By Alex Conde

With poker enjoying a massive surge in popularity in recent years, many people make poker the center of their lives, but what can we learn about life from poker? Poker has many charms for many people, but for me, one of my favorite things about poker is how it reflects life in so many ways. There are five main lessons about life I learned from poker.

1. Don’t be afraid to Fold: In life, as in poker, there are situations in which it’s impossible to win, and you’ll just waste your chip stack staying in the game. There’s no shame in folding with a bad hand, but there’s lots of shame in losing off of a horrible hand that you should have folded. Sometimes it’s worth staying in with a bad hand just to see the flop, especially if you’re the big blind. However, there are always people chasing to the river for a hand. You might land the hand they’re looking for if you do this, but you also might land a lot of trouble.

2. Looks mean nothing, so always look like you have a good hand: Looking across a poker table, your opponent might have the calmest and most confident look you have ever seen, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a thing. By that same token, there’s no reason that you should give the person across the table an easy clue. There are times in life when you won’t be able to fold, no matter how hard you try. So, when you’re stuck with cards that do nothing for you, you bluff for all you are worth and try to make the best of the bad situation.

3. It’s always easier when you’re not the one making the decision: When you know everyone’s hand, it’s easy to say when some should fold, call, or raise. However, in life, when you’re the one making the decision, you’ll almost never have all of that information. So, learn how to use your instincts just as you use your brain to calculate odds.

4. Sometimes chances are worth taking: While this might seem to contradict the first lesson, but there is a difference. In fact, this is where your instinct comes in. The guy who folds for anything but the perfect starting hand will find himself waiting a long time, and most people will fold by then because they know he must have something good. So, it can often work to your advantage if you mix things up a bit. Besides, who’s to say what will happen. You might start off with one ace and flop 3 more!

5. Don’t gamble unless you can afford to lose: In life, as in poker, it’s easy to get in over your head faster than you can realize it. So, don’t gamble hoping for your lucky break. Instead, plan ahead. Only spend what you can afford because you will lose your money if you can’t afford it. A lot of people get into trouble in their lives for just that reason. You don’t need to be a gambling addict to lose money; you just need to make a bad choice. That having been said you should play every hand like it’s important. Throwing away money makes for a sloppy player.

Truth be told, a lot of life is like poker. Depending on the life you lead, there are probably many more lessons that can be taken away from poker. As a good rule of thumb for me, if I wouldn’t do it at a poker table, I won’t do it in real life.