Tips for using the notes feature on PokerStars to increase your tournament profits

As I have looked through many online poker forums, I have not seen much talk about the “note” feature that Pokerstars has to offer. Considering that this feature is an important part of my game, I figured it to be an excellent thing to inform the newcomers to the poker world, or those that choose not to use the feature, the advantage which it can bring to your game.

When I first started playing on Pokerstars, I did not use the “note” feature whatsoever. I felt that it was a waste of time, since I was usually multi-tasking and at the time, playing in the play money rooms. Once I decided to start playing for real money, my mindset changed and I began focusing on actually trying to get reads on people. Playing online can be much harder than getting a read playing live and this is why I find the “note” feature such a blessing.

Whether you’re playing SNG’s or MTT’s, the “note” feature helps you keep track of people you have played with in prior tournaments. This feature can be found under the “notes” tab in the bottom left corner of your Pokerstars table. You just click on it, choose the name of the person you wish to make a note about, and then type in the open white area. After that, a small capital “N” will be located just under their avatar.

The main thing I use the “note” feature for is to type in a specific play which defines that specific person’s playing style. For example: I may make a note when a player plays very few hands, which are always two face cards or pocket pairs. Another example: when a person plays a marginal hand while UTG, that’s a sure sign of an inexperienced player, or it could be a bluffer. I also will note whether I see the person as LAG (Loose Aggressive) or TAG (Tight Aggressive). The reason this comes in handy is because you don’t have to waste time and energy trying to geta read on people that you have already played against. Since most people play the same tourneys often on Pokerstars, it is highly likely that you will run across the same players again and again. The notes can be a refresher to their playing style, without having to discover it the hard way. This makes it a lot easier for YOU to take advantage of their playing style.

Ok so you may be thinking, “How does this give actually give me an advantage over my opponent?” That’s easy, your homework has already been done. You can skip the “lose some chips to gain an edge” portion of your game. If you know that someone is a very tight player who plays with only Monsters, it will make it that much easier to lay down that AJ that you want to push so bad. I’m sure some of you will push it anyways lol, but still yet, you should already know what is coming. The same thing goes for someone who you know is going to play loose. I would definitely feel safer playing a middle pair against someone I had notes on as being loose, versus someone I either had no notes on at all, or someone I had notes on as being tight. It is a lot harder to remember names on Pokerstars, than it is to remember someone from live play. The “note” feature will eliminate you having to remember, and you can click the “N” under their avatar and instantly remember their style of play. This way, you already are a step ahead of the person you are playing.

When making a “note”, I tend to sum the person’s play up in a short phrase. Some examples of my “notes” on players I came across while playing today were as follows: “Plays LAG”, “Will Push with Ace and Rag”, “Only plays monsters”, “Doesn’t Bluff” and so on. If I had to guess, I probably have a couple hundred, if not thousands of notes out there. You may develop your own little system, but I try to make it as brief as possible. I never forget to write a note down whenever I get a good read on someone.

Since using the notes, I have taken my seriously negative SNG ROI (-30%) to a positive of 11%, even though I’m about break even profit wise on SNG’s. With MTTs, I had an ROI of -58% which I have turned around to a +17% in the past 120 days. For me that is a huge accomplishment, and I can only hope to build on it

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