Mental health is simply a state of mental wholeness. It is more than just the absence of mental disorders. Rather, it emphasizes how we feel and think at any given time.
In today’s world, where everyone seems to be living on a fast lane, there is an increasing need to be conscious of our mental health status and always find ways to boost it. The approach should be engaging and entertaining such that players find it enjoyable to do as the need arises.
Card strategy games are top on the list of games that can boost mental health. It requires knowledge of probability, fast thinking, mathematics, emotional intelligence, problem-solving skills, decision-making, and ownership to come through. Most of these games, like Poker, magic, bridge, and Hearthstone, require planning and the components we already mentioned for any player to come out top.
Whether online or offline, you can play with friends, family, or even strangers, improving your social and cognitive skills. In this article, you’ll learn about the best card strategy games to boost your mental health.
Table of Contents
Poker
Poker is one of the most fancied table games for many reasons. It combines the elements of luck (in the way the cards are dealt randomly), skill, and strategy, depending on the player. There can be as many players as possible, like in the World Series of Poker, which hosts hundreds of players at a time. The objective is to win the pot, that is, the total amount of chips or money placed at the center of the poker table.
The game is usually played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and there are several betting rounds. The first is the pre-flop which comes immediately after the hold cards have been dealt. The other rounds include the Turn, River, and Showdown.
Thousands of players participate in the WSOP event yearly to showcase their skills. Although everyone is welcome to join, there are two ways of getting a seat at the table. Either by participating and winning satellite poker competitions or paying the buy-in amount, which is not cheap. Therefore, many players visit legal US poker sites to learn about the best casinos where they can play these tournaments to stand a chance to play on the big stage.
Magic
Magic is a strategy card game where players become “powerful wizards.” Each player starts with a deck of cards representing spells, creatures, and other magical abilities. In a game, players take turns casting spells, summoning creatures, and using their cards to attack their opponents.
The goal is to reduce the opponent’s life total from 20 to 0 using a mix of strategy, clever card combinations, and timing. With thousands of different cards and endless possibilities, mastering the art of casting spells, summoning creatures, and managing resources, is a rewarding experience for all players.
You can play with a free account or upgrade to pro, but the exciting thing about Magic is that
you stay in touch with your creativity. Understanding your strengths is a mental health booster for living every day. See US Updates breakdown of intentional activities to boost your mental health.
Hearthstone
Hearthstone is a popular health-themed strategy game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The gameplay is simple, typically involving two players assigned a deck of 30 cards that will be used in the game. Each card contains abilities, spells, characters, and various battle components
Players take turns playing the cards and using all resources to reduce their opponent’s health from the default value of 30 to 0. When that happens, the player with 0 points loses.
There are nine classes of cards like Mage, Rogue, and Paladin, and each of the 30 falls into one of the categories.
Players can use minions, spells, and weapons to control the board and damage their opponent,
but it requires strategic thinking to succeed. Players can use minions to attack their opponents’ minions or the enemy hero while using spells and weapons to influence their win in the game.
There are some other attributes of the game that make it exciting. For instance, if player 1’s hero has a health count of 4 and is attacked by a Fireball (damage-level 6), the hero is defeated. The fireball spell effect comes from the card “Archmage Antonidas,” which is a very powerful one resulting from a combination of 7 mana, 5 attacks, and 7 health.
Bridge
Bridge is a four-player card game using a standard deck of 52 cards. The goal is for you
and your partner to work together and win as many tricks as possible on each hand.
The game consists of hands divided into two phases: bidding and play. Players alternate making bids to determine the trump suit or no-trump option and the desired number of tricks their partnership wants to win.
In the play phase, players take turns playing cards, following suit if possible, and the highest card in the leading suit wins the trick. The partnership that fulfills their bid by winning the most tricks earns more points and wins the game.
The other types of Bridge games include duplicate bridge, rubber bridge, and contract bridge.
Learn more about Bridge on Wikipedia.
Conclusion
Playing top strategy card games can be a great way to boost your mental health. Studies
have shown that gaming can help reduce anxiety, increase focus, and even improve hand-eye coordination. Plus, it can be a great way to relax and unwind after a long day.
