How important is it to control your emotions during a game of poker? Well, you can judge it from the fact that the game has provided the English language with a whole new phrase poker face.
Often many people make the mistake of considering poker as a game that is entirely based on luck.
There is no denying the fact that fortune does have a significant role to play, but other things are equally important which would include your skill, your knowledge of the game, the money you have and the control you have over your emotions.
What do the emotions mean?
Well, during a poker game, emotions are revealed primarily through the sounds you make and the body language you display.
Every word you speak can be interpreted by your opponents and they can guess what sort of a hand you have.
If your opponents are not real masters then they may guess wrong but real pros can draw extremely accurate conclusions from the sounds you make on the table.
Of course, more is revealed by your body language than what you say.
It has been seen that players react differently to good and bad hands. They send out definite signals if they are on the brink of a huge victory or are close to losing big time.
It has been noticed that players with good hands generally keep very quiet, they check their cards repeatedly and watches everyone very closely.
Again, if someone is expecting to lose, he avoids any eye contact, smiles and also talks more than others.
How to conceal your emotions?
If you got to do real good at poker, you must learn how to conceal your emotions. Avoid making any noise while you are playing.
When the best pros are on the table they hardly say anything except while they are placing their bets may be, and that too the bare minimum. Stick to it.
You are there to win and make money, not to chat and make friends. So, it is better to keep quiet and concentrate on your game.
Some people try to put off their opponents by talking to them, but that could also mean that he ends up losing focus on his hand also.
It is generally your eyes that betray most of your emotions. A very easy solution to that problem is wearing glasses.
Most pros use this tactic and it makes a significant difference. It also helps you to read others emotions on the table without getting noticed.
Facial expressions are also a big give away. Many players wear hats to cover as much of their face as possible.
But you can physically conceal only up to a certain point. At the end of it you got to rein in your emotions.
The best way is to consider a problem and to think about it throughout the game. This is a difficult technique to master, especially when the stakes are so high, but you can get used to it with time.
It is normal that you will have a lot of things going through in your head while you are at a poker table.
But if you don’t learn how to master your emotions and not to reveal them while you are playing you would never be able to become a master poker player.
