Learn to deal with poker players’ style of dressing

Despite poker faces, the way they dress will give clues to the way they play their cards.

Scripps Howard

Poker players are not known for their fashion sense.

Think of all the scruffy-looking men with mirrored sunglasses, bluffing and double bluffing their way through televised poker shows. But what a player wears to the poker table can be very revealing.

Judi James, author of “Poker Face: Mastering Body Language to Bluff, Read Tells and Win,” said the way someone chooses to dress can give valuable clues to the way he or she plays cards.

James, a British body language expert, gives poker analysis of the following types of dressers:

Power dressers — These people play poker in designer clothes, status-symbol watches and sharp suits. James said they are highly competitive and driven by the need to win. “Expect industrial-strength bluffs,” she said.

Attention-seeking dressers — Forget tasteful ensembles. These people go for bright colors and patterns and eye-catching accessories. Think women in stilettos and men in designer shoes. James said these people will be “flashily competitive players, more concerned with image than the power aspect of winning.” Expect them to bluff a lot and take big risks. They prefer to overact bluffing than subdue themselves into a poker face, she said.

Casually scruffy dresser — These people show up at the poker table in stained and crumpled T-shirts. James believes their haphazard way of dress means they have no game plan, making them impulsive and erratic players. James said your biggest problem in facing such opponents is trying to find a pattern in their behavior.

Scruffy, smart dressers — Yes, they are wearing suits, but they are rumpled and too shiny. Their shoes are a scuffed mess. These are couch potatoes masquerading as power players. James says these players often have no self-control and are governed by their mood. They can bluff, but because they don’t think things out, look for signs of leakage.

Smartly casual dressers — These are the players who come to the poker table looking immaculate, but they roll up their sleeves or loosen their ties once they start betting. Expect these players to be ruthless and very focused. “They can switch roles without batting an eyelid and so are very, very likely to bluff.” They will often fool opponents with a poker face, not theatrics.

Casual-obsessive players — Unlike a scruffy dresser, these casually dressed players have logical and meticulous minds and are ruthless players. They often wear baggy jeans, T-shirts with logos, sneakers and neck chains. “Underestimate nothing and trust nothing,” James writes. They are much more methodical than they look and are brilliant bluffers.

Optimistic dressers — They wear bright yellows, oranges and other creative colors, and they often wear juvenile-looking cardigans and full skirts. James said these players tend to be creative and risk takers, so they play a dramatic game that lacks focus. A joke or conversation can easily distract them.

Inappropriate dresser — These are the rebels who thumb their noses at fashion conventions, the bad boys who might wear goth to a formal family function. James believes they will play an emotional and highly charged game. She said they may have read about tactics and decided to do the opposite just to spite people.

Careful dressers — These are “bland fashion-avoiders” with sturdy shoes and muted coordinates, she says. James believes that these people hold strong values and cling to them. They will avoid risks and dramatics. But putting on a poker face comes naturally to them.