Update your notes

Almost any poker player or coach will advise you on how you can improve your game. Whether it is from a strategic tip about hand selection or mental exercises you can do to keep yourself sharp, all of the improvements are made to help you get better. It is a natural evolution for a player to improve and do whatever is necessary to increase their own ability. While taking the next step in your poker game is important, make sure to remember that your opponents are doing the exact same thing.

Most popular online poker rooms, like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, offer you the ability to write and create notes on your opponents. You can write as much or as little as you'd like. Making routine observations on their style of play, or even poker tells that you pick up, can be very helpful down the road when you come across them again. I know FullTiltPoker.com also has the ability to give a player a color coding that appears next to their player name. This is incredibly helpful not only at the virtual table, but when scanning through the list of tables in the lobby of your poker software. You can quickly and easily identify a player using a color coding system.

While creating the note and using color coding itself is an important step, always remember to update your notes on players. Do not fall into the trap of assuming your opponent hasn't improved, especially if it has been awhile since you have played them. You never know if someone else has received some poker coaching or made strides in their own abilities. Just as you seek to get better, so do your opponents, and constantly relying on old notes can really hurt a bankroll.

The best thing you can do is use your notes as a guide but do not be afraid to update them as necessary. Stay on top of your opponents by adjusting to their tendencies and make sure you are getting every edge possible.

Curtis Steuber.