Taking Notes

When I first started studying poker, I read all kinds of note-taking philosophies but I never really got anywhere with them. They usually said something like “use this abbreviation for preflop raise percent, use that abbreviation for folds to river bet.” They never really told me how to train myself to look for trends in my opponents’ play styles.

Everybody takes notes differently so I’m not going to tell you how you should take notes. Some people develop their own abbreviation system, some people type out their notes longhand, and others don’t take notes at all. I’m only going to describe eight basic characteristics to look for when taking notes. There are a million things you can write down when taking notes but these eight basic tips will at least get you off to a good start.

1. Do they always put preflop raiser on AK?

What this means is there are some opponents who simply will not fold their hand unless there’s an A or K on the board. If they called with pocket 2s they will go down all the way if no aces or kings show up. If they called with 67 and completely whiff the flop, they’ll try to make a call on the flop and then steal the pot from you on the turn. This is called floating and they will float you every single time there is no A or K on the board.

You don’t necessarily need to take this note literally. Just note the person if they don’t fold to continuation bets very easily. More importantly, find out how they handle pressure on the turn. It can get expensive if you apply the wrong strategy on the turn because the pots are bigger by then.

2. Do they constantly checkraise the turn with made hands?

Some opponents just can’t seem to make any other play with made hands than to slowplay it one street, and then checkraise the turn. A lot of them are very obvious about it, they will call one bet on the flop and then minraise your turn bet or check-minraise your turn bet. It’s obvious they aren’t trying to get you out with a small raise like that, they are just pot building. So note it if anyone at your table plays that way.

3. Do they call preflop raises with T3 suited?

Note it. Nothing more than that is needed. They play any 2 suited cards, they are probably fish, and you should avoid bluffing them.

4. Do they chase?

Note it. They are fish and you need to value bet more and bluff less. Charge them for those draws.

5. Are they unbluffable?

This could probably go with the last two but here it is anyways. Your opponent doesn’t know when he’s beaten and he never believes you. Don’t bluff him, value bet him with your good hands. He might be a sheriff trying to keep you honest, he might not know his hand value, whatever – it doesn’t matter why he always calls. All you need to worry about is taking his money.

6. Do they bluff too much?

It’s pretty easy to tell if the person bluffs way too much. Just don’t make assumptions too quickly. People do go on hot runs with real hands and it can look like they are stealing pots. What you need to do is pay attention and look for showdowns and see what kind of cards they are taking to the river. If you see too many bluffs being shown down, then note it.

7. Are they good poker players?

If the opponent in question appears to have a solid strategy and doesn’t play like a complete monkey then note it and move on. Even good players have leaks and exploitable habits so if you play the person often enough, it would be helpful to take very detailed notes on them. Just make sure you’re using good game selection. There’s no point in playing against good players when there are easier fish around.

8. Don’t let one individual event make the final judgment.

Things happen, people make misclicks, they have a bad session, they answer the phone and mess a hand up and who knows what else. Its OK to note singular events; just don’t let that one thing classify the opponent forever.

And last, don’t let notes completely dictate your play. There are many factors to consider when making a decision and your notes are only one of them. And remember, even the worst bluffer will have a real hand sometimes.