What’s your poker face?
Published in Features on Thursday March 8th, 2012. Last updated at 10:43
Our natural emotions can betray us at any given moment. It is our emotions that reflect our feelings, and when it comes to poker this can either work for you or against you. Sometimes, this can be in spectacular style.
As fellow players will often pay close attention to facial expressions and reactions in order to predict what cards you may have, it is critical that you develop a ‘poker face’ that will not let you down…..even under the most testing circumstances.
New players will often make the fatal error of smiling when they are dealt a good hand in poker, and frowning when a bad hand turns up. It is no surprise then, that the most important skill a poker player can adopt is a ‘poker face’ they can rely on.
A player that develops an effective ‘poker face’ will hopefully have the ability to remain unemotional and indifferent, regardless of whether they are on the road to victory or they have nothing more than a pair of twos.
An amateur poker player should try not to make the common mistake of showing any emotion throughout the duration of a game. If they can cultivate this key quality at an early stage then they are well on the way to becoming a top poker player.
Some poker players on television may wear hats, sunglasses or a hooded jacket to disguise their face. For poker players that struggle to disguise their expressions, employing this tactic could be the difference between glorious victory and dismal defeat.
Poker players who are in the infancy of their career should play poker online to gain much-needed practice and cultivate their nerve and personal style. This will help players adjust to the specific skills of the game.
New players will often reveal the secrets of their existing hand without even noticing, but how? More advanced poker players will regularly keep track of your emotions and view your responses, actions and facial expressions at certain stages.
While a poker player’s facial expressions and responses can lead to other players predicting the strength of their hand, some players will have the ability to detect the speed in which bets are made. For instance, a fast bet suggests the player has a good hand, whereas a slow bet tends to imply the player has a weak hand.
Sometimes confident players will feel relaxed enough to chat to other players throughout the game, whereas players that are perhaps not as sure of their hand will remain quiet as they plan their next move. As poker players progress, you will develop a personal style that suits you and, hopefully, leads to success.
It is important that players work on these vital elements of the game before entering into the realm of a real-life casino. Rehearsing your poker face, hiding your cards and keeping track of your opponents’ expressions are all pivotal in your overall strategy and could be the difference between success and failure at any level.
