Not able to get notes every hand?
You mean everyone in it too?
Maybe I forgot that part.........you will have to prioritize who you are going to place this effort on first. After that, notes can be simplified. Not every point will be able to be kept and certainly not for everyone at once. But the more I can remember, the better I get at placing a proper read on my opponents. The template means that you gain reminders of the points you want to look for. After practice you gain a rhythm of what to look for and how.
I usually start taking notes on the ones I have the most information on. Like I said, I have the use of a HUD for the stats. So I already keep a history of people that I have played before. Those are usually the ones I start with.
After that, I start watching table to find out who is the aggressor is and start noting him. I can note the others at the table as the action happens sometimes, but the table aggressor is the one that I am most likely to run into first. And sometimes that makes him my priority.
And don't you think often someone's play would be different based on other players at the tables, even in the same circumstances hand- & position-wise?
This is exactly why I choose to start noting people that I have the most information on. Once you start taking notes you will be able to compare what you had then to what you have now.
I would never consider someone's notes as the solitary factor to making a move. But with notes, I have more information to consider when I have to make a decision in the current game. As a result of keeping notes, I now have a better indication of how to play that move with confidence because I currently know what the texture is. Also, convenient side effect of taking notes.
I mean no disrespect, but I don't see how you can possibly do all this and pay attention to a single game.
Thank-you for mentioning this! I kind of left that part out. The Best part of all is
keeping notes means,
~YOU
ARE PAYING ATTENTION~
If there ever was 1 thing that someone can do better with taking notes........paying attention is it! I can, after many trails and practice, accurately keep notes with a better level of focus on the overall game in a simple-to-me rhythm.
Taking notes is something you have to be dedicated to. If you are going to take time to take notes, consider taking the time to create a template to start from first. Make a plan of what you are going to look for. Then make it easy for
you to use, designed by
yourself. I'm sure that once you start doing this on your own, you get to a point that you will begin to change the information you want to look for. Templates are easy to change. I just gave the template that I'm most comfortable with because of my own trials and practice in using it.
Personally my best notes come from the hands I sit out. I would just play at one table until you get your own template set-up. After you become more comfortable what notes you are going to take, you can simply set the template with copy/paste and then mark tally areas.
Where do you keep at the notes anyway?
I play at FT and this template fits fine for me because of the way I use abbreviations and X tallies on my notes. Your own table settings could be smaller and more difficult for this template. But I'm sure you can find a place to store notes.
I also save my template on a separate word doc. Since I just copy the template I am able to simply paste (Ctrl+V) it into the notes area over and over. Then mark the appropriate areas of the template as I note.