Poker Player Notes

By Wes Burns

Taking player notes will improve your online poker win rate and help you recognize player tendencies.

In poker, information is priceless. The poker players who can process the most information in the quickest amount of time are usually those who end up with the most money. One of the best ways to collect information is to take notes on your opponents. All online poker sites facilitate note taking on individual players. All you have to do is click on that player’s name, type in a few words and then save the note.

Note taking is an easy way to gain an advantage of information. It requires a little effort to pay attention and take notes but it’s well worth it. The more information you have, the better off you’ll be in the long run. On top of that, taking notes on your opponents helps you learn how to become a more observant (and dangerous) poker player.

Take Notes on Everyone

You would be surprised at how often you run into the same players over and over again. Even players that you’ve never seen before often make an appearance at some point in the future. I’ve even logged on to poker sites that I haven’t visited for a while and found notes that I took years before. The point here is that it’s worth taking notes on every player you see, whether or not you recognize the player.

It’s easy to get lazy but you need to take notes on everyone. You never know when you’ll run into someone again. The note costs you nothing to write but it might just save you some good money later on down the line. In the worst case scenario, you get a little practice in observation and never see that player again.

What to Note

It’s important that you make sure you leave yourself with notes that are actually useful. It’s tempting to leave notes like “idiot fish” but that doesn’t really help anything later on. Make sure you make note of specific tendencies that player has exhibited. Any time you notice a strange play, make a note of it. That information just might prove itself useful in the future.

Watch your opponents and notice what kind of hands they show down. If you notice anything that seems out of place (for example, the opponent limped in UTG with AA), make a note of it. By keeping track of these incidents, you’ll eventually notice patterns in play that can be exploited. The goal here is to find tendencies such as “always slow plays” or “always folds to c-bets.”

It also helps to note an opponent’s overall playing style. Although not specific, notes such as “loose-aggressive” give you advance warning of how that opponent might play. It’s important that you don’t jump to conclusions, though. Just because you notice one weird play doesn’t mean the opponent always plays like that. You have to constantly pay attention.

Stay Alert

It’s tempting to get lazy at the tables and let your mind drift when you’re not involved in a hand. Don’t fall into the temptation of surfing the internet, browsing the high stakes tables or chatting on Skype. Keep your attention focused on the game. Not only will you be able to take better notes, but you’ll play a smarter, more aware game.

It helps if you watch your opponents play and take note of the types of hands they play. Practice guessing what types of hands your opponents have also. That will get you better at reading hands, which will benefit you when you actually do play hands. Keep at it; the more effort you spend now, the more money you’ll have to spend later.