Keeping records - what do you record?

I'm pretty big on the money management aspect of poker, keeping track of every cent I have on every site, recording bankroll changes weekly in an Excel-sheet, and I have a detailed plan that I stick to when I make decisions on cashing out a profit or building my 'roll.

I don't, at this point at least, record individual sessions. I played around with the analyzer at cardplayer.com, but I haven't gotten into the habit of using it properly. I can definitely see uses for it, like having it tell me if I'm a profitable SNG player (as these profits or losses may be swallowed or defended by my cash games), or what my earning/hour is, or even if different limits are more or less profitable to me.

Once I finish my "tour of duty" (trying out the major online poker rooms), I believe I will start recording a lot more detail. This could prove to be extremely helpful if I decide to finetune some part of my style, like playing looser, or other changes to my play.

So to the recorders here, what do you record? What have you found, later on, was useful? Or what do you wish you had been logging the whole time?

Cheers,
Fredrik

Well Fredrik even though you think i suck here is what i record. Its nowhere near as detailed as yours. My online record almost takes care of itself, i play on pokerstars and i use pokertracker to keep an eye.

As far as my live play goes, im currently keeping a spreadsheet of my wins and losses, and the other (above average) regulars wins and losses, so i see how im doing in comparison to what i think are other good players in our game.

That s about it, i suppose if i was ever to take a more serious stance on the game i would have to keep much more detailed records, but for the meantime im happy enough.

I write down every hand i'm dealt in SnG's and MTT's (until H2H stage), but this is purely as an added discipline to stop me playing without concentrating. I've got a Pokertracker program, but I don't use it because I play on so many sites i'll very rarely play the same person twice (and if I do, I don't think data from one game is any use). I keep a note of my bankroll, and have set myself a target ($1,000 profit by Christmas), which helps me keep focus during games, and stops me going on tilt. Only $200 to go!

Hey, now, I was merely helping out as per your request!

I've considered buying PokerTracker, because I have a serious fetisch for statistics. As an additional question to the question posed in this thread: If you use PokerTracker, how do you use it? Do you use it as a book-keeping tool, or do you use it to check your EV for specific starting hands, or what?

From now on, tenbob, there will be nothing but love from me to you! Promise!

PT basically has three main uses for me:

1) To see how I'm running, and to verify whether I'm actually a winning player at a given limit/game or not (when you're playing limit ring Hold 'Em, NLHE SnGs and limit ring O8 at various limits it can be easy to not notice if you're actually a losing player at one if you're winning at the others).

2) To plug leaks in my game. If I'm losing big with I dunno, say AQ, I'll review the hand histories and see whether I'm just running unlucky with the hand or if I'm misplaying it (for example calling a UTG raise from a guy who's seeing 10% of flops and raising 3% would be misplaying AQ in most circumstances). If I'm losing money from early position, I'll check to see if I'm playing too loosely in early position. If I'm losing from the SB, I'll check to see if I'm completing the SB too much etc etc.

3) Less important but still handy, to track other players. I usually just look at VPIP% PFR% and W$SD unless I feel I need more in depth information on someone.

Dorkus,


Do you feel that it's paid of the $50 (or whatever it cost) that you paid for it? I.e., would you recommend it?

Joke FP Joke,

I use poker tracker to plug leaks in my starting hand requirments. Not as much now as when i started playing a fair bit online. Its handy to see what hands you lose money with on a regular basis. I also find it very useful to track my progress at the different stages of sit and go's.

I was making money/breaking even at them until i spotted that i done very well at the early stages, very very poorly at the bubble stages, and was going into the final stages short stacked. Pokertracker helped me spot this and attempt to plug the leak, i now either place high or go on the bubble, getting much better results.

Try downloading the trial version, only 1000 hands but it will give you a good indication of what the software does and if you like it or not.

I use an Excel spreadsheet, too, and within it there are separate sections for live tourneys, online tourneys, live ring games, and online ring games (also bonus credits).

Within each section, as applicable, I keep track of:

- date and day of week played
- start and end times of play
- duration of time played
- site or location
- limit amout (if ring game)
- money in (buy-in or amount brought to table)
- money out
- # of entries (if tourney)
- # in money (if tourney)
- place finished (if tourney)
- additional notes or comments
- net profit/loss per session (automatically calculated)
- net profit/loss for each type of game (automatically calculated)
- total net profit/loss (automatically calculated)

The notes are particularly useful. In reviewing them, I found it interesting that the #1 reason I've gone out in online tourneys is for calling all-in bets when I have pocket aces. Poker Tracker sounds even better, though.

In a word, yes.

I haven't even played anything past a bit of .50/1 and $5 tourneys (well, a couple of $10s but that's rare), and it's still already more than returned my investment on it (mainly through turning the SB from a huge losing position for me to my 4th highest winning position, discounting the blind bet of course). Just make sure the main sites you play at are actually supported by it.

One last thing, a lot of great free software like PokerAce HUD and Pokergrapher are only usable in conjunction with PT.

PokerTracker is not available for ParadisePoker, is that correct? I record everything the old-fashioned way, notebook and pen. I've been playing online for real money for about 18months now, and recording data for the last 4months or so. Dont play many cash games anymore, outside of the local casino, but when i do i write down what i sit with and stand with and how long i was there. I play mostly STT's now, and record the buyin+fee, my placement, my win/loss after deducting the cost to enter, and the top 4 players if i make it that far. Started with $200 and playing $5 STT's, when i doubled that approx. I moved to $10 ones, then at $700 or so I moved up to $20 STT's which is where I'm at now. Last month was a little better than avg. for me, but usually close to this

September 1-30
28 $22 sng's played--(-616)
19 cashes -----(+1260)
Profit of -----(+644)
1st--5
2nd--9
3rd--5
no cash--9

It supports Paradise hand and tournament histories.

http://www.pokertracker.com/ptsupported.html