Do you have a Poker Face?
The terminology used during poker games are very specific, and can’t be found anywhere else, with only a few exceptions. One of these exceptions is the term ‘poker face’ often used all over the world.
This expression is often used to express a face which remains the same in any circumstances, no matter what the person’s feelings are - this way being able to disguise any thoughts within a persons mind. In poker this proved to be a very useful weapon especially against players whose main tactics are psychological and emotional games. Professional poker players often develop great skills to read other humans. In poker you are in a clear advantage if you know or at least you have a good guess on the cards the other person (or persons) is holding in his hand.
Psychology is very important in poker especially when it comes to high stakes. Pressure is quite a frequent problem all over the world in every domain; a problem which can cause everyone problems, no matter what they are doing. Where there is pressure there is a possibility that mistakes will occur and when it comes to playing poker there is no margin for error. One bad decision, a small mistake and you can loose quite a lot of money, if not all. Usually the higher the stake is, the bigger the pressure is, and many will find it overwhelming at one point, a point which will be a very important milestone in the game. During poker games especially because of this particular reason a very common method was developed to gain advantage: if you manage to put pressure on the other players at the table, they might not handle it and you can come out of with a success. Usually players decide to do so when they observe the first weakness on a player.
These psychological methods are not quite appreciated amongst many poker players therefore it has his ups and downs. Usually people play poker in order to have fun. But if you start to play poker this way, you might be considered a person with whom it’s not fun to play. This is because in many occasions you have to insult others, or make remarks which induce a certain level of discomfort. This will bring you success, but if you are not liked by other players, eventually you will come out with a loss, so it’s hard to decide whether this strategy is useful in a long term.
The best defense against this ‘attack’ is the poker face. By having a poker face, and not showing any of your reactions to what is happening at the table, you will confuse the others, or at least put them in the position where is impossible to decide if their tactics are working or not. If you will take an attitude, at keep your head cool, with a face of stone, eventually others will stop trying to tilt you out of your comfort zone, and try other tactics. The best players indeed have a poker face, and will never make a hasty decision. This doesn’t mean they will never risk, it only means that they will think everything through with a cool head, and than make a decision.
But what can be done if you don’t have a poker face? Clearly you could still play online poker, but the poker face term refers not only to the facial aspect of a person but to its mimics, gestures and series of decisions. If you follow the movements of a player long enough, you might get an insight of his or her mentality. An experienced player can hide this from others even though it is quite hard. If not than you are giving them advantage which might lead to your loss. Actors are the ones who have an advantage from the beginning. Those who are very familiar with the facial movements and behavior and they can also play these movements have a much better insight on what is happening at the table. Bluffs can be spotted right away and the necessary measures can be taken against it. Bluffs and poker faces are basically inseparable because without a poker face you can’t bluff. Bluff is basically a strategy in poker where you make the other one think you have a winner hand. It is very risky because you can never know if the other one will fall for it or not. If you try to bluff and show any signs of uncertainty or signs that you are nervous the other one could easily figure out the trick you are preparing. Many of those who like to bluff are practicing the poker face for a long time. There are some people who can’t show their emotions as well as others, and those indeed have a poker face.