Winning at poker can be a tricky achievement that requires a combination
of different skills: not only must you fully understand the rules of
the casino game, and have a little luck on your side, but you must also develop
a strong poker face to stop other players taking advantage of you. A
good poker face is simply one that is devoid of emotion; by keeping your
facial features straight and settled, nobody else will be able to guess
what cards you're holding.
Here are a couple of examples that show why a good poker face is so
important when playing. Imagine you have just been dealt a fantastic
hand; you accidentally reveal this by smiling or grinning to yourself.
The other players will immediately guess the kind of cards you've got,
and will probably fold. On the other hand, if you're dealt a poor hand
and you look upset or angry, others may guess that you've been dealt
poor cards and start raising the bets accordingly.
Keeping a neutral expression on your face throughout the game of poker
involves a long and hard internal struggle. If you let your true
feelings slip, even for a second, you can be sure that others will
notice. The key to success is to keep concentrating on your expression
while you play; in the end, it will become second nature.
Once you've trained your face to conceal your true emotions, you can
start to have a little fun and mislead the other players into parting
with their cash. You can do this by making expressions that are actually
the opposite of how you are really feeling. For instance, if you get
dealt a spectacular hand, and you want to convince the other players
otherwise and so get them to carry on playing, you can present an angry,
frustrated or sad expression to misinform them. They'll think you have a
poor hand, and will subsequently carry on betting.
The best type of practice for a good poker face is to try out your
expressions in front of a mirror. Getting to grips with presenting a
misleading face can be a little tricky at first; if you're feeling
really excited, keeping your face sad can be a hard thing to do. If the
other players do end up getting taken in by your false expression, you
will also have to resist the urge to grin at your own cunning. Just
remember that by controlling your poker face, you have a greater chance
of influencing the outcome of the game in your favor.