Bite-Sized Breakthroughs: Poker Face
Assistant Professor of Data Analytics Eren Bilen (left) and Ty Chermsirivatana ’27. Photo by Dan Loh.
Student-faculty data analytics project looks at poker as a way to observe human decision making
by Tony Moore
Curiosity drives everything at Dickinson. In labs, studios, archives and communities around the world, students and faculty are asking questions big and small—and often finding surprising answers. Here's a look at a current query.
Department: Data Analytics
Researchers:
Ty Chermsirivatana ’27 (law & policy, political science), Assistant Professor of Data Analytics Eren Bilen
Project:
"Masks, Facial-Expressions & Strategic Interaction: Evidence From World Series of Poker": Investigating whether masks influence professional poker decision-making strategies. Chermsirivatana built the machine-learning pipelines that turned poker footage into usable data.
Why it matters:
As Chermsirivatana explains: "Poker is a game of incomplete information where players constantly read subtle cues (think eye movements, facial expressions, any tenses in the face) to gauge their opponents' hand and intentions. Masks in a sense fundamentally alter this landscape. Understanding how concealment affects decision quality can reveal insights about human reliance on visual cues. It also demonstrates the cognitive load of decision making under uncertainty, which can be applied to a lot of fields at scale."
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Published November 13, 2025