poker face

American  

noun

• poker faces
  plural

1. an expressionless face.

   He can tell a funny story with a poker face.

2. a person who has or deliberately assumes a poker face.

   It is impossible to tell what that poker face is really thinking.

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poker face British  

noun

1. informal a face without expression, as that of a poker player attempting to conceal the value of his cards

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poker face Idioms  

1. A visage lacking any expression that can be interpreted, as in Whenever Betty attended one of her children's performances, she managed to keep a poker face. This term alludes to the facial expression of a poker player who is expert at concealing his feelings about his hand. [c. 1880]

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• poker-faced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• poker faces
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of poker face

An Americanism dating back to 1880–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

poker face

She had a poker face, but I could tell she did not like my response.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Cahillane, a 6-foot-tall marathoner who sports a shock of white hair and a practiced poker face, was a seasoned food executive, fresh off the successful breakup of another food company: Kellogg.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

Then, her room-commanding gaze as politician Shirley Chisholm in “Mrs. America,” followed by her nuanced poker face as therapist Dr. Brooke Taylor on the fourth season of “In Treatment.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2025

In what appears to be a homage to Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock," she strides into her cell with a commanding presence and a possibly suspicious agenda—despite her impeccable poker face.

From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2025

He had a keen mind, and a consummate poker face.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

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