Help me take player notes!

Whats up everybody. I have been killin the 25NL games Ive been playing at lately, simply by 2 tabling, waiting for decent hands and playin ABC poker while surfing the net. I pay minimal attention to the tables, and really have no reads on anybody ever. It really seems pointless because there are so many poor players calling all ins with total garbage that id just have to write the word "fish" ten times every table i sit at.

When you all take notes on players, what do you observe besides starting cards. How do you interpret betting patterns and anything else you notice to label someone tight-passive or loose-agg (or whatever)?

246807098

to me at low limits, i only label people as fish, decent, or HUGE fish.

to me a fish is the average run of the mill player who i will win money off of over time.

decent is someone who is either tight, or aggressive, or is otherwise solid enough i should be cautious with them.

huge fish is the type of guy who'd call you down to the river, having already bet 16 dollars of his 20 dollar stack, then fold on the river if you put him all-in. these are people to follow around and drain.

other than that, at low limit what else would really help you?

I guess that basic "file system" would work.

I've been writing in specific notable hands I lay against people which gets kind of long. Switching to this may be a better way to go. or maybe a combo of the two.

I make quick notes of unusual characteristics or hands if they come up. These would be things like limping premium hands (high pairs) into pots with lots of players... doggedly chasing really longshot draws (like 4-outers) even with the worst imaginable pot odds... chronic slowplayers... chronic check-raisers... chronic bluffers... etc. For most people my notes are just one line, like this:

- Big fish, flush-chaser, don't try to bluff
- Calls too much but will fold to aggression on later streets
- Solid player, respect his raises

I think the only purpose notes serve is if you keep track of players who play consistently bad. This way you can do a search for them when you feel like playing. I think at the major sites there are just too many people to take anykind of meaningful notes.

I like to take quick notes not to track them down later, but just so I get an idea who I'm sitting with whenever I land at a table and they have a note attached. It saves me the trouble of re-experiencing whatever it was I had to learn the hard way the last time.

here an example of my notes

{{PFR: 5 - TOT : 341
VP$IP: 40 - SF-NB: 34
WSD: 28 - W$SD: 49
SF-ALL: 41 - W$SF: 31
DESC: LA-A

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ilikeaces86

here an example of my notes

{{PFR: 5 - TOT : 341
VP$IP: 40 - SF-NB: 34
WSD: 28 - W$SD: 49
SF-ALL: 41 - W$SF: 31
DESC: LA-A

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For the laymen non note-taker, what is all that? I recognize it as Poker Tracker info, but not too much of it makes sense to look at.

PFR =Pre-Flop raise

VP$IP= voluntarily put money in pot

sf-nb=saw flop not in blind

WSD=Went to showdown

W$SD=won money at showdown

Desc=loose agressive

i like having aggression stats for every street as well.

Hey aces how would you intrepret these numbers now besides having PT automatically assign a name to the players. Could I assume a person is a calling station based on these?

By the way - I searched your name and saw you kickin some real ass in the NL tables today. Good job and you gave me somethin to shoot for

I play on party skins and this is my note taking template. This allows me to quickly know how a person played the last time I played them.
Date:
Limit:
Player Type: Tight Loose Aggressive Passive
Comments: Anything I pick up (ex chases with over cards)
PF SB: Pre flop play Small Blind (what they raise with, reraise with or call raises with)
PF BB: Pre flop play Big Blind (what they raise with, reraise with or call raises with)
PF EP: Pre flop play Early Position (what they raise with, reraise with or call raises with)
PF MP: Pre flop play Middle Position (what they raise with, reraise with or call raises with)
PF LP: Pre flop play Late Position (what they raise with, reraise with or call raises with)
Check: Situation when they check post flop
Check Call: Situation when they check and then call post flop
Check Raise: Situation when they check and then raise post flop
Bet: Situation when they bet (lead out) post flop
Raise: Situation when then raise post flop
Tells: Any tells I pick up