Taking notes on my opponents vs relying on stats

[Luvepoker]

Taking notes is a good thing to do as they can help you are remind you about players. I date mine as well for a reason. Just like a HUD the info you have does go out of date at time as players change and improve

 

[EarnDAStack]

I take notes on whether or not my opponent has posted whether or not they take notes in this thread.

In general in big player pools taking notes is of less value and you should tend towards general population reads rather than individual reads until you see something that gives you more concrete information.

EG, assume he 3-Bets KK until you see him do something crazy like limp or cold call with it but assume in general that population is 3-Betting less than optimal and will have fewer hands than optimal.

When you play in a smaller player pool taking good notes can be really important but you should have a good understanding of basic theory because you generally only take notes in spots where players differ from the standard strategy.


A quote I really like and have heard often around the pokerverse is:

"If you've been playing with someone for a while and you've made no notes on them you can assume they are a reg,"

Hope this helps

EDS

 

[ScooperNova]

I take some notes. I'll make a slightly abstract observation that I don't think anyone else has mentioned so far. I like to note if I notice players acting differently with me as opposed to how they act against other players. I try to counter what I see them employing against me specifically.

 

[ScoobyEdu]

Ever since I started playing, I've been told how interesting and useful this can be, as well as not forgetting to save this file (especially in the case of pokerstars, where I save it directly to OneDrive, GoogleDrive, or Dropbox, so I never lose it and it's always up-to-date on my PC and laptop), as I've lost it many times...
Even colors are important. Without me noticing that someone deserves attention, they get a color that tells me I need to get information, and then I update the colors and the information.

If your information goes for a long time without being updated, among the players we meet frequently, you have to be vigilant because this is not good. It can become out of date and can hinder more than help.

 

[Pabloro10321]

I take notes to remember specific moves they made, but I also remember the way they played.

 

[Claudiunm]

When playing online, do you take notes on other players to remember their tendencies, or do you rely on memory?

I confess that taking notes about other players is a skill I need to improve. I take some notes, but I'm not very good at it.

 

[Leandro Moecke]

Ao jogar online, você toma notas sobre outros jogadores para lembrar suas tendências ou confia na memória?

I've tried a few times but haven't succeeded often, in GG I even think it's easier because there's already this option in the game itself

 

[Mr.Ram]

I definitely mark it with at least a colored mark or a small note if a person plays in an unconventional way.

 

[Goggelheimer]

Absolutely — taking notes on opponents is a powerful edge in poker

Here’s a quick breakdown of the two phase process:

🎨 Color Coding (Colors and groups can be changed with your personal favorites)​

• Red: Aggressive bluffer — overbets, triple barrels, wide 3-bets
• Green: Passive caller — rarely raises, calls too wide
• Blue: Tight regular — solid ranges, folds to pressure
• Yellow: Recreational — unpredictable, limps often, odd sizings
• Purple: Reg — competent, but exploitable tendencies

📝 Written Notes (can also be much shorter)​

• Preflop: “Cold-called 3-bet OOP with ATo”
• Postflop: “Check-raises weak top pairs on wet boards”
• Showdown: “Bluffed river with missed draw vs capped range”
• Timing: “Snaps river with strong hands, tanks with bluffs”

Over the time (sample size matters here too) you can get a detailed note view on players tendencies.

 

[DarkSage]

Absolutely — taking notes on opponents is a powerful edge in poker

Here’s a quick breakdown of the two phase process:

🎨 Color Coding (Colors and groups can be changed with your personal favorites)​

• Red: Aggressive bluffer — overbets, triple barrels, wide 3-bets
• Green: Passive caller — rarely raises, calls too wide
• Blue: Tight regular — solid ranges, folds to pressure
• Yellow: Recreational — unpredictable, limps often, odd sizings
• Purple: Reg — competent, but exploitable tendencies

📝 Written Notes (can also be much shorter)​

• Preflop: “Cold-called 3-bet OOP with ATo”
• Postflop: “Check-raises weak top pairs on wet boards”
• Showdown: “Bluffed river with missed draw vs capped range”
• Timing: “Snaps river with strong hands, tanks with bluffs”

Over the time (sample size matters here too) you can get a detailed note view on players tendencies.

That's actually a very good color system, thanks

 

[watup]

No, i never make notes

 

[Fallenglory]

I note and tag people just like Goggelheimer said. For me it works, I feel it gives me an edge over opponents who don't. For instance I will tighten my range versus tight agressive players opening raises.

I did rely on it to much at some point, cause even a loose agressive player can have a premium hand at times.

Now I've found a better balance. It's also a great way to learn about opponents tendencies while not in a hand.

 

[Aleksandr1991]

Играя онлайн, делаете ли вы заметки о других игроках, чтобы запомнить их манеру игры, или полагаетесь на память?

yes, of course it helps a lot in the future!!!

 

[dibroff777]

I left notes for a while, but then I realized that it was pointless. I got to the table several times with people I saw as either aggressive or passive, or a person who was bluffing, but their style of play was not at all what I noted in the note.

 

[Thom223]

No i don't

 

[Prophet]

I used to label players , but after a while I never see them again, so I stopped doing it.
Maybe would be a good idea to start taking notes on the players in this community since we play together weekly games

 

[bazza155]

Making notes can help but needs to be done over a period of time as styles change.
I played a multi round chip carry over game and made the weekend final with 1/2 million in chips early in the week, as I play for fun I carried on playing the games later in the week but as I was already in the final I played a much more aggressive/bingo style game and made the final again but this time with 1.5 million in chips.
So take into account the games as well.

 

[bbogdanel]

Yes, sure

 

[veryluckyfish7k]

When playing online, do you take notes on other players to remember their tendencies, or do you rely on memory?

i always note people it really helps!

 

[AndreiTheGiant]

Definitely take notes!
Even if you have a great memory, after a few sessions those reads start blending together. Plus, players evolve their games, so old mental notes might be outdated anyway.
I try to jot down notes immediately after seeing something significant. If I wait until the session ends, I've usually forgotten half the important stuff.

What kind of notes do you take?

 

[navicula]

I always take notes on my opponents at the table. It's the best way to understand their playing style and predict their next moves.

 

[hajaehyun]

I want to take notes, so it's hard to sit at the table so often

 

[Sintubai]

I always mark players because in the long run it can be very helpful in making decisions against that same player who has already shown us some tendencies in their game. Except on websites that don't allow us to do this, like WPT, not even by rating, color, etc., at least I can't do it on mobile. On 888, the mobile marking is more limited than on PC, allowing you to write down a play or information about the type of play

 

[ztibor72]

Yes, I usually make notes about my opponents and use color marking.

 

[successlaw]

I usually take notes when I see something unusual in opponents play