While the poker world waits for November when the World Series of Poker final table will take place and the winner of the Main Event will be decided, an interesting study about the poker face has been released. This interesting study was conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Harvard and the California Institute of Technology.

After researching in poker tables and with several poker players, the study concluded that the neutral poker face is not the one that produces the best results, especially when a poker player is bluffing. According to the academic study, acting trustworthy and pleased is the best technique to bluff. This means the player has to show he has a good poker hand.

Besides, the report shows that when poker players show they have bad poker hands or act angrily, the typical reaction of opponents is to rise poker bets and play poker in a more aggressive way. The study reveals that the universal and automatic response to a happy face also works in poker games and with poker players.

On the other hand, the neutral poker face does not result in a response, either in one way or the other. However, according to the academic study it is important to take into account that all responses are affected by continued game play, during which poker players have time to decide if their opponents bluff frequently or not. This study is really helpful to improve poker strategy.