poker face
Medium to HighInformal to Neutral
Definition
Meaning
A facial expression that does not reveal one's thoughts or feelings, especially to maintain secrecy or hide one's advantage/disadvantage.
The deliberate maintenance of an impassive, unreadable expression to conceal reactions, used in contexts beyond card games, such as business negotiations, social interactions, or competitive situations.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a noun phrase. Can also be used attributively (e.g., 'poker-face expression'). The concept implies a deliberate, strategic suppression of emotional tells.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant lexical or semantic differences. The idiom is equally common and identically understood.
Connotations
Universally associated with bluffing, concealment, and strategy. More likely to be used metaphorically in US contexts (e.g., pop culture, business).
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English, likely due to the cultural prominence of poker and its use in wider metaphorical contexts (e.g., pop song by Lady Gaga).
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
He kept/maintained a poker face.She has a great poker face.It was impossible to read his poker face.Try to put on a poker face.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “keep a straight face”
- “play one's cards close to one's chest”
- “give nothing away”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Crucial in negotiations or during sensitive announcements to avoid revealing one's position.
Academic
Rare in formal writing; might appear in psychology papers on non-verbal communication.
Everyday
Common when discussing hiding surprise, disappointment, or a secret.
Technical
Used in game theory and studies of bluffing strategies.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- I must poker-face my way through this awkward meeting.
- He poker-faced brilliantly when they announced the surprise test.
American English
- You gotta poker-face through the interview questions.
- She poker-faced her reaction to the news.
adjective
British English
- He maintained a poker-face demeanour throughout the interrogation.
- Her poker-face expression was unnerving.
American English
- He has a great poker-face game during negotiations.
- She gave a perfect poker-face response.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The teacher had a poker face, so we didn't know if she was joking.
- He tried to keep a poker face when he got his gift.
- You need a good poker face when playing card games like Uno.
- Despite the shocking news, she managed to maintain a poker face.
- During the salary negotiation, he kept a perfect poker face, never revealing his minimum acceptable number.
- The diplomat's poker face was essential during the tense discussions.
- Her reputation for an impenetrable poker face made her the firm's lead negotiator, as competitors could never gauge her next move.
- The prosecutor maintained a stoic poker face throughout the defendant's emotional testimony, refusing to signal any reaction to the jury.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Picture a card player at a POKER table, their FACE as still and unreadable as a stone statue, refusing to reveal if their hand is good or bad.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE FACE IS A MASK / LIFE IS A GAME OF CARDS.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid literal translation "покерное лицо" unless in informal/card contexts. More common equivalents: "непроницаемое выражение лица", "сохранять спокойное лицо".
Common Mistakes
- Using it as a direct adjective before a noun without a hyphen (e.g., 'He gave a poker face look' – better: 'He gave a poker-faced look' or 'He had a poker face').
- Confusing it with 'straight face', which implies suppressing laughter rather than hiding strategic intent.
Practice
Quiz
In which situation is a 'poker face' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while it originates from poker, it's now a common metaphorical idiom used in any situation where one hides their true feelings or reactions (e.g., business, law, daily life).
A 'straight face' primarily means not laughing or smiling when something is funny. A 'poker face' is broader and more strategic—it means showing no emotion (happiness, surprise, disappointment) to conceal your thoughts or position.
Yes, informally. To 'poker-face' means to adopt or maintain such an expression (e.g., 'He poker-faced his way through the interview'). This is more common in casual speech.
It depends on context. In negotiations or games, it's a compliment on their control and strategy. In personal relationships, it might be a criticism for being hard to read or emotionally distant.