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How Not to be a Sucker at a Poker game: Keep Records

• 31.06.2025 1:34 pm
• Helen
• 1 Comment

The 9^th part of 10 in the Texas Hold'em player beginner series, the aim of this piece is convincing you to always keep an accurate detailed account of your play.

Even those able-minded and honest poker players happen to have the habit of distorting the truth regarding their results for their sessions of poker.

A good number of poker players literally do not have a poker bankroll that can be termed as physical- money used for poker only.

Their cash is always split between poker playing and their real-life needs. Where statistics are not kept, losing track of how well you are faring at your poker sessions is really easy.

Even though you are winning, how can you tell and how much?

Out-of-pocket poker players in this bracket are usually concerned with just two numbers:

1. The cash amount they brought with them at the poker table.
2. The cash amount they usually leave the poker table with.

If you have dreams not to suck as far as poker is concerned, you need to understand the exact amount you either lose or win at a given game or limit.

Is it that you crush $1/$2 for 30 dollars an hour, but beat only $ 2/$5 for $15 each hour? It might be the game is bigger and has in play more money, but if the money you are making isn't much, why play it?

You simply need to understand perfectly what you are strong and weak at (its true, you have some weak points)

How do you keep records?

There is no specific way that can be labeled the right way to keeping your records. What matters is that you keep comprehensively every bit of information you require to get a concise perspective.

Pick what is best for you:

• A pencil and pad of paper
• Excel spreadsheet
• Online start tracking
• iPhone stats app ( for instance; Hot Poker Log)

Necessary information

• Date
• Start time
• End time
• Total buy-ins amount
• Cash-out amount

Recommended Information:

• Limit played
• Location played

It goes without saying that you can only be in a position of running more reports depending on the quantity of the information you have kept track of. Some reports are singularly pricey compared to others.

Essential Reports

• Legacy Results (this is a running total of the profits and losses for all results
• Monthly Results

You might want to know the amount you make each hour, at a given limit, your BB per hour or maybe the specific room you make the biggest amount in.

There is a main picture uploaded in this article, click on it to see an example set up in Excel spreadsheet, to help track essential information.

Depending on how savvy you are with Excel, it is possible to have this program run the reports for certain limits, months dates or primarily whatever it is that you want. You can also have it generate a graph automatically from the legacy profits you have (have a look at the example picture below).

You can not at any instance have an excess of data, but it's possible to get yourself with way too little. Take note of literally everything.

This is something that does not consume too much time to accomplish. With honest and precise notes, you will be in a position to stand aside then view your game from an objective perspective.

Even though statistics will not directly help you when playing, knowing exactly where you are strong and weak helps you indirectly make more sound choices when playing Texas Hold'em.

Stay alert for the final piece in this 10-part series.