Posts Tagged ‘poker face’
Poker is not just about the cards you’re dealt, it’s a game of cunning. The best players are those who can keep their emotions in check, and not reveal a thing to their opponents – no easy task.
Our natural reaction when we receive a good hand is to get excited, especially if a lot of money is at stake. The physiological processes mean that adrenaline builds up, heart rate increases, our breathing quickens and our pupils dilate. It’s very difficult to control these inner signs, but you can try to keep the outward signs under wraps.
A recent advert for the World Poker Crown shows a man with the best poker face ever. He remains po-faced when he wins the lottery, gets it on with the sexy next-door-neighbour and accidentally chops off his finger – not a flicker registers across his features. However, sitting in a poker game, he peeks at his hole cards to find a pair of aces – and breaks out into whoops of joy. The slogan is: Anyone can have a good poker face. You’ve just got to know when to use it.
Contrary to expectations, the ‘poker face’ is not limited to the face – your entire body gives off signs that can be read by astute players. Posture, fidgeting and eye contact are all important. Many people start tapping fingers or toes when they’re nervous. Others refuse to make eye contact when they’re bluffing – a dead giveaway.
Body language in poker games falls into two categories: positive and negative clusters.
A player who is happy with their cards may lean forward, uncross their legs, tilt their head and rub their hands; while one who is having negative thoughts about their hand is more likely to cross their legs, lean back, bow their head, rest their chin in their hand or rub their eyes. Similarly, you can spot a confident player as someone who leans back with hands behind head, from someone who is hesitant about their next move, scratching their neck or head.
These giveaways are know as ‘tells’ in the poker world. Tells aren’t limited to body movements. In the poker movie ‘Rounders’, Matt Damon’s character has an epiphany moment when he realizes he has found the unbeatable Teddy KGB’s tell, which involves munching on Oreos. This enables him to win the game – and save his skin.
It’s essential to always focus on the game in hand so that you can study the other players and not miss any tell-tale signs. But don’t get too carried away observing your opponents and forget to keep tabs on your own tells.
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