Poker Face

roketinpoket · Jun 02,2005, 03:10 AM

I have trouble keeping a poker face. Anybody have any suggestions on how I can improve in this aspect?

WaterLooser · Jun 02,2005, 07:58 AM

The "Gus Hansen" is to have so many expressions that you don't have a poker face. Trying to stay stone cold all the time is very hard. If you can be engaging at the table, still keep track of people and what they are doing, and still not give anything away, you then have a good "presence" at the table.

Big E · Jun 02,2005, 08:09 AM

play online

gordan_gecco · Jun 02,2005, 09:05 AM

Wear one of those welding masks that cover your whole face. No one will be able to read you, but you might have a hard time seeing.

Wolffhound · Jun 02,2005, 09:32 AM

My kids Darth Vader mask complete with voice changer might help...

Seriously, look at the pros...
Helmuth- shades, hat pulled down jacket zipped up rambling like an idiot whether he has AA or J4
Daniel N- twitches more that a dude with Turrets, yammering all the time
Hanson- see above

Then there's Phil Ivey...no hat, no shades, no expression, the guy is awesome.

I think in the end its whatever works for you...

literation · Jun 02,2005, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolffhound

Then there's Phil Ivey...no hat, no shades, no expression, the guy is awesome.

I agree.Â* He appears to scan side to side possibly looking for tells out of the corner of his eye.Â* However, he doesn't accessorize.

Iron · Jun 02,2005, 12:04 PM

One thing that I have noticed is that the adrenaline response is linked to the anticipation of seeing your hole cards or the next card(s) that are going to be turned up. Some suggestions that people may laugh at, but that I have seen help people:

1) preflop, look at one card and only look at the 2nd one later on. For some people, this helps avoid the immediate reaction you get when you look down and see the BIG hand. Looking down at an ace, and then seeing a second ace 20 seconds later does not typically cause the same degree of adrenaline response as looking at both cards and seeing AA.

2) fake look at the cards - if people are looking for a read when you look at your cards, go through the motions of looking at your cards without actually seeing what the cards are. Sneak a peak later on when they are no longer looking. Actually if you have sunglasses sometimes you can pretend to look at your cards while seeing whether other people are studying for your reaction, which can often indicate they are intending to play the hand.

3) looking at the community cards - similar to #1, you can temper the reaction you get to a card being turned up by delaying looking at the card. Stare blankly at the area where the cards are being turned over but keep your eyes focussed on a small spot so you can't actually see the card value that is turned up initially. Take a moment and then look at the card. For some reason the adrenaline response that people get seems related to the anticipation of seeing the card (or at least that is how it seems to me) and this helps dull that response.

In time, most players get used to seeing all sorts of hands and so they don't have the same rush of adrenaline when they hit a big hand. Until you get to that stage, these tricks may help. Every person is different so I suggest trying out different things and figuring out what works for you.

UglyJimStudly · Jun 02,2005, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iron

3) looking at the community cards - similar to #1, you can temper the reaction you get to a card being turned up by delaying looking at the card.Â* Stare blankly at the area where the cards are being turned over but keep your eyes focussed on a small spot so you can't actually see the card value that is turned up initially.

Eh, no real need to put on a show, at least at low limits. I never look at the cards as they hit the felt, I quite openly look at everyone else. 95% of them are watching the cards, so they don't know I'm watching them instead, and the great majority of the rest are watching TV, looking for a waitress, or similarly distracted. I've only seen one other player who was watching the people rather than the cards, and I had already eliminated her from the fish list.

So far as looking at your hole cards goes, I've read a few pros who advocate only looking at them when it's your turn to bet. That way nobody ahead of you can pick up on a useful tell. It seems to me most players are relatively good at controlling themselves when they peak at hole cards, anybody who's more than a beginner has probably had big hands cracked so they're not quite as excited when they see big cards, IME seeing the board is where the big tells come out.

Yorkpoker · Jun 09,2005, 12:20 AM

I have done the welder's shield thing before. It is BRUTAL to see cards with but good for a laugh.

Practise. That's the only way. Play lots of hands and watch how used to the hands you get. Read Dave Scharf's section on adrenaline tells in his amature poker player section of his site. Good advice there. But it all boils down to playing enough poker so that you get used to seeing everything and therefore don't give so much away.

Shook · Jun 10,2005, 01:43 PM

I am probably farthest from an authority as I am not sure if I present to much information.

But I love it when someone who THINKS they can read me attempts to. My mother had a Masters in Psychology and she taught me a lot about how to throw people off.

I ususally smile ... smile all the time ... that way you have no worries when you have a guilty grin or anything like that.

If you can't keep a straight face ... dont try.

Just a thought.