Taking notes online is something ever poker player should do!

[KaciBlakely]

A lot of people who play poker on the Internet like to focus on tournaments.

They either play lots of fast-paced sit'n'go tournaments, or they play in normally structured multitable events.

These "normal" tournaments usually have massive fields, and the player base of the sit'n'gos is very large as well, meaning it is often very hard to get to know the tendencies of your opponents – other than what you've seen on that specific day.

But because I have always tried to stay one step ahead of my opponents by making slight adjustments to my play every time it seemed they thought they had figured me out, because of this I have no doubt whatsoever that playing against the same small group of core players has been an important part of my winning poker strategy.

Now that I have made the transition to Internet play, it is not as easy here to get me in the same kinds of favorable positions.

Because online I cannot see my opponents, it is much more difficult to analyze any tells or habits that my opponents may have.

Also, these tells / habits are a lot less reliable than in real life – if only for the fact that sometimes two or three people play under the same account (making it even harder to get a good line on one's play).

And while in my normal limit hold'em or pot-limit Omaha game in my regular cardroom it would be an exception to be up against more than two unknown players, on the Internet it is entirely possible to be at a table full of unknowns.

This is especially true on some of the larger sites (PokerStars, PartyPoker), where the player base is so large that it is simply impossible to get to know every single player.

But the note-taking feature that most sites offer does make this process a lot easier.

Every time that you're in a game and you notice a very good or very bad play by someone, every time that you see patterns in one's play, you can simply write that down – something that is not allowed in brick and mortar setting.

Now, the next time that you will be playing at the same table with this person, these same notes will still be there, so you will know immediately: "Hey, this is that guy who calls raises with king-ten offsuit", or "Oh, that's the fella who only bets made hands and who almost never semi-bluffs".

This type of information is just invaluable, and even more so if you are someone who (like me) actively seeks to play in games with specific players, while avoiding others.

If you play on sites where the player base is not that large, or if you like to play certain types of games that have a relatively small core group of players, then not taking notes would be the same as leaving money on the table - something unforgivable for the professional player.

While most sites have a very large number of limit and no-limit hold'em tables, at the game that I like best (pot-limit Omaha high) the player base is usually not nearly that big – even at the larger sites.

This means that within a couple of months, one should be able to gather quite a bit of useful information to create a list of notes and records; a list that is extensive and reliable enough to give the creator of this list a significant edge in the game.

Of course, it is important to be very accurate when taking notes, and to analyze correctly the specific situation that may have led to the good or bad decisions you have noticed.

You should take into account the size of the game, the type of game and whether or not the play you witnessed is 'standard' for this specific player.

You should try to figure out the level of your opponent's knowledge, any betting patterns that may give away the strength of his hand, whether or not his play deteriorates whenever he's losing, etc. etc.

Basically, you do exactly the same as in a regular cardroom – the only difference is that online you write things down immediately, while in B&M cardrooms you would have to wait until you get home to make this analysis.

All in all, it should be clear that this note-taking feature is yet another advantage for those people who play poker in a systematical and analytical manner, and that the people who don't care about these things "because people who know their players don't need to write stuff down" will be at a distinct disadvantage.

In fact, they are losing out on a simple but excellent opportunity to keep both the quality of their play as well as their overall results at the highest possible level.

To sum this up taking notes while playing online is something ever poker player should do.

[nodepositneeded]

Please quote your sources when copying an article.

[GloBug]

well ndn i tried to warn but to no success. kaci if u see your chips in the negative its because u posted non original posts. dont try to abuse the chips system or else u will get ur chips deducted for the post u made. gotta be original.

[KaciBlakely]

well ndn i tried to warn but to no success. kaci if u see your chips in the negative its because u posted non original posts. dont try to abuse the chips system or else u will get ur chips deducted for the post u made. gotta be original.

NDN said I could post articles for everyone to see so I did.

I thought it was credited in the source but apparently I forgot, I mean I am only human, and us humans are allowed to make mistakes I believe.

Usually when I post these its in there just like the other ones.

I wasn't posting to get chip count, I was posting because it helped me and I thought it could help others as well.

I'm insulted that GloBug thinks I was trying to abuse the system when honestly I wasn't.

I will try to go find this article and post sources in my history.

When I talked to NDN about it he/she said I would just get deducted the points from the certain posts.

I am fine with that and not everyone tries to abuse systems.

I mean there are just good people with good intentions out there and I think I deserve an apology from certain people.

I don't know if this is the community for me after all.

KaciBlakely

[GloBug]

well i dint say u abused the system i said dont abuse the system . i wasnt rying to make u out as a bad person. come on ive been here long enough to not do that. i like everyone on here u included. u have helpful posts like the ones u post but if u post them try posting a link. that would be easier. i apologize if i offende du but we have had way to many people in the past abuse the system so thats y i warned u of it. dont leave because of this. doesnt warrant it. u are a valued member of this forum. i enjoyed ur posts but they just werent original. thats all. dont take it the wrong way. not intended for that. sorry

[KaciBlakely]

well i dint say u abused the system i said dont abuse the system . i wasnt rying to make u out as a bad person. come on ive been here long enough to not do that. i like everyone on here u included. u have helpful posts like the ones u post but if u post them try posting a link. that would be easier. i apologize if i offende du but we have had way to many people in the past abuse the system so thats y i warned u of it. dont leave because of this. doesnt warrant it. u are a valued member of this forum. i enjoyed ur posts but they just werent original. thats all. dont take it the wrong way. not intended for that. sorry

I am sorry I took it as an attack than and I would like to become a valued member and still post good provocative things for us to all learn from.

I guess I just saw it as an attack and went on the defensive because my reputation means a lot to me. Online and real life be it as that may.

I will definitely be posting more original things.

I apologize for anyone getting any wires crossed too. I'll this up as a "my bad on everyone's fault. lol"

I'll take blame but not on all of it. lol.

[nodepositneeded]

An issue quickly put to rest - thanks for being understanding everyone!

[GloBug]

I am sorry I took it as an attack than and I would like to become a valued member and still post good provocative things for us to all learn from.

I guess I just saw it as an attack and went on the defensive because my reputation means a lot to me. Online and real life be it as that may.

I will definitely be posting more original things.

I apologize for anyone getting any wires crossed too. I'll this up as a "my bad on everyone's fault. lol"

I'll take blame but not on all of it. lol.

no blame needed. it was miscommunication thats all. we never attck anyone on here. dont be so defensive its like a family on here. i mean post about there health problems and we all try to cheer them up with encouraging words. dont know many forums that do that. just be active and original thats all. post a link if not ur info. as for being a valued member u are one in my book.

[nodepositneeded]

KaciBlakely did indeed clear this type of thing with me. As long as everyone is aware that they will get chips deducted for posting articles that are not original it's fine with me.

I only ask two things:

1. Please always credit the source of the original article(s).

2. Please do your best to make sure that the majority of your posts are indeed your own original words and not those of others. I ask this because believe it or not most members here prefer to read the thoughts and opinions of the other members and not the thoughts and opinions derived from articles other than your own.

[vickid]

i was once in the big minus over punished for a few over post some jokes

lol it hurt but i came back its really not that hard i dunno what it is but i enjoy coming back from behind hahahahaha


sounds bad i know and i know eejit will haggle me over it but wat ever lol