Played a pretty standard hand recently where I checked K2 in the BB and flopped top and bottom pair on a K72 2-tone flop. SB folds, I bet just under pot, limper folds, second limper calls. He's a 17/14 multitabler. Turn and river bricked off, and both of those streets went I bet, he called, and he flips over 22 for flopped bottom set. Standard play for me, and I took a note of his play.
On review, I started to think about how that note would affect my play against him. I came to the basic conclusion that it wouldn't change much when I have initiative. He's still tight (folds to steals 80%, folds to c-bets 72%), so I'm not going to miss any chances to steal or c-bet against him, regardless of that note. So, if there was a change in how I play against him, it would have to be when he has the lead. I was spending a little time trying to come up with hypothetical situations where that note would change my line against him, and I failed to find a satisfying one (and rather than keep at it, I figured I would write this).
In general, I started thinking about how often a note I've taken has changed the way I've played a hand, especially when I've got lots of hands on someone. I go through good and lazy note-taking phases, but even when I have notes on someone, I'm not sure that I actually use them very well. I fall back to stats most of the time when I adjust my play from a readless line.
I think this is quite bad. While it's nice that I understand how to use stats to adjust my lines, a consistent theme among top tier players is that a note-based read is far more important than stats. But it doesn't do any good to take a note, even a great note, if you can't use it. If I can't pretty easily come up with a situation where I play it one way without the note and another way with the note, then I'm not doing it right. I'm not talking about the super stupid things people do, rather exploiting villains' more subtle and frequent leaks.
3 comments:
Marc - good post..
I am familiar with the problem you are talking about with taking good notes but not utilizing them. What I have done to combat this is to read all the notes I have on people at the start of the session or when they sit down. I don't like waiting until I am in a hand with them to look at the note! My notes are detailed and this takes too much time. So try that for sure.
Also, In a leggo vid I remember the coach say the most valuable notes to take are ones that contradict villian's stats. So when you look at ur note - then look at the stats and prepare yourself for any adjustments you need to make so you don't get owned later by misleading stats..
As for the hand u talked about - wow villian sucks obv, haha-- No specific adjustments came to my mind either. If he had a bit lower fold to cbet and a decent size raise cbet stat you could bluff 3bet the hell out of him on dry flops when he raises your cbet. But with this guy the note just sort of supports the stats that he is a nit and you should fold if he raises in most hands without the goods.. It also lets you quickly identify him as a tagfish nit as opposed to a decent tighter tag..
haha -- also just the act of taking a note is good, it keeps your mind on the game and your opponents, as opposed to thinking about other crap.. And rather than just thinking or saying what happened you are expressing the infomation in another medium (typing) which will help you remember it better.
If i was told that all the notes I took in a session were guaranteed to be lost before I started the session - I would still take notes that session.
I still take notes sometimes when im on my second computer where i never see those notes again.
Anyhow Good post though and i havent actually thought about this before. I take alot of notes but there is good info here. First of all to take notes on hands that are out of character, that one is kandi standard though but often forgotten. Then to find some way that this play could affect my own play. If there are none then maybe the note is irrellevant and can be deleted to save some time when reading through the notes next time.
Something i dont do enough is take notes off table though. Any of you guys exercise this regularily? I think that is of vital importance and still i dont do it.
/Low
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