Perfect Your Poker Face: How to Spot a Bluffer

Think your poker pace is on point? The truth is, no matter how experienced you are, you could give the game away by even the smallest, split-second movements and expressions.

If you want to up the ante, make sure you read these tips from body language experts Nick Davis and Sophie Zadeh, so you can keep your poker face intact, and spot if the person you’re playing with is lying, insecure, or lacking confidence in the hand they’ve been dealt.

How to Spot a Bluffer

When it comes to poker, we’re all guilty of telling a little lie now and again. But whether you’re bending the truth or telling the biggest bluff of your life, there are giveaways you can search for, to tell if the other person is being less than truthful:

• Ear rubbing: A liar will subconsciously try to block out the sound of the lie they’re telling you; or they may rub their ear to distract you from the fact they’re breaking eye contact, when pretending their deal is better than it is.
• Nose rubbing and mouth touching: You can spot a liar by seeing if they rub the bottom of their nose very slightly, with their fingers dangling over their mouths in an attempt to cover the untruths they’re saying. By touching their mouths, the person you’re playing against is subconsciously saying that they don’t like what’s coming out of their mouth.
• Eye rub: The final tip to tell if the person you’re playing against is nothing but a fibber, is if they close their eyes or look away when they speak to you. Men will tend to rub their eyes more vigorously if the lies they tell are big, whereas women are more likely to rub under their eye and look upwards.

How to Tell If Someone’s Insecure

The last thing anyone wants in a game of poker is to give away their insecurities, as it means opponents can exploit them to win the game. However, there are keyways to determine if a person is feeling insecure about the hand they’ve been dealt:

• Touching their body: An insecure poker player will carry out more self-soothing behaviours, by regularly touching parts of their body. If you notice that they’re touching their face or neck, rubbing their leg, or biting or licking their lips, chances are they’re feeling insecure playing against you.
• Lack of eye contact: An insecure player will find it hard to maintain eye contact with you and is more likely to fidget. See if you can also spot a tell-tale sign of them having half of their body facing away from you, as if they’re ready to leave the game.
• Cat’s got their tongue: Conversation is all part of the game in poker, but if your opponent is answering your questions in short or one-word sentences, chances are, they’re feeling uncertain with their hand – and you can use that to your advantage.

How to Tell If Someone’s Lacking Confidence

Don’t think your opponent is confident with their hand? Not everyone can fake it ‘til they make it – see if you can spot these signs:

• Their body shrinks: If your opponent is lacking in confidence, you may see their body slowly shrinking into themselves. Movements are extremely subtle, but you’ll see their head drop, their shoulders rise, and their arms and torso draw inwards.
• Increased blocking behaviours: A player who lacks confidence will likely cross their arms over their torso or hold their hands together.
• Raise their pitch: Keep your opponent talking and see if their vocal tone rises, or if they have an inflexion at the end of their sentences, turning their statements into a question. If they do, their poker face is slipping.

How to Tell If Someone Likes You

Outside a game of poker, you can read someone’s body language to determine everyday emotions. If you want to find out if someone likes you, see if you can spot these signs:

• Women play with their hair: Women will play with hair to expose their necks, or subconsciously display their wrists to showcase their most vulnerable arteries, to show how much they trust you.
• Men flex their muscles: Conversely, men who like you will unconsciously flex their muscle groups – especially their shoulders, chest and arms – to demonstrate their strength and ability to protect you.
• Facial scanning: If someone likes you, they’ll scan your face and look at each eye, before dropping down to gaze at your mouth. They might even pout slightly before you kiss. Look into their eyes to see if their pupils are dilated, as that’s another key sign they’re into you.

How to Tell If Someone Loves You

Want to know if that special someone is in love with you? The cues are slightly different to those who are still in lust:

• Gazing into your eyes: Someone who is in love with you will gaze deep into your eyes, unable to break the eye contact.
• Hanging onto your every word: A good indicator to see if someone loves you, is if their entire focus is on you, and that means hanging onto everything you say, and remaining fully engaged with you in conversation.
• Constant touching: Touch is a good indicator of love. The stronger someone’s feelings are for you, the more they’ll touch you. Look to see if they touch you with their palm, as that indicates they’re taking pleasure in the physical sensation they’re experiencing.

Now you know how to spot a spoofer when the stakes are high, it’s time to perfect your poker face and up the ante, so you can walk away a winner.

Methodology

Slotsource.com independently interviewed leading body language experts to determine the signs of lying, insecurity, love, confidence etc.

About the body language experts:

Nick Davis: Leading Psychotherapist & Body Language Expert. For more details please visit https://www.ndhypnotherapy.com

Sophie Zadeh: Sophie Zadeh is a nonverbal communication specialist and founder of My Alcomy. For more details please visit https://myalcomy.com/sophie-halliday-zadeh