Training your poker face

Lady Gaga may have catapulted the term “Poker Face” into the mainstream, but have you really thought about what it means? How good is your poker face? You may be great at playing best online casino, but if you ended up in a live game, do you think you’d perform as well as you do in your favourite online poker room?

Live poker has an extra dynamic in the form of “tells”. These include body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions especially when you are on a two way royal. Can you avoid smirking, fidgeting, and blushing when you’re feeling worried, or being less than honest?

If you want to succeed at live poker events then you will need to develop a poker face. There are some tells that are almost impossible to stop, but you can minimise them. If you’re the kind of person who is usually very expressive, focus on developing a neutral expression – pick something to look at, and focus on that point, and keep your expression neutral – don’t check your cards or stare at your opponent, just pretend to “zone out”. Even if you think you look stupid, it’s better to look silly than to look guilty or smug.

Force yourself to keep your hands still. Many people fiddle with their hair, twiddle with their thumbs, or touch their face when they’re nervous especially when playing best online casinos. Adopt the “steeple position” if that’s what you need to do to prevent that.

If your eyes give away what you’re thinking, why not wear a hat, or sunglasses? Many poker pros do this, and it is very effective for making poker money. Just make sure that whatever you wear is comfortable, and doesn’t obscure your own vision too much. Sometimes you can find an online casino that specializes in one type of game over another, there could be best online casinos or blackjack rooms even poker rooms.