Adopting the Perfect Poker Face

Being able to obscure your true emotions is a key part of playing poker successfully. Everyone has ‘tells’, or signs that give away what their intentions are. Being aware of your own tell-tale expressions and movements will help you mislead and mystify your opponents much more easily.

There are two approaches the thinking poker player can adopt. One is to remain absolutely stone-faced all the time, showing little or no emotion at whatever occurs in the game. This can be hard to maintain, as an element of relaxation is necessary to play well. Showing little or no reaction in this way is usually regarded as being the classic ‘poker face’.

An alternative approach is to be ebullient and lively, reacting clearly to everything that occurs. This way, you can mislead your opponents with displays of fake emotion. Harder to carry out, this strategy can be very effective, especially when used by a more experienced player.