There can be no denying that as we get older, we start to lose cognitive functions. Extensive studies have concluded that an active mind is the way to keep sharp and slow down degeneration that comes to you as you get older.
Days spent pottering about the house or fishing are great but not so great for your grey matter. If you want to retain cognitive function, and why wouldn’t you, card games help keep you sharper as you make decisions based on the turn of each card.
With this in mind, let’s take a look at card games you may want to try either with your friends or playing in an online casino where you can play the practice games until you’re ready to progress.
Blackjack
Blackjack is a game that unless you’ve been living in the Himalayas you have at least heard of from film and TV. The game is very easy to learn and requires you to continually add the value of your cards together, and make decisions of whether to hit. It is great fun and exercises your mind.
You can play card games in an online casino or head to a real casino for a different experience.
Poker
Poker is arguably the ultimate card game, and you can play several different types. The idea is to win by having the best hand, a Royal Flush. The bluffing element, however, is what makes the game so good. This enables you to play the player rather than your hand, and once you get good at it, you’ll be bluffing your way to winning each hand.
This cliff edge element to the game is why it is featured in so many films over the years. The game is complex, clever, emotional, and yet surprisingly easy to learn.
There are several types of poker you can play, and all allow you to exercise your mind, which is the goal of the exercise. This will help you keep sharp, and if you get good at it, you may even win playing a hand.
Bridge
Bridge is another game that allows you to exercise your mind and provide enjoyment. Many couples play the card game as the game requires two partners to play. Again it stretches you cognitively and as such is great if you’re both a retired couple. You may want to look into joining a club to find other couples to play against.
Why Card Games
Although there are other ways to exercise your mind, few can match the demands of a card game. Here, you’ll experience a true thrill from playing, which is something crossword puzzles and the like can’t match.
It is not just the mathematics that keeps your mind engaged. Strategy and tactics come into play as well, especially if you start card counting to try and hedge your bets and win your hand.
For this reason, card games offer a good way of keeping sharp, having fun, and provide a new social element which as we get older, we can often lack.
