A good stud player has many tools that he can use to his advantage at the poker table. He can observe and remember the folded cards. He can characterize the playing style of his opponent. He can keep track of his recent image at the poker table. I've covered these items before. There's another tool that is available to on line players that is not readily available to live players. It is the feature of "notes" available on many of the internet poker sites.
This feature allows a player to write notes on his opponents that are available for later use. Used correctly, at a macro level this can help steer a player away from or toward a potentially good game. On a micro level this can help steer a player away or toward a specific move during the playing of a hand. Let me share with you some of what I've learned that has helped me gain an edge.
On line players come in and out of a game. You often don't have time to fully size someone up before writing a quick note. Better to rely on quick snapshots of their play. If you make new observations about someone just add them to the comment or comments already made.
If I see someone fold a few hands in a row I'll just quickly type in "tight". If someone raises aggressively a few times -- and it doesn't immediately look like they were obviously in the lead I'll type in "aggressive" or even "wild" if it seems to happen frequently.
If someone calls many hands I'll write in "loose"; if they rarely raise and frequently call or check I'll write in "passive". These are obvious things and I want them recorded as quickly as I spot them. I always leave myself the ability to go back in and change these notes if I find that after further examination they're incorrect.
I want to know if players are capable of folding in certain circumstances. Some players never fold on Sixth or Seventh. So if I see someone who does fold on either of these streets I make a note of it. Similarly so when someone is the bring in on Third Street. Some players never fold if the bet is completed. If they do fold, I note that they can fold on Third when the bet is completed and they're the bring-in.
I make note of any interesting plays I observe. If they bluffed and were caught I'll make a note that they bluff. If they re-raise on the River without a super strong hand I'll note that. If I notice a player who seems to only play solid cards, and he generally plays them aggressively, I'll just note "strong player".
And finally, I make note of whether they play in more than one game. This is easy to find out. Players tend to stay at the same level. So if the game is $10/20 stud I'll just quickly check through the line ups of the other $10/20 stud games and see if their name appears. If it does then I'll make a note "plays multiple games". This tells me a lot. It means that they tend to be straightforward and to fold to aggression if they don't have at least a pair on Third Street. I can steal their ante more readily and I want to know that.
I've used these player notes to my advantage in just about every session I've played. I start by avoiding games with too many "solid players". I then take advantage of those players whom I judge to be "tight" or "playing multiple games" by bluffing more than I normally would; or I play a bit looser against players I've noted are "wild" or "very aggressive". It's paid off handsomely for me and so I recommend it to you.
