Poker face is a term used in card games such as poker and blackjack to describe a player’s facial expression or body language. In poker, players are typically encouraged to keep their expressions neutral, showing no emotion except for the occasional involuntary reaction like laughter.
The term may have originated from the old Italian game of carte (Italian: “cards”), in which players were required to keep their faces “poker-like” – that is, without revealing their cards. Today, the term is also used in other card games, such as bridge and whist.
In poker, a player’s face can give away a great deal of information about their hand. For example, if a player has a high- CARD count (e.g.
, three cards of the same rank), they may be willing to fold even if they hold good cards elsewhere in their hand. Conversely, if a player has only two cards of a particular rank, they may be more likely to stay in the game even if they hold low cards elsewhere in their hand.
A player’s facial expression can also betray whether they are bluffing or not bluffing. For example, if a player is holding two cards of the same rank and one of those cards is face down, it is likely that the player is bluffing and does not have that specific card in their hand.
If the player flips over the hidden card and it turns out to be something other than what was expected (e.g., another two card of the same rank), then it would be considered an incorrect bluff and would result in a loss for the player.
