7 Note Taking Tips to Improve Your Poker Game

You are taking notes, aren’t you?

Those of you that answered yes already know the value of note taking so hopefully these tips will help you refine your note taking to make them more meaningful. If you answered no then read on and I hope  you will learn just how important note taking can be.

Online poker players have a distinct advantage over their live counterparts since they have the ability to easily make notes on their opponents. I have seen live players with notepads but note taking at a poker room is just too cumbersome and other players unfamiliar with the house rules may not understand and take issue with it.

But note taking can be a very important tool and really help you grow as a poker player and allow you to move up in stakes as your bankroll grows. So here are 7 note taking tips to help improve your online poker game.

Note Taking Tips

1. Use some form of shorthand to input your notes. You don’t want to spend too much time inputting notes to a point where it adversely affects your game by missing the action. Utilize acronyms for positions (SB, BB. UTG, etc) when inputting notes.
2. The style of your notes should be consistent so they are easy to read in the heat of battle. You don’t want to waste time deciphering the meaning of your own notes.
3. Only take notes on plays that are important enough to note. That is, don’t waste time noting that your opponent made a standard play. You want to focus your energy on noting when a player does something unorthodox.
4. Be sure to include stack sizes in your notes when you feel they are important. An opponent making a particular play short stacked at 25BB may not make the same move when they have a 100BB stack.
5. Make note of your opponents position if you are making a note about a particular play he or she made. The same play later on from your opponent may have an entirely different meaning when they are UTG vs the play they made earlier from the Button.
6. Update and enhance existing notes as you get more information about your opponent.  The notes you take are often times incomplete, especially when you have only played a few hands with them. As you play more and more against this opponent you can fine-tune your notes.
7. Read the notes you have for existing players as they enter the table or when you first sit down. This will prepare you and give you better insight into what your opponents actions mean as they are making their plays.

Once you get the hang of note taking and can take concise and meaningful notes you will start to really learn and improve your game. Even if you never come upon that particular opponent again, the process of thinking about your opponents actions and making notes will truly elevate your game.

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1. Improve Your Game with Poker Coaching