Seventy-Nine Percent of Americans Agree that New Yorkers Have Good Poker Faces

NEW YORK, New York -- (Press Release) -- Robert DeNiro, Donald Trump, Joe Torre… what do these New Yorkers have in common? According to a recent survey by Russell Research, Americans think that they all have good poker faces. In fact, seventy-nine percent of Americans agree that New Yorkers in general have good poker faces. The survey comes on the heels of an ad blitz in New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal for PokerRoom.tv, a site dedicated to providing a thrilling poker experience.

Now through July 31, PokerRoom.tv is the sole advertiser at Port Authority Bus Terminal, portraying New York's tough image with 231 signs, covering 6,219 square feet of floor, wall and ceiling space.

"New Yorkers have the best poker faces. In this town, you need one," reads one poster. The ads feature real New Yorkers – men, women, young, old – displaying their best poker faces for the 200,000 people who pass through Port Authority everyday. Each face signifies the characteristics of a different city neighborhood including the East Village, Herald Square and Wall Street, among others. In addition to the 231 signs, PokerRoom.tv is sponsoring the digital billboard outside Port Authority, delivering 38 million impressions per month to the passersby on historic 42nd Street.

"Our campaign is designed to display the depth and breadth of New York personalities," said Glenn Cademartori, spokesperson for PokerRoom. "We think the poker face resonates with the active commuters and travelers who pass through one of the city's busiest transportation hubs and the thousands of area residents who love to play poker."

The poker face phenomenon – keeping a secret behind the human mask - hits home across the country. Although New Yorkers are known for tough exteriors, southerners are actually the most likely to classify themselves as having a good poker face (43%) while westerners are the least likely (34%). The survey also revealed that consumers nationwide believe a good poker face can help in everyday situations, like convincing your boss to give you a raise (25%) or getting a table at a restaurant without a reservation (24%).

Respondents with children in the home are more likely to say they have a good poker face than respondents without children at home (45% versus 38%), perhaps a sign that parents practice stern looks with their kids. When it comes to men versus women, men ages 18 to 34 are the most likely to say they have a good poker face (53%) while women age 55 and older are the least likely to say they have a good poker face (26%). Overall, 47 percent of respondents wish they had a better poker face.

As the World Series of Poker approaches in July, it's time for poker pros and average Joes to consider what lies behind their poker faces.

ABOUT THE SURVEY
The Russell Omnibus was conducted online from May 5 – May 8, 2006 among 1,097 online adults across the United States. Figures for gender, age, and geography were weighted where necessary to match their actual proportions in the population. In theory, with probability samples of this size, one could say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points of what they would be if the entire adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.

This online survey is not a probability sample.