Poker Strategy: Emotional Correlates of Trustworthiness

[BenVitale]

Any poker player on this site?

I like to play Poker and Blackjack during my spare time and I'm a big fan of Game theory.

I used to think that keeping a "poker face" in a game of poker is a very important part of game strategy.

"Poker face" is not just about the face but about your entire body. When I play poker, I'm and remain calm whether I have good cards or not. I'm consistent.

I wear sun glasses to avoid revealing clues with my eyes.

However, according to this study : Human Wagering Behavior Depends on Opponents' Faces

A neutral facial expression may not the best strategy when playing poker, the better strategy would be a face that contains emotional correlates of trustworthiness.

Maybe, I should play without sun glasses!?

 

[snowjoke]

What if you don't want your opponent to fold? I mean, 90% of the time you'll be value betting rather than bluffing. From skim-reading the abstract, it seems to say that if you smile more they'll fold more, so I guess you need to keep that neutral expression if you're not bluffing...

 

[brainstorm]

You should try keeping a capsule filled with hot pepper in your mouth and biting it open when you have a very good hand. The pepper will cause you to sweat, making your opponent(s) think you are bluffing and bet more.

 

[BenVitale]

I believe that it's important to remain consistent so that the other poker players cannot or have a tough time reading you.

How do you feel when you sit at a poker table facing a player wearing sun glasses?

 

[brainstorm]

I believe that it's important to remain consistent so that the other poker players cannot or have a tough time reading you.

How do you feel when you sit at a poker table facing a player wearing sun glasses?

The problem is your approach begins to stagnate if all you can do is try to minimize your readability. You want to try approaches that increase your ability to win and win bigger.