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GAME FACE:
HOW TO SPOT A LIAR

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GAME FACE:
HOW TO SPOT A LIAR

Reckon your poker face is rock solid? Think again. Even the most experienced players give things away through split-second micro-expressions and suspicious body language. Robert Phipps, body language expert, reveals how to look past the poker face and spot tell-tale signs that things are not quite what they seem...

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Lying

From little white lies to big, bold fibs – few can deny bending the truth from time to time, and those that do... Well, here are five ways to find out if they're lying.

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LYING 01/05

Micro-expressions

Micro-expressions are one of the best indicators that someone is lying, as they happen subconsciously and so we have no way to stop them. They last for less than 1/4 of a second before we have time to adopt the expression that we want people to see.

LYING 02/05

Eye movements

The eyes are a good place to look when trying to work out if someone's telling the truth. Most people will look up to their left when recalling visual memories – if you're asking a question about something they've seen, and their eyes don't go up to the left, they may be telling fibs.

LYING 03/05

Hand movements

When lying, someone's hand movements will often become more animated but out of sync with what they're saying. As their brain tries to work the story out, their hands stutter as they attempt to fill the gaps.

LYING 04/05

Blink rate

Blink rate either increases or decreases when someone is lying. An experienced liar will often stare straight at you while lying, whereas someone who is uncomfortable with lying will often have a sudden increase in their blinking rate.

LYING 05/05

Leg and feet movement

Leg and feet movements will often increase as the liar tries to release the negative energy and stress of telling a lie. Crossing and uncrossing their legs, raising their heels up off the ground, and wrapping one foot round the ankle of the other leg are all good signs they are feeling uncomfortable.

Confidence

Some say confidence is the key to success and happiness – fake it ‘til you make it, right? Here are the signs that show whether someone's got it (or not, as the case may be).

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CONFIDENCE 01/05

Posture

Posture is the first thing people see, whether you're standing, walking around, or sitting at the poker table. Slouching or upright, your posture gives everyone around you an insight as to how you're feeling at that precise moment.

CONFIDENCE 02/05

Head position

Head position gives away both negative and positive emotions. Confident people will mostly hold their head horizontally level or raise it slightly upward. Those lacking confidence will often stoop their posture and lower their head.

CONFIDENCE 03/05

Eye contact

Eye contact is a crucial indicator of confidence. Confident people have no problem looking someone in the eyes when they're speaking, and they tend to hold their gaze much more when they are listening.

CONFIDENCE 04/05

Stance and walk

The stance and walk of someone filled with confidence has a slightly wider gait than that of introverted, shy people, as if those who are confident aren't afraid to stride through life!

CONFIDENCE 05/05

Breathing

Confident people tend to have smoother breathing. They take long breaths that fill the lungs with air, which makes sense, as the more oxygen you get to your brain, the better you feel.

Insecurity

It's natural for us to try to hide our insecurities at times, as they can be more easily exploited by others. Here are some of the tell-tale signs someone is feeling insecure.

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INSECURITY 01/05

Size and space

When we're feeling insecure, all we want to do is hide away from the world. By making ourselves smaller, we draw less attention to ourselves and will hopefully be left alone.

INSECURITY 02/05

Lowered head

A lowered head is a classic sign of all the negative baggage in our lives weighing us down. By lowering the head, we make ourselves smaller and make very little eye contact with others. This shows our unwillingness to engage.

INSECURITY 03/05

Hands clasped

The higher the hands, the higher the stress barrier used to instinctively protect our heart and lungs. Crossed arms or clenched fists hidden under arm pits are also signs that stress levels are high.

INSECURITY 04/05

Clenching

Clenching the jaw is a way of suppressing our emotions, and insecure people will often clench and grind their teeth. This often happens at night when they are asleep and the unconscious mind processes all the negative situations of the day.

INSECURITY 05/05

Jiggling

Fidgeting feet and legs are another sign of insecurity, demonstrating we just want to get up and away from the stressful situation. They're also the furthest body part away from our brains so are less easily consciously controlled than our faces, which we all know people are looking at to gauge our emotions.

Self-Doubt

A job interview, a presentation, or facing off at the poker table against a highly-skilled opponent…These are all common triggers for self-doubt. Here's how to spot it in others.

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SELF-DOUBT 01/05

Biting and licking lips

Biting and licking lips shows we're experiencing stress, and if it's done when you have to make decisions then it can become painful. Mouth and lips dry up when we're stressed, therefore we're forced to lick them more to try to keep them working properly.

SELF-DOUBT 02/05

Breathing changes

Breathing changes occur when we're experiencing self‐doubt, usually increasing to allow more oxygen to help you think through the experience causing the doubt and confusion. To eradicate this, become more aware of your breathing and consciously try to change it.

SELF-DOUBT 03/05

Head or neck rub

If you fell over when you were young and went running to a parent for comfort, they might pull you into a hug and rub the back of your head and neck. Many of us carry this forward unconsciously into adult life as a small, self‐comforting movement.

SELF-DOUBT 04/05

Scrunched eyes

Scrunching our eyes tightly shut to block out everything else is a sign we're trying to go into ourselves to deal with the self‐doubt. It's common for people to rock their heads from side to side as they battle with making the right decisions.

SELF-DOUBT 05/05

Weighing hands

Weighing hands (literally as though there was a weight in each hand) is a sign that we're anatomically weighing up the pros and cons in order to reach the best solution.

Meet The Experts
Jeff Kimber

Jeff Kimber

Poker Pro

“Try to get them to smile, even with a comment like ‘Wow, you must be the dealer's brother based on the amount of hands you seem to get,' or anything similarly jovial and delivered with a big smile. This can test whether they can genuinely smile or not.”

Joe Beevers

Joe Beevers

Poker Pro

“Timing is important. If someone is going to tell a lie they usually pause first. An honest answer is more likely immediate. In poker it can often be the same. A dwell before a bet on the river for example can often mean a bluff.”

Katie Swift

Katie Swift

Poker Pro

“Watch out for when a player looks for a long period of time either at your cards or at your chips. Eyeing up your chips shows strength, but looking at your cards can mean they are willing you to throw them in the muck.”

Robert Phipps

Robert Phipps

Body language expert

“Like the old sayings go, ‘hold your head up high' or ‘lower your head in shame.' A confident person will often hold their head up horizontally, whereas negative people will often stoop their posture and lower their heads.”