But I believe my mind is sharper, and, if nothing else, my daily life feels different. Playing poker has changed my mind and enhanced my brain. There are a few key poker traits that I believe are responsible for my new development:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><b>Poker relies on math and logic. </b></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Poker relies on lessons learned.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Poker relies on discipline.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I’ll explain how I learned each of these lessons, and why they’ve benefited my every day.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When I first started playing poker, I was lazy but gutsy, and just wanted to win. I got started with poker online to practice. I used a Golden Nugget Online Casino bonus code, which I still think is one of the better decisions I’ve made. I still play poker online, but I now play in person as well, and those online games helped me hone my skills.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In poker, you have to pay attention. You have to be <b>disciplined.</b> There’s no spacing out in a poker game, and you have to do <b>math</b> in your head as you play. You have to pay attention to what cards have been played and make educated guesses on what every player is holding. Will a gut sense get you through it? No. You have to rely on <b>logic</b>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">When you make a mistake in poker, the evidence of your mistake smacks you in the face a few minutes later. In ordinary life, we have to wait days, weeks, or months to learn if a decision was a mistake. In poker, you learn right away.If you let poker teach you, it will.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After getting pretty decent at poker, I now approach life differently. When faced with a decision at work, I no longer hem and haw and consider my worries. Instead, I collect data with the rapid-fire surety that I do around the poker table, and I apply it. I make logic the base of my decisions.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I’m better at doing math in my head. I now have the patience to sit and wait without growing restless. Poker has changed the way I live my life.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Not to mention, I’ve got a good poker face.</p>

How Playing Poker Improved My Mind
