Keeping The Perfect Poker Face is one of the most important and often overlooked factors that contribute so much to the results of any given game – and yet it is the least common topic that is discussed by those willing to share their poker tips and impart their wisdom on us… Until now
In Poker, having a tell' is perhaps the biggest downfall for most players. Keeping a straight face, or hiding certain emotions, or facial expressions is how you win games. Even the slightest movements can be detected by the best players, just giving them an inkling as to what cards you might have hidden. So what are the best things we can do to prevent this?
Keep Your Face Relaxed
Perhaps one of the hardest things to do. But it can be incredibly helpful when in a match. Any type of expression sacrifices your power in situations with opponents. Clear your mind, loosen your face, shake it around, take a deep breath and simply relax. Being in control is the biggest advantage you can have in poker, being stressed will lose that control. Hiding your reactions is what keeps you focused.
Rafael Nadal, has been infamous for keeping his focus during Poker tournaments. An expert in keeping his face relaxed, something which he has undoubtedly taken from the Tennis courts, not giving away any clues.
Maintain Eye Contact
An effective way of getting the upper hand, is by locking eyes with opponents and showing that you are confident and aren't easy to intimidate. It also shows that you aren't hiding anything, with absolutely nothing to lose. The best tip for locking eyes, is staring at the bridge of their nose. Making sure not to break gaze first!
Blink Occasionally
Staring too hard at any one thing can break your focus and compromise your poker face. Even if you aren't staring at your opponent, looking at your cards or into space too hard can break concentration. It either shows that you aren't fully concentration or that you are perhaps concerned with your chances. Make sure you blink occasionally, simply to stop your eyes drying out.
Make sure that you don't go overboard, however, as blinking excessively can show nervousness. Staring too intensely can also cause your shoulders to bunch up, meaning your posture could suffer.
Keep Your Jaw Relaxed and Lips Together
Your mouth is what keeps your facial muscles together. Any tension, frowns, smiles or smirks is what will influence the rest of your face. Try relaxing your jaw, letting it slack, create some space between your back teeth, open and close your mouth a few times, to try to relax. Try not to show any teeth, visible teeth generally means that your mouth is moving and can give any tiny details away.
Teddy Sheringham, a former England football players, was renowned for keeping his face straight. Sheringham managed to win an incredibly impressive £203,000 during his Poker career and is still ongoing!
Look Straight Ahead
Simply looking straight ahead is a great way to keep focus and not give anything away. Looking out of the corners of your eyes can be a little tells, which let your opponent's know that you might have something to hide. Whether it's a good or bad hands, looking straight ahead can be hard to do, but movements like squinting, or even eye brow raising will give away your reaction.
Some people like to wear glasses, or baseball caps. But without any props or extras, these little tips might just make the difference when it comes to winning or losing.
Enjoy these tips for the perfect poker face – and tell us how you go next time 🙂
While these Tips Can help you improve your odds and overall skill levels when playing any form of 5 card poker – they certainly don’t excite or motivate – not like these Poker Face tips:
Final [Bonus] Tip For the Ultimate Poker Face
If you see someone who is unable to differentiate between the eyeball and the earlobe and/or that person tries to speak with their eyes instead of their mouth then chances are that person doesn’t have a very good poker face. Do NOT take advice from these people.
That is all.
