Why Do Poker Players Put on Their Sunglasses

A number of players are on the frontlines defending this accessory after the famous professional poker player Daniel Negreanu accused poker players to cheat with their sunglasses (this was in May 2010). So why are sunglasses so important to them? What are they really for?
 
A wall to hide your emotions

Poker professionals are accustomed to staring at their opponents in order to detect any signs that may betray a bluff or give them information on their game. Most of these signals are sent by the eyes, which is the main reason why players like to wear sunglasses.

This is not a superstition. Real scientific studies corroborate the claims. Researchers at the University of Melbourne, Australia, have found that the position of the eyes can also represent such a signal. Just click around the internet a few times and you will find all mathematical formulas explaining how the horizontal or vertical movement of the eyes provides information the players around you can use. Therefore, sunglasses are an accessory that can hide a number of emotions. However, the eyes are not the only parts of the body that express your emotions.

The voice but also the facial expressions or even your gestures can also be revealing. This is why some players like to play in silence with headphones in the ears, sunglasses on the nose and sometimes with hoods or turtlenecks that hide parts of the face. These behaviors sometimes create a creepy atmosphere around the gaming tables, but they are just as comical at the same time.

Patrick Bruel stated in his famous comment on Canal + a few years ago that some professionals choose to wear sunglasses because of the bright light around a poker table. Indeed, the lighting is sometimes too intense for the enjoyment of the viewers and can be disturbing for the players, especially after several hours of play.

Observe the others discreetly

But camouflage is not the only reason why some players wear sunglasses. They are not only used to prevent behavioral analyses. They also allow the player to walk their eyes wherever they want without anyone at the table knowing it. Thus, a player has the opportunity to observe different facial expressions and signals the other players send, but without them seeing it.

Poker is a game of information and live parties have precisely this dimension. A player may collect as much information about the opponents that have remained in the game but must also be attentive to what happens around the table.

Can they represent an obstacle?


Some players from the best online casino still believe that sunglasses are not needed during a poker game but do not go to extreme measures like the ban advocated by Daniel Negreanu. Not only do they think that sunglasses hide emotions, but they also think they are an obstacle rather than an advantage. The glasses prevent certain information from reaching the player wearing them. In addition to this, the interpretation of signs and human contact are the essence of live poker.

Whether you are for or against sunglasses, it would seem that many find that they influence one’s behavior at the table. Journalists have realized that the wearing of glasses has resulted in a strange phenomenon of mimicry. Most players playing alongside their opponents eventually wear glasses during the poker game.