Online Poker Note Taking

by David Huber

Sitting across from virtual opponents who do not give off physical tells is a challenging situation for any poker player, regardless of skill. Forget about the guy who leans back in his chair when he’s satisfied with his hand strength… and forget about the gal who stacks her chips while trying to force a read out of her opponent.

If you’re going to play successfully online, you’ll need to seek out and take advantage of tiny edges to compensate for the lack of physical interaction. One of these edges is available to any player online, on almost any site… and that’s the ability to take permanent notes on the players you compete against.

Some consider online poker note taking a science, others think of it as an art form. The two adjectives that should most accurately define YOUR method are “practical” and “useful”. One of the most common misuses of this feature is employing vague, out of date terms like FISH, ROCK, SHARK, and DONKEY to describe your opponents. Unless you have a pre-conceived and specific idea of what these one-word labels mean, you’re selling yourself short and giving away expectation.

There are certain things that are note-worthy (for example: betting patterns, calling/shoving ranges, and overall methodology)… and a couple of things that are not (no-brainer decisions and bad beats). You want to be objective when taking notes, making sure the information you input will actually increase your future expectation versus that opponent.

In today’s tournament environment, one of the first things you’ll want to note about the players on your left is how often they are flat-calling raises and shoves. This will be especially useful for you later on when the blinds increase, and will often affect your push/fold decisions with marginal hands. You’ll also want to note how often players are raising pre-flop, along with how they are reacting to re-raises.

Below are two examples of notes on tournament players:

Example 1:

3x PFR from MP, folded to shove (twice)

Opn EP high %

2.7x digit PFR from BTN w/88, called shove

defends BB high %

Example 2:

2.5x PFR from HJ w/AA

min re-raise only w/AA-KK

4x PFR from CO, folded to shove (twice)

shoved flop w/BsPP<

Cash games are a bit different when it comes to note taking, since much of the information you’ll be recording is based on post-flop tendencies. Instead of trying to figure out ranges on your own (there are programs allowed by poker sites that can help with cash game ranges), you should concentrate on finding opportunities that will allow you to gain value versus your opponents. Following are two examples of notes on cash game players.

Example 1:

PFR + Check = Me Bet

Thin river bet = Me Fold

C-Bet only with TP+

Example 2:

DNB!

C-Bet/Chk-raise line w/overpair+

4x PFR = strong ace

ABBREVIATIONS

PFR = Preflop Raise

3x = three times the big bind

C-Bet = Continuation Bet

UTG = Under The Gun

UTG +1/+2 = positions following Under The Gun

HJ = Hijack (two positions before button)

CO = Cutoff

BTN = Button

SB = Small Blind

BB = Big Blind

EP = Early Position

MP = Middle Position

LP = Late Position

Chk = Check

VB = Value Bet

AJ+ = Range equals Ace-Jack or better

SC = Smooth Call

DNB! = Do Not Bluff!

TP = Top Pair

MP = Mid Pair

BP = Bottom Pair

BsPP> = Pocket Pair that failed to hit the flop, ranging in value between top two flop cards

BsPP< = Pocket Pair that failed to hit the flop, ranging in value between bottom two flop cards or below

OvP = OverPair

Ovs = Overcards

FDrw = Flush Draw

SDrw = Straight Draw

Gut = Gutshot Straight Draw

Back = Backdoor Flush Draw

These abbreviations can help simplify note taking and allow you to focus on your opponents instead of your keyboard. However, taking perfect notes means nothing if you’re not capable of converting information into an edge. After all, you’re only as good as your ability to adapt. If you have a note on the player to your left that says “DNB!”, and you bet into him/her with air, then you should be prepared to suffer the consequences. If your note says “PFR + Check = Me Bet”, and you check behind your opponent on a scary flop, then you just might be giving away money.

Taking proper notes may require practice for someone who hasn’t used this option. It also takes a bit of time to get used to actually looking up the notes you have already taken, and incorporating them into your strategy. Also, you never want to accept note taking as a substitute for paying attention… they are two completely different concepts. Anything you type in about an opponent will most likely be used in a general form in a future situation. Paying attention is much more immediate, and much more valuable in the long run.