“We play very competitive poker”: How Joan Collins still beats her husband at 93 - and why it's better than Sudoku for brains

What games will keep you entertained in your 90s? A gentle jigsaw, perhaps? A leisurely amble through a crossword puzzle? Not if you’re Joan Collins, who has found a worthy rival in her husband, Percy Gibson. ‘We play very competitive poker and Scrabble,’ she told The Standard. Percy is not her only victim – sorry – competitor. Her friend comedian Julian Clary has described Joan’s playing style as ‘ruthless’ and Joan herself, with characteristic imperiousness, says that while she doesn’t play her friends and family for money (often!), she does always win.

These wins do not stop at the table. Poker, it turns out, is a particularly good workout for our brains, especially as we age, keeping vital aspects of our cognition ticking over. This is predominantly because, unlike simple puzzles, poker engages several areas of the brain at the same time.

‘Unlike games that rely primarily on memory or quick reactions, poker requires you to think strategically, assess risk, read other people, manage emotions and make decisions when you don't have all the information,’ explains Dr Steven Allder, consultant neurologist at Re:Cognition Health.

When she’s at the card table, in other words, Joan is constantly processing new information, adapting her thinking and anticipating what might happen next – a combination of mental challenges that helps keep her brain active and engaged.

The key cognitive skills that poker exercises

Poker can’t prevent dementia, Dr Allder stresses, but the game does involves several cognitive skills that are particularly useful. Your working memory, for example. This is exercised as you try your best to remember previous moves and track information, then use all that to inform your next decision. Meanwhile, your executive function is also being stetched, he explains, as you plan, problem-solve, weigh possibilities and adapt your strategy as the game develops.

That’s not all. There is also an important emotional component to poker gameplay, Dr Allder explains. ‘Players need to regulate their reactions, resist impulsive decisions and remain focused under pressure,’ he says. ‘This involves the brain's ability to manage emotions and control behaviour. The social aspect is valuable too, as reading other players, interpreting behaviour and anticipating their decisions requires attention, observation and social cognition. This combination of mental and social demands makes poker such an interesting cognitive activity.’

How to play poker like Joan

Joan Collins with her husband, Percy Gibson

Fancy giving Joan’s favourite game a go? Be warned: ‘most of us leak,’ says consultant psychologist and neuropsychologist Dr Monica Berntsen. In other words, our body language gives us away. ‘When something matters, the brain’s threat system kicks in before we’ve had a chance to think,’ she explains. ‘Breathing changes, hands tense, we go still or we fidget. It’s automatic and most people have no idea they’re doing it.’

Actors spend years learning to take back the controls, she says: ‘they know what their face and body are doing, they can stay in a role under pressure, and they’re used to being watched without falling apart. That’s a big advantage at a table full of people trying to read you.’

So take a leaf out of Joan’s book and…

• Know your own tells first. ‘Film yourself playing a few hands, or ask a friend what you do with a great hand versus a bad one. You can’t manage what you haven’t noticed,’ says Dr Berntsen.
• Use a routine. ‘Actors use the same warm-up and the same rituals so the body has a familiar script,’ she explains. ‘At the table, do the same thing every hand: look at your cards the same way, breathe the same way, take the same amount of time. Then a good hand and a bad one look identical.
• Breathe out slowly. A long out-breath calms the body’s alarm system explains Dr Berntsen: ‘It’s a small, invisible way to keep your physiology from giving you away.’
• Don’t try to look calm. Trying to suppress your feelings often makes leaks worse, she says: ‘Actors play a character instead. Decide who “you at the table” is and play that role.’
• Look for changes from someone’s usual pattern, not for a single magic tell. ‘Everyone has a baseline, so watch for a break from it,’ says Dr Berntsen. ‘Hands and arms often give away more than faces, because people work hard to control their face and forget the rest.’
• Finally, be honest with yourself. ‘Your brain loves a good story and will happily see a “tell” that isn’t there,’ says Dr Berntsen. ‘Treat what you notice as a clue, not proof, and weigh it against how the person has actually bet.’ And keep it friendly: play for your brain, not for money.