Writing Notes On Other Players??

Guys,

Can I ask for some advice on player note writing online?

When I am playing cash games online I am trying to write notes on the other people in the game but am not really sure what I am supposed to be writing.

I just played some cash and noticed on one hand when two queens flopped and I had nothing I raised four times the big blind and two other guys in the pot folded so I won that pot. I figured if one of them had a queen they would have played and I would have folded. So I put all this in a note but then it seems to take ages to write and I ended up missing what was going on in the game. I have similar problems with other notes.

Its obviously a lot simpler if someone goes all in preflop with pocket aces as I just write all in preflop AA but should I be noting position, chip stack sizes etc etc??

DeSelby

I try to take notes of behaviors:

R bluffs missed draw
F shoves 2 pair
F shoves FD
T check + R overbet = slowplayed monster
P shoves PP AX KX
F donks with air
F donks sets

and betting patterns:

F pots sets
R overbets air
T gives up when misses

stuff like the above is perfect

i tend to start by taking notes of specific pots - 4 bet shoved 88 over small 3bet or floated turn and shut down river with two overs on T78dd - and then as I build up reads/pots I try and make them into abstract concepts eg 4bets light when 3bet after opening LP or doesn't give up to cbets much etc

I had a similar system until I got HEM - now I just add the general comments in the sites notes (and HEMs) and enjoy the stats HEM gives me.

The issue I see in this is that stats don't address betting patterns. Personally I find those more useful than stats. There are behaviors that can be seen through stats though, I reckon that.

On hands that go to showdown take notes of what hand was played and the opening raise as well as position. E.g. EP limp 44 or LP raise 3x BB A10o. Also I'd write dates of when notes were made. A player can drastically change from Loose-passive to tigh-aggressive in a month if they are a beginner.

i don't take many notes. only if i see something that will help me in future games, like villain limp/3-bets UTG with AA (6 players).
personally i think its a waste of time to tag villains (LAG, TAG, passive or whatever). you will have all that info. within a few hands but if you have the time to take numerous notes then it can't hurt.

main thing that i think is important is taking good notes on how villains play their draws. Do they raise and get it in on the flop, do they just call you down and fold river, do they check behind or bet if i check to them.

A tip someone gave me a few months ago when i started online was to organize my notes pre and post flop. It makes things easier.

I was in the same spot so I developed my own system. Identify the weak passive and the crazys. Focus on one player whose giving me trouble and study his play. Most of the players can be lumped into simple TAG, LAG, LAP or nit's. If I can get 100 hands on a player I can usually put him on a fairly accurate range and identify betting patterns.

Useful 'notes' thread here.

Great responses thanks, some of this info is what I am currently doing so its pleasing to know that I am on the right track and its just as useful to pick up on what I need to be doing.

This may be a bit extreme but while learning do any of you film the computer screen and watch back the play at a later moment to analyse play and learn?

I don't do this as I don't own a video camera but have thought about it as I find it difficult to study all the players and monitor everything else that is going on. I know to be good I need to be able to do all this at once but while learning feel this would help.

DeSelby

Another thing pokertracker or holdem manager does for you - replayer included.

I have a photographic memory so I don't need any of those things.

I use a color code system.

At PS you can edit what each color means. There aren't many things you can say about someone.

Nit, call station, plays small pairs to death, easy trap, slow player, Danger, etc...

I still take specific notes if I need to... "Guy opened big with T9o" "Won't fold an ace" "steams easy" etc.

But the color code is my main line of defence. You just hafta put a name to each color so they always mean the same thing, player to player. Hardly ever hafta take actual notes.


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I just put AIPF AA
Nice link AG, very useful, thanks.

I write loads and loads of notes, including such things as whether they donk bet and preferably what they actually have when they donk bet, also if they call an all in loosely what they call it with, such as calling with FD or OESD and no pair, also trying to put them on ranges from different positions (early/mid/late). I review previous hands at that table and try to make notes on virtually everyone that I play against, depending of course on how many tables I'm playing at the time. I also try to colour code them.

+1 for simple colour coding actually - red is good, pink is reg, orange is fish, blue is super aggressive, etc

This is why my reads on people are so bad, I wish I would know if a person is doing these things so I could keep those type notes, I usually just have hands they bet with and what pos and try to see a range pattern, and if they seem easy or if they seem like trappy type players and of course THIS JERK KNOCKED ME OUT GET HIM AT ALL COST (just so I can tilt myself for no reason if I play against that player LOL). Hey that link someone posted above does have a good post on it about notes to take, that looks helpful, Maybe Ill try those.

Not sure what you mean here > "aren't many things you can say about someone".

I too use a colour-coding system (classify player types/styles & have been for a long time) but I also take ALOT of notes when situations warrant it (ie. something a bit unusual, or bad, or that they're capable of such & such, etc.). I also use alot of abbreviations for my notes, ie. LL r/f w<15bb (late levels, raise/folds with less than 15bb's); & literally dozens upon dozens of others.
Not only do I find this to be profitable when we see villain in future (&/or in similiar spots) but also forces me to be more tuned in to the table.

Anytime a hand goes to showdown, is a good oppurtunity for info. & good time to take a note. Use the HH replayer.
On Stars when I'm moved to a new table (in Tournament) I'll even pull up the HH Replayer & go back over the past 5hands (or however many it shows) to see if I can pick anything up about the players on the new table.

Usually have quite a few games running at the same time, mostly freerolls, so find it hard to take notes. My general practice is to take note of any crazies at the start and then during the bubble period. If I get to final table I take more detailed notes of players. Something I should work on more and will check out the links from this thread.

In the article from iceman, he references cards, but I dot see them he says stuff like "if they showdown with or I take a note" But no cards are shown.

Great link BTW, thanks

Not according to this thread:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/78...n-color-42493/

theres a difference between colour coding in cash and in mtts - you can't just go for hud stats because play changes so much between the early stages and the late stages.

my old flatmate always used green for good and red for fish, basically the opposite to me, so its just about finding something that suits you

I have listened to one recommendation in this thread (or one that it linked to). I've changed the description of yellow players at PS from "donk" to " exploitable"

I really don't like to colour code by stats alone. Makes little sense to me.

http://www.cardrunners.com/poker-vid...art-2-verneer/

"slow roll this ****er"

"****ing idiot. Vbet the shit out of him"

"dumb ass min raised flop with 2nd pair, checked turn, then shoved river. "

Couple of gems from my notes

^^^^Ive got notes like that.

ha ha ha.. we share player notes.

My notes are usually not referable to, after the fact.

Eg,

"lol"

"Last of a dying breed"

"U mad?"

My notes from about a 30 hands HU match:

Donk bet with bottom pair twice called river twice with bottom pair, may not be wise to float, good for value though
limp IP with 78o
doesn't fold enough
flat OOP 77
bet for thin value
V-bet shit out of
fast play hands that hit.
giving dry flops us too easily.
overbet river a few times, good for a trap if I check turn IP to induce.

Without joking mine are similar to these sometimes i tilt so bad i just bash the keyboard in their note

eg. of my 'player notes' on Bodog >

(I use same ones for all players)

I've changed my color ratings to 5 levels of Sklansky ratings and a few gotcha's like slow players, "exploitable" and whatnot.

I find it easier to think of their range based on these ratings, rather than just TAG, LAG, etc. I'll put that stuff in their notes, but it gives me no direct value as to what cards they might be in the pot with.


Easier for me.

BTW... whenever I play a CC tourney, there sure seems to be a lot of red bands around everybody. ..


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Write exactly what happened in the hand then it doesn't become distorted from misinterpretation.

"ch/r T73 flop as preflop raiser, folded to shove".

Can't be misinterpreted and can be built on as you go.