Poker is a long-term game. It’s really not that different from investing, except you can’t have someone else do it for you. You have to make the money yourself. But you wouldn’t invest without having a plan, keeping records, tracking results, analyzing new opportunities, and exploring new options. Right? The same is judi idn poker. Bad players (fish) never record anything. They never track anything. They don’t make decisions today based on historic realities. They don’t know the difference between playing the site they are on (or the table) and the other sites in the poker world. They just sit down, blind in, and start playing. Fish don’t play poker for the long-term. They play for the Right Now! This hand! This moment! This session! If they win they are thrilled. If they lose they are depressed. They are… in a word… VICTIMS!
You strive to be more than that, obviously. However, many players who strive to be more miss out on the Most Powerful Tool poker has to offer – HISTORICAL REALITY. Historical reality is what HAPPENED. How it happened. Why it happened. Because, guess what… It’ll happen again!
If you don’t keep records then you can’t learn as quickly as you should from your mistakes. Maybe you won’t learn from them at all. Maybe you’ll learn for a while and then forget about it again. Your poker journal is how you tap the most powerful poker tool that exists.
If you don’t keep records then you miss out on the Most Powerful Tool poker has to offer – YOUR BRAINPOWER. Your brainpower is what is going to take you into the future. It’s what’s going to set the path for your future success or failure. Because… As a man thinketh… so is he! The Bible: Proverbs
You spend hours staring at a computer screen, playing hands, making reads, learning lessons (good and bad). You read articles and books, talk to other poker players, and observe others who are more skilled than you. Where does all this information go? It can’t just go in your head. Your head is a horrible record keeper. It’s manipulated by emotions, it has tons of non-poker work to do, and it tends to fail you at the worst times in poker. So, instead of relying on your head, rely on your poker journal. A poker journal never forgets. You should review it often. And the fact that you have recorded things, will prompt you to expand them and think about them more.
The how’s and why’s of keeping a poker journal.
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that a poker journal will really add value and results to your poker game. In essence the HOW is simple. Just start doing it! But, here are some things I’ve done for years with my poker journal. Hopefully you can use some of them.
While you can keep a poker journal electronically on your computer, I don’t recommend it. And while any old spiral notebook will do, I would encourage you to get something more substantial. Your next time out, take a shopping trip for a journal. About electronic journals, think of it this way; how many computer files can you find from 3 years ago? Not many. How many pictures do you have from your childhood? Probably quite a few. Physical things are permanent, electronic files are easily lost, forgotten or damaged. So go for the physical thing.