Whether you consciously do it or not, when you play poker you are tracking a lot of information. From bet sizes, poker chip stacks, your own cards, and players past actions there is a potential overload of information. The best way to keep track of it is to take notes. Taking good player notes can be the difference between a winning sessions and a losing session.

It is not enough to make player notes that denote who is a donkey and who is a shark. Give yourself the most detailed notes possible. Make notes that cover bet size, their position, the hand they play, and if they use continuation bets. If the hand goes to a showdown that is even better, make sure you use the hand history to check which hand they were playing if it is not shown. Using a colored stripe for each player is also a quick and easy way to determine which type of player someone is. I suggest using extreme colors for the worst and best players and use lighter shades for the middle of the road players. When you check out the poker tournament lobbies or ring table lobbies this will help you quickly identify what types of players are at the table. Since the pace of action on the online poker sites is generally faster it is also best if you use abbreviations. It does not make sense to type out full words because you will not have enough time to type them and you do not want to take the time to read them. Use acronyms or abbreviations that make sense to you.