Poker players know the face tells it all. Or at least tells a lot about their opponents and the cards they are holding.

So why not apply it to politics – another high-stakes game of chance?

When it comes to the presidential debates, facial recognition technology suggests President Barack Obama performed better in the second debate held this week at Hofstra University than the first one.

WLFI reports that Purdue University’s (News - Alert) Chris Kowal considered Obama to be “more confident, showed a wider range of emotions and made a stronger emotional connection with the audience,” WLFI reported based on Kowal’s comments.

Kowal uses a commercial software program called Face Reader, according to a report from JC Online. It follows some 400 muscles on a human face to monitor emotions.

Obama was also able to non-verbally “express large amounts of sadness during discussions about the recent Aurora, Colorado shootings and a possible assault weapons ban,” WLFI reported.

"He was practically on the verge of tears but was able to pull it back," Kowal told the station.

On the other hand, Gov. Mitt Romney showed “strong emotions, particularly of disgust,” on his face.

Kowal said Romney also showed “pride when talking about his record as Governor of Massachusetts.”

“Romney overall displayed a more limited range of motions than in the first debate,” the report added.

Image via Shutterstock

Based on his study, Kowal said Romney was better during the first debate but Obama surpassed him during the second one.

"He was more uncomfortable... out of his comfort zone," Kowal said about Romney’s performance this week.

Tuesday’s debate focused on many topics, particularly on domestic issues, including technology, TMCnet said.

The first debate also saw the use of a new, innovative app which measures instant reaction. It showed that more than half of those watching the first presidential debate believed Mitt Romney won – even though an overwhelming number of the thousands of college students taking part in the study were supporters of Barack Obama, according to TechZone360. 

In total, 52 percent of the participants using the “React Labs: Educate” app believed Romney won the first debate. However, 60 percent of those taking part planned to vote for Obama.