poker face

noun

plural poker faces

: an inscrutable face that reveals no hint of a person's thoughts or feelings

Wright has a terrific poker face—I could see how he was able to keep things a secret right up through publication.

—Lawrence Weschler

Work is fun. I can lose myself in it, I laugh a lot, I feel like I'm very much myself here; there's no poker face.

—Jerry Useem

especially : one used strategically during a poker game

… a good "poker face" is considered a prerequisite for a successful gambling career.

—Sarah Ferguson

Fifteen-year-old Matthew Siegel says learning to keep a poker face while playing Texas Hold 'em with his grandfather … has served him well at school.

—The Wall Street Journal

poker-faced

ˈpō-kər-ˌfāst 

adjective

… the jurors, uniformly poker-faced through-out the proceedings, were giving no indication of whether they accepted that characterization.

—Lawrence Weschler

Examples of poker face in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Throw on a poker face — and make sure a third party takes a peek at the speech prior to the nuptials. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024

In a failed effort to maintain his poker face, Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff all but announced before the game that Thompson would be available. —Hunter Patterson, The Athletic, 23 Nov. 2024

Talk to me about maintaining your poker face going into the field. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024

Here is where Aaron’s poker face (and poker voice) really fails him. —Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

poker entry 2; from the poker player's need to conceal emotions during play

First Known Use

1874, in the meaning defined above