Putting on a Poker Face
It is common to hear the term “poker face” applied to players who always remain expressionless at the table. Putting on a poker face is more than just wearing a fixed expression. To withstand the ups-and-downs that are inherent in the game, one has to be a stoic at the table. To be stoic means to retain a calm accepting attitude when faced with stressful or stimulating circumstances. A stoic always keeps emotions in check.
A poker face is traditionally considered a stoic response to the tension that can arise in a poker game. And it is a good way to make oneself unreadable as well as keep tilt at bay when experiencing a bad beat or other nerve wracking situations.
The expressionless poker face is not the only option though. Sometimes a poker face can be very animated which is just as hard to read as a stiff stoney face. Daniel Negreneau and Scotty Nguyen are good examples of the animated poker face. They talk a lot at the table, kid around and seem to be enjoying themselves. This is stoic attitude too, just under a different guise. Their attitudes rarely change making it hard to read what they are really thinking.
When you are playing live, face-to-face poker, a good poker face, be it silent and still or chatty and smiling, is a good tactical weapon.
