Anyone still take notes??

xOneCoolHandx

xOneCoolHandx

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I was having a discussion with my league teammates about the value of note taking. With a lot of players using HUDs and others wanting to act "organically" and still others who multi-table so much that they don't have time to focus on individual opponents, I have come to think that I am the only player left who takes notes on the other players at the table or if anyone else still does it and if they see the value in it?

Personally, I think this is one of the greatest tools in online poker. There are very few "tells" that you can get from the online game. Yes, I do know there are others, such as timing tells (which I fool around with the throw off my opponents from time to time, but generally I have a system where I wait the same amount of time before taking any action to combat this tell). For me, recording that a certain player likes to raise from the button 80-90% of hands in an unopened pot and will cbet no matter what comes on the flop is terrific information that I can use (that is not necessarily evident from the info you gain from a HUD...or at least not specific) to combat that player. And the best thing is, that when you save it, next time you play that player, you have a great idea of how he (or she) is going to play.

You can track all sorts of information through note taking. I have a personal system that I use to detect where other players seem to have leaks in their games that I can exploit. I also have abbreviations for certain things (CB for cbets when player has raised preflop and then cbets the flop every time). I even take notes on myself and when I successfully run a bluff or when I make a bad play (yes, it happens...more than I would like actually LOL).

I think that taking notes, updating notes as the other players adapt to different tournaments or adjust to different levels of tournaments; or finding differences between the way they play different tournaments and cash games gives me a real advantage when I am playing against these people. I would like everyone else's perspective.
 
Edu1

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I think I'm one of the few who never used HUD

I really like to taking notes as much as possible, with so many players in tournaments it's always good to mark them and get a sense of his playing style

there's a lot of bluffer out there, HUD won't remind me of that :biggrin:

I also think one of the best online poker tools
 
57noona

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I don't use a HUD either so the only way is to take notes on other players I'm playing poker with. I like taking notes on players so I can keep track of what they do in certain spots.
 
EVA777

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This is how many records do you need? This is a lot! There are many participants in tournaments, is it really possible to meet the one about whom the record is?
 
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Notes are very important and i always take notes coz some players can be very tricky at times and they play in patterns, so having notes kinda ives a heads up to how a player plays in general!

I don't use a HUD either so the only way is to take notes on other players I'm playing poker with. I like taking notes on players so I can keep track of what they do in certain spots.
i hope they band all huds
 
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Poker_Mike

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The notes I take are of unique plays that I see that player make - like a check-raise on the flop or what hand they limped UTG with.

I also note if I gave them a bad beat for some reason. I figure they are taking notes on me and I should "remember" that I gave them a beat because I called their preflop shoe w QQ and they had AA for example.

If I see open shove hands early in a tournament then I note that also and what hands they were.

It's true that a HUD doesn't tell you some of these things.

Good luck !
 
TeUnit

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I have a hud and note caddy, but I still take notes and color code players.
 
Kertooie

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I always take notes these days and stick to it because I like to have a strong foundation of knowledge it’s also a good way for me to gage how serious I feel like playing that day during warm up sit and goes and cash games.

TLDR; don’t play if your not intending on playing your best game possible, poker isn’t a video game. It’s a card game.
 
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Lately I just make color notes most of time just to set a type of a player and don't use text notes.
 
Jon Poker

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I take notes on players all the time. Just have never purchased a HUD program even though its probably the smart thing to do if you are to take this game seriously online. Anyhow - I take detailed notes on most players and mark them all according to colors indicating their particular playing styles. Some only have notes of two words or less lol. I must confess some players are marked "calling station" - "donkey" - "no foldem holdem" and so on lol.

Anyhow, for those who don't use or just cant afford a HUD - notes can be a great tool.
 
hugh blair

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No hud no notes about as useful as week old rotten box of chicken wings just use your head and start playing poker like a savant.:)
 
Cajin007

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I have a HUD, but never use it when playing.
I use it when reviewing and studying, and only to really gauge where i'm at.

I take notes when playing and reviewing, and adjust them as needed.
Color coding helps in generalizing types of players, but the notes trump the color, and I go though crayons often.
 
Krypton173

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95% of my volume is on unibet and i do have a TextDocument with Notes. ;)
Shout out to people that don't change alias. :D
 
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i love taking notes. its very common for every player at my table to have at least one note. I like to get very specific and use a lot of abbreviations mixed with shorthand to cram a ton of valuable info about scenarios and playstyles, while still being short enough I can read through before the time bank runs out. It helps me tremendously with making good calls against bluffers. I really like what someone mentioned above also, about noting when you give someone a bad beat, then you know they are capable of the mental game of poker and not just a lucky donk.
 
greatgame230

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Like you, I particularly take note all the time not only when I play cash (which is not usual) but also when I play SNG and MTT one must always be prepared you never know when you will meet those players again and have a note that indicates your appreciation of how they play is very useful when you have to face them again
 
BelFish

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Bad that not exist this option for android version on PS. Hope programmers ll add it soon...
 
xOneCoolHandx

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This is how many records do you need? This is a lot! There are many participants in tournaments, is it really possible to meet the one about whom the record is?


It really is very easy to track a whole lot of information on a player because you fold most of your hands, which leaves you free to observe what the players in the hand are doing. Plus, when you are waiting to act or after you have acted. This amounts to a lot more time than you would think (unless you are multi-tabling, and I don't do that very often...actually, almost never). Especially if you create a shorthand system for yourself. Like I use FNL for players I think play way too loose with any 2 they get. I have a whole shorthand system.

For myself, I keep a little notebook by my computer to write down a hand that I think I played really well or really bad (I often BOOM it too, so I can review it later and figure out how I could have played it better...often, the correct choice is: FOLD, why were you in that pot..lol)

But, I also know others who will write a note saying "dick" about another player. While I don't find this helpful, I'm sure that player does. For me, the more info I can gather on a player, the better, I think it puts me in a better position to defeat that opponent.
 
xOneCoolHandx

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I have a HUD, but never use it when playing.
I use it when reviewing and studying, and only to really gauge where i'm at.

I take notes when playing and reviewing, and adjust them as needed.
Color coding helps in generalizing types of players, but the notes trump the color, and I go though crayons often.


Crayons??? Now THAT'S sophistication my friend!
 
Boston10111

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I take notes all the time. I may not see a player for awhile but if I ever get into a big pot with them I will have a better read on what they have by looking at the notes. --I'll also mark the type of tournament if it's out of the ordinary of what I play like hyper-turbos
 
Poker_Mike

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No hud no notes about as useful as week old rotten box of chicken wings just use your head and start playing poker like a savant.:)


Just shaking my head at a poker player that turn's up his nose at "week-old rotten box of chicken wings".

I'm assuming it's the box that is rotting....wait let me taste those.....got any blue-cheese dip? LOL

Wait...let me try another one just to make sure.....mmmmmm flavor!

Good luck !
 
ninjareal

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My question is this, how will taking notes help non cc mtt events? And is there a risk that reliance on cc notes will reduce effectiveness in non cc mtt events?
 
Boston10111

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My question is this, how will taking notes help non cc mtt events? And is there a risk that reliance on cc notes will reduce effectiveness in non cc mtt events?

the notes stay saved, so if you run into the player on a different table/tournament, the notes can remind you of plays he did months ago. One example is fish or donkeys will shove with low pocket pairs. When somebody calls I see that and take a note. So the next time he shoves I have an idea of play.

some just shove low pocket pairs, but raise big pre with strong pocket pairs like AA, or KK. I will know the difference between the two plays and always fold the big raises since it's an extremely strong range.

But I also take notes on betting sizes post flop, checks, their position on the table, when they show cards on a fold etc.. and what they end up having at the end.

for CC members, you can take notes, but also give all the members a label stating they are CC members. then you know when you run into them in a different tournament.:)
 
ninjareal

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the notes stay saved, so if you run into the player on a different table/tournament, the notes can remind you of plays he did months ago. One example is fish or donkeys will shove with low pocket pairs. When somebody calls I see that and take a note. So the next time he shoves I have an idea of play.

some just shove low pocket pairs, but raise big pre with strong pocket pairs like AA, or KK. I will know the difference between the two plays and always fold the big raises since it's an extremely strong range.

But I also take notes on betting sizes post flop, checks, their position on the table, when they show cards on a fold etc.. and what they end up having at the end.

for CC members, you can take notes, but also give all the members a label stating they are CC members. then you know when you run into them in a different tournament.:)

Hi, thanks for your reply, however i meant in non cc games vs non cc players (so players you don't have notes on) , my question remains , does reliance on notes in cc games not hamper games outside of cc vs non cc members?
To add , I would say does this reliance on notes not slow down natural ability when now playing people who you have no notes on? (Sorta back to basics) ?
My view is to get stronger against everyone, cc and non cc members alike, I like all their chips equally , I take notes, just mental ones though
 
Datdude1

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I like to take notes on my opponents, I like to try to remember their tendencies. I think that this is very important while playing poker because sometimes you have to play the player and not the cards.
 
Boston10111

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Hi, thanks for your reply, however i meant in non cc games vs non cc players (so players you don't have notes on) , my question remains , does reliance on notes in cc games not hamper games outside of cc vs non cc members?
To add , I would say does this reliance on notes not slow down natural ability when now playing people who you have no notes on? (Sorta back to basics) ?
My view is to get stronger against everyone, cc and non cc members alike, I like all their chips equally , I take notes, just mental ones though


I uunderstand what you are saying, but my answer still stays the same. You can run into the same non cc players in different tournaments. So you you can take notes and remember them for next time too.


I also don’t believe your natural ability is hindered. If anything improved as you will start to see common tendencies in many players.
 
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