People play poker for various reasons. For some it’s all about the adrenaline rush, while others want to improve their skill level and become a better player. Most like the social interaction that comes with the game. It might come as a surprise that poker also offers some unexpected health benefits. Let’s have a look: Poker is a game that requires certain skills, such as dedication and focus, and to push your mental ability to new heights. Being a numbers game, people who play often will become more competent and faster at mental arithmetic. Poker also helps to improve patience and concentration and teach players to set long-term goals and work towards them. Poker players on average burn about three calories a minute while rolling chips. This might not sound like much, but during a three hour game you can burn up to 540 calories! The game also improves coordination skills and help to keep your fingers supple and nimble. People who play poker will know how tired you can be at the end of a game, and how you sleep like a baby that night. This is a great way of relieving stress and removing anxiety from your life. We all know that too much stress can literally make one sick, so this alone is a great health benefit. The fact that poker is inherently a social game where you interact with others and forget about your worries further enhances its positive effects on both our minds and our bodies. A little known fact is that poker helps to balance testosterone and estrogen levels in the body. This helps to balance our heart rate and blood pressure at a time when more and more people are being killed by diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Do you want to read more? Before you can become a great poker player you must of course first learn the basics of the game. Poker also has other health benefits, and poker players often have a lot of interesting stories to tell.