The Most Effective Way to Improve Your Results, Record Keeping: Part I

The simplest thing any player can do to improve his results is to start keeping records of each playing session. The more you record, the more improvements you will make. In this column, I will suggest the basic minimum that you should record, and I will tell you one of the most useful things you can do with this information. In subsequent columns, I will discuss other things to do with this data, what additional information you might consider keeping, and why.



The basic minimum should be day, date, game, stakes, start time, end time, total hours, and results. Jot this information down on paper when you start and end each session. If possible, later transfer it to a more permanent location. The best way is to use a program like Excel, which gives you the ability to sort your data. There are also several programs available for record keeping, but I think customizing your own works best. Even if you don't have access to a computer, transfer your data to a more permanent notebook later. Before I cover some of the extremely useful things you can do with your information, I want to warn you about a trap that many players fall into. Their records are scrupulously kept when they are winning, but when they hit a losing streak, the records become sloppy or nonexistent. Make sure you record each day's results, win or lose, without failure.


If you frequently play in a varietyof games or play several tables at once, keep a separate short summary of each session that gives the date, hours played, and results. This simple chart is the most effective way I have ever seen to spot discipline (steaming) problems. When you have a reasonable amount of data, I would say at least 50 sessions or three months' worth, whichever comes first, sort it by length of session. (Chores like this are easy on a computer, and can be approximated manually if need be.) Look at your five biggest wins and five biggest losses. If you played significantly more hours during those losses than you did during your wins, you have a major discipline problem. If you perform this simple exercise and change your negative pattern, it will be the most important thing you can do to improve your bottom line.


First let's examine why your losing sessions should be shorter. Your opponents may be better than average. They are winning and, therefore, will be playing better. They won't be afraid of you and will make value bets and/or bluffs they might normally miss. You are losing, and may be a little off that day. If you continue to play, especially for long hours, and become tired, you will almost invariably end up playing a lot worse than you usually do. You will start to play hands you shouldn't, overplay other hands, and make a variety of mistakes as you try to catch up. If you examine your records, you will see that these sessions also have an unusually high dollar-per-hour losing rate. Players who track their results hour by hour often have found that these sessions start off bad and get worse.



Your longest sessions should be your biggest winning sessions for exactly the reverse reasons. Your opponents are below average. They are losing and will be playing worse as they desperately try to catch up. You are probably playing well, and will continue to do so with a positive attitude. You will probably have an above-average dollar-per-hour win rate. If they are really bad or at least are really playing badly, you should try to play until they quit, often by going broke. Obviously, if you start to get tired and feel that your play is slipping, you also should quit.



Don't you want to play the most hours when your earnings are the highest and the fewest hours when they are low or even negative? Isn't it absolutely clear that you should be playing long sessions when winning and short ones when losing? As clear as it is, 90 percent of players do the reverse, including some of the biggest names in poker. If you don't recognize that you are one of them, this exercise will prove it to you.