Ways to Look More Confident at the Poker Table

Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth

You are at the poker table with your friends or even the casino in a high stakes table game with a slow start you obviously need to be confident.

Confident at the Poker Table

With feeling self-assured and confident poker face so that your competitors can’t read your hand from your face here are the ways to look more confident at the Poker Table.

1. Always know the rules of the poker game

Always know the rules of the poker game

Not knowing the basics of poker game means lack of understanding how to play. But knowing the rules inside and out makes you confident, which keeps your doubtful face at bay. Also it doesn’t mean just understanding the basics of “here’s when you can call” or “each person starts with five cards.” It means knowing the different combinations of cards that can win, and how they rank in the hierarchy overall. Understanding the poker game well enough to make decisions in a flash so that you have time to glance at your competition and see if they’re reacting.
The harder you work on mastering your technical skills, the more secure you will feel at the table. The more secure you feel at the table, the more likely it is that you will play well and this increases the chance that you will experience victory.

2. Have the eye to read the body language

Have the eye to read the body language
Have the eye to read the body language

You may learn to look and feel confidant, but that doesn’t mean everyone else at the table has that down. Discreetly check out your opponents as they study their hands, and look for signs of elation, disappointment, or just plain nerves. Tics, twitching, widening eyes, drumming fingers or tapping legs can all give away emotion. So can avoiding eye contact, becoming more aggressive as the game goes on, or even becoming much quieter as the game goes on. Inexperienced players can grow more aggressive if they have bad hands (to make it look like they have good ones), or become quieter out of fear that any emotion could give away their good hand.

3. Avoid fidgeting

Avoid fidgeting
Avoid fidgeting

As you’re learning to read the body language on others, turn your gaze back on yourself. Are you biting your nails when you’re nervous or rubbing your forehead, narrowing your eyes, drumming your fingers, flicking your cards, and bouncing your legs. Practice being particularly self-aware next time you’re in a tense game, and pay attention to your habits. Noticing them is the first step in creating a tabula rasa of your features, which will keep other players from reading your nerves like a book.

4. Curb your emotions

 Curb your emotions
Curb your emotions

If you want to keep your hand a secret, look like a professional, and gain the respect of your fellow players, leave your emotions out of the game. This means being a gracious loser, shrugging it off no matter how much you just lost. It means being a gracious winner, too, accepting your winnings with a smile rather than giving a emotional laugh and over talking. This means not letting stresses outside the game room influence how much you wager, the gambles you take, and your interaction with other players. It means knowing exactly how much you’re willing to bet and how much you’re willing to lose, so you aren’t blindsided when somebody else takes it all. When you stay collected, cool, and calm, it shows, and other players will respect you for it.

5. Gauge and imitate the confident poker pros

Gauge and imitate the confident poker pros
Gauge and imitate the confident poker pros

Well this is very easy and interesting if you follow the right way. Before you indulge in a poke rgame always watch the poker tournaments and poker professionals at the tables. See how confident, sombre they look and behave. Copy and imitate this habit. Also discuss with your friends, relatives, or other acquaintance who are penchant for poker as how he or she looks confident around the gaming table.
Now with these best ways you can surely overcome your lack of confidence and play poker with a smile.

About the author

Kamal Kaur