Taking Notes At The Poker Table

It is an undeniable truth that if you don’t know how to play the two cards you have in front of you, then you will never be able to win at Texas hold’em. Amongst skills paramount to the hold’em player are starting hand selection, bankroll management and aggressive play. These skills however will only get you so far in hold’em or any other poker game you play. In order to take your play to the next level you must become familiar with your opponents and be able to recognize the style they play. Further, you must be able to make logical deductions based on what you have learned from them in the past. Luckily, there are several tools available to today’s players to make studying the opposition easier! I have listed some other important poker strategy articles that make up our online poker guide below.

One of the best and easily accessible tools that is available is the player notes function available on nearly every online poker client today. The note function allows you to keep tabs on players you run into across the course of your play. Now, you may never run into a player you take a note on again, but if you do, you have valuable information on them that could help you in a tough situation. Once you have a solid conclusion about a player, you most certainly should make a note about it so that you have that information in the future. Usually it is as simple as right clicking on the player and selecting “notes” but most modern poker clients are making it easier than that and its pretty hard to miss.

	Three Bonuses Instead Of One - Pokerstars is the only online poker room to match your first three deposits (100%), up to $600. This bonus format enables new poker players to get the most out of the bonus, without having to make a huge initial deposit. With 285,000 players signed in during peak hours, Pokerstars is definitely the largest online poker room. I'm in love with their e-check cashouts. If I make an e-check cashout on Tuesday the money will be in my bank on Thursday, sometimes even wednesday depending on request the withdrawal. The bonus mentioned above is an exclusive offer so you will have to enter the marketing (friend referral) code PSA1155 (at sign-up) and the bonus code STARS600 when you deposit.

The idea behind note taking is that you should be taking so many notes that after a long enough period of time, you have information on more people at the table than not. You have to remember that most players are not going to be taking notes, so you have a natural advantage over them. You are knowledgeable to their playing style, but they know little if anything about your playing style.

At first you might be a little confused as to what to take notes about, but really what you are looking for is anything that will give you a clue in a tough or borderline situation. Don’t take that in the wrong way, you want information for every situation, but it’s the tough calls where notes really can help. Here are some tips on what to look for and what to keep track of when taking notes:

• Take note of calling stations and passive players. These are the kinds of players that you can make hundreds and thousands of dollars from. Scan the table before you play looking for loose players and calling stations that you might have pegged in the past. Most likely their play hasn’t improved and they are still ripe for the picking.
• Take special note as to how players act on the end. The river is a completely different ball game for many players. Most never really get the hang of it and understand the complexities of the river. Take special note on how players act on the river so you have an advantage during a close situation.
• Take note of players who consistently show down powerful hands. This is the mark of a good player and someone you want to stay away from. If you do find them at your table, make sure you play only the best hands against them and watch out for any deceptive or advanced plays they might try and pull. Remember, in a perfect world you wouldn’t be at a table with these players.

If you follow the simple advice we have outlined here and start taking notes, your play will be leaps and bounds above the competition. Don’t overlook this incredibly simple concept that can improve both your decision making and your profit potential.

• Online Poker Guide

• Poker Game Rules

• Poker Strategy

• Poker Room Reviews

• Pokerstars Review

• Absolute Poker Review

• Cake Poker Review

• Texas Hold'em Rules

• Omaha Poker Rules

• Omaha Hi-Lo Rules

• 7 Card Stud Rules

• 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo Rules

• 5 Card Draw Rules