It’s been some time since the public saw poker as a predominantly guys’ game played in smoky bars, backrooms, and casinos. The rise of online poker has thrown the popular table game into the mainstream arena, and now millions of people worldwide even watch events like WSOP (World Series of Poker). There are also many female pro poker players making their millions in poker tournaments alongside male players.

So, it’s safe to say that poker has had a bit of a makeover when it comes to public perception, and that’s nothing but good news. As more people have begun to explore the exciting, high-stakes nuances of this game, the world is learning more about the benefits of playing poker. One thing that’s become clear is the link between certain poker and life skills, such as the link between poker and emotional control, focus, and confidence. 

The Relationship Between Self-Confidence and Playing Poker

Confidence is defined as “the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something.” In a poker context, it’s about being sure of yourself and your abilities in a realistic way. 

If you look at the personality of a poker player, confidence is one of their most apparent traits. They need to be able to read the people and table dynamics to predict what their opponents are trying to do so they can adjust their own strategy accordingly. Poker players need to be sure of their decisions and execute their strategies with enough conviction in their actions that their bluffs will be effective. 

The good news is that, more often than not, confident poker players are not born that way; they work to become sure of themselves and their decisions. In short, learning how to build confidence and other valuable life skills from online poker is possible. 

So, whether you play poker online or you’re a live poker player, here are just four ways that the poker mindset can build your self-confidence.

1. Faith in Decision-Making

Poker is inherently unpredictable, but if there’s one thing you can predict in poker games, it’s variance. From all the different cards you could be dealt to all the poker strategies you and your opponents could use in the game, poker forces you to make decisions with limited knowledge. Navigating these decisions and doing so with resilience and conviction would be nearly impossible without confidence.

You’ll have to make important decisions throughout your life, whether at work or in a personal capacity. Poker gives you a great grounding and faith in your abilities when it comes to decision-making, although this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll always win in the traditional sense.

In poker, the right decisions do not always lead to a winning round. In fact, the right decision is often to fold or bet small, even if temptation tells you to go all in. 

You quickly learn to trust your decision-making abilities, which transfers to self-confidence away from the table, too. You’ll know that sometimes the right decision doesn’t get you where you want to go, but it’s a chance to learn and adapt. 

Having faith in your decision-making abilities is an important skill for both online poker tournaments and live poker.

2. Controlling Your Emotions

Improved emotional control is one of the most valuable cognitive benefits of playing poker. While learning to play poker, many people think that bluffing is the be-all and end-all of emotional control during the game. However, there is so much more to it. Whether you play online or live poker, controlling your emotions has to be part of your poker tournament strategy. So, to make rational decisions, you must be able to rein in your feelings about what is happening in the game.

Like most sports and games, poker is often a passionate affair. While it’s important to experience your emotions during the game, they shouldn’t be able to lead your decision-making astray.

Poker will teach you to ignore negative feelings of frustration and give you the confidence boost needed to focus on what’s happening in front of you. This confidence in handling your emotions is incredibly valuable in work situations and everyday interactions.

3. Refining Social Skills

You’ve probably been in a situation filled with awkward silences as you interact with someone you have nothing in common with. It’s difficult for people who might not be blessed with natural social skills to interact with strangers. If you’ve ever watched someone work the room, talking to everyone they come into contact with, and you’ve wondered how they do it, chances are that poker could help you refine your social skills.

You’re going to come across people from all walks of life when you play poker and, with a common interest in poker to get you started, it gives you the opportunity to talk to them and learn more about how to get along with people from different backgrounds. Even if you’re playing online poker, the chat rooms offer an excellent opportunity to broaden your horizons and interact with a range of personalities.

An essential aspect of self-confidence in social situations is eye contact. You can practice this skill during a live game. In poker, if someone has shifty eyes and can’t maintain eye contact, it’s usually a tell that they’re bluffing or nervous. The same goes for real-life situations. If you play enough live poker games, you’ll get really good at holding the right amount of eye contact that comes off as assured and confident, and you can use this in everyday situations to similar effect.

4. How Appearance Impacts Perception

Everyone knows that you should never judge a book by its cover. The reality, however, is that many people judge others on their appearance at first glance. Now, if you’re playing at online poker sites, you can probably play in whatever attire you like because no one will see you. But, if you’re playing live poker, it’s essential to dress in a way that helps you to exude confidence.

Poker encourages you to choose a style that conveys your personality while also being comfortable. Thinking about what you’re going to wear will significantly impact various aspects of your life, one of the most obvious being a job interview, for which you will almost certainly dress up.

Dressing yourself to accentuate your strengths is a surefire trick for building confidence because you’ll feel good and look good.

Play the Best Online Poker With Borgata Online

As you can see, playing poker online and in-person can have massive benefits for your self-confidence, and Borgata Online has a whole range of poker games and tournaments for you to try your hand at.
Register with Borgata Online and play poker with confidence.