The term "poker face" is described as a deliberately induced blank expression meant to conceal one's emotions, referring to the common practice of maintaining one's composure when playing the
card game poker. This term comes from the special language used in poker, and is not only about a person's facial expression but also other extraneous movements that could give insight into what they are feeling, such as clenching fists, bouncing a leg, or constant repositioning of their body and or cards. The first recorded publication of the term "poker face" is from the 1875 book
Round Games at Cards by Cavendish(a pseudonym for
Henry Jones), which reads "It follows that the possession of a good poker face is an advantage. No one who has any pretensions to good play will betray the value of his hand by gesture, change of countenance, or any other symptom." The term "poker face" was used outside the game of poker by American sportswriters in the 1920s to describe a competitor who appeared unaffected by stressful situations (an important skill when playing poker for money, to avoid giving an opponent any
tells about one's hand).{{cite book |title=Toward a social history of American English|author=Joey Lee Dillard|author-link=Joey Lee Dillard|publisher= Walter de Gruyter|year=1985|isbn=3-11-010584-5 == See also ==