taking notes and keeping records

[EmFactor 0]

I had been thinking about this a lot lately, but last night's episode of the WSOP where Steve Dannenmann pulls out his "notes" got me thinking even more about it.Obviously pro's keep very detailed records about sessions and hands. I can't imagine that DN spouts off all those hand histories from the big game off the top of his head; I dunno, maybe he does. But regardless, I don't think many will argue with the fact that good record keeping is an essential part of a great player's game.So do you pro or semi-pro play keep records? What information do you feel is helpful to record, and to what detail? Do you keep a notebook with you at the table or try to write down overall how the session went after you've left the table? I would think that trying to get every hand that you're involved in would be tough, along with trying to get a read on players, or keeping track of props in the big game.Just something I've been thinking about lately, as you don't often see stuff like this in any poker books or articles.Maybe this would be a good topic for a CardPlayer article. *hint*hint*

[Maskaveli 0]

I started keeping daily records about a month ago and it has helped me tremendously. I break down all the tourneys for the day with buy-ins, place, entries, etc. I usually have a summary of the day overall and give myself pointers on great plays made, as well as my mistakes. I definetly recommend keeping track of all your play...

[navybuttons 15]

the one thing that you should be really concerned about is hand play. i'm sure in a single night you can remember at least 2 or 3 big showdowns with your opponents. what was you hand? theirs? could you put them on this hand? why not? the list goes on. ..should you have folded there? was the pot laying you odds? if you follow what dannenman does as a poker player you are asking for trouble. there are certain statistics that players like to keep track of. hours, time, location, limit, +/- , etc. these sort of statistics will help you realize that maybe you don't play well late at night. maybe the 5/10 game at one casino is easier to beat than the 3/6 at another.posting hands on fcp and getting responses is sometimes crushing but can be really insightful. as you move up in limits,of couse, a missed bb here and a wrong call here add up in the long run.keeping a record with you at the table is might be weird but helpful. personally i would think a guy was an idiot for logging hands in a live casino. but since you should only be playing a few hands, those times that you do have one you might be able to remember. most records should include about 1000 hours before they can really be analyzed. there have been numerous articles on cardplayer/ fcp about record keeping. good luck.

[KingJames 11]

Read Killer Online Poker: Crushing the Internet Game by John Vorhaus. He is huge on the notebook and does a very thorough job of explaining what to keep track of and how to interpret your statistics/notes. Good luck.

[dank773 0]

I've had to force myself to stop insulting people in the chat box while playing. So now my release is insulting people in my notes. So when I sit down at a table, I'll check my notes on people."utter f'ing moron, will chase flush on the turn for the pot with the board paired""super f'ing donkey, entire stack for a low with one to come""utter f'ing f'wad, any 4 for 10 preflop"most of this is from PLO8.