Poker is a card game that involves skill, psychology and probability. With the exception of the initial forced bets, money placed into the pot is a voluntarily chosen action based on expected value or an attempt to bluff other players for strategic reasons. This asymmetry between the players is what makes poker such an intriguing game.
A good poker player is constantly processing feedback from their opponents to build accurate models of them and determine where they go wrong and right. They are also trained in thinking in terms of bet decisions, which is a powerful construct to help them make better decisions.
In poker, the players take turns betting and then deciding whether to fold their hand or keep playing. They are able to choose from three options: to check (not place any money into the pot), call or raise.
As the game progresses, the community cards are revealed – the flop, turn and river. Each player aims to make the best five card hand using their two personal cards and the community cards – a pair, a straight or flush.
Poker players use the same skills as entrepreneurs and athletes: they rely on self-belief in their decision-making abilities under pressure, and are skilled at filling in critical gaps in information to exploit or protect themselves. They are experts at extracting signal from noise across multiple channels, such as body language and betting patterns, and integrating them to inform their decision making.