So, a confession: I don't use statistics at the table. At all.

I have never had an easy time getting GT+ to work, and I never really even looked into PAHUD that much ... and I also have not gotten the Bodog handgrabber to work. So I don't have statistics on my opponents.

Instead, I make notes notes notes and more notes. All the time. Maybe statistics are great, I don't know. But I can't see living without detailed notes on as many opponents as possible. (3 tables of FR = 24 opponents ==> I can't have notes on all of them. But I do my best.) Reads reads reads. I can't play without them.

You never know what notes you make might turn out to be important. Here's the example from tonight.

A guy sat down with $75 or so and has been bleeding it away slowly. He's generally passive. I'm in position on him, 2 seats to his left. I'm raising a whole lot of flops when I'm in the last 3 seats, and he's limp/calling a lot.

So first, I make a note of all his limp/calling, and so I start to raise preflop with any two cards when I'm OTB and he is the only limper ahead of me.

The following 4 hands happened over about an hour's worth of play, after I had noticed his limp/calling tendencies.

Hand #1: I raise with something or other, he's the only caller. I CB about 1/2 the pot when it misses me, he checkraises, I fold.

I've been varying my CB amounts more or less randomly. 1/2 pot to full pot is my range, and I vary it depending on ... well, more or less depending on how I'm feeling at that particular moment. Definitely not based on my cards. I'm hoping to throw people off, or get them to think they can figure out what I'm doing based on my CB sizes. Because I'm doing that, I need to make notes on what people are doing in response to my CB sizing.

So I make a note: he checkraised my weak CB! This is definitely unusual because he has been mostly passive. Was it the weakness of the CB that prompted the CB? Let's find otu.

Hand #2: I raise with something or other, he's the only caller. I CB 8 into the 9 pot when it misses me, and he folds.

I make a note: he check/folded to my strong CB!

Hand #3: exactly the same as Hand #2. Definitely a pattern here. I make another note.

Hand #4: I raise with JTo, he is the only caller. Flop is JT6. He checks, I make a weak CB, and he pushes his last $25. I instacall obviously ... and he shows 65. TYVM sir!

before I got myself handgrabber for the site I play (20.08.2007) I used to REALLY observe the table and write as many notes as I could on all the players that I could.

I really think it's a useful thing and now when I use PAHUD I still try and force myself to write notes on my opponents. I don't write them as ferociously as I have before PAHUD era for me, but I still try and write as much as I can.

In the end it's useful and well worth the "trouble" on so many different levels and not only in poker.

No stats and still playing FR?

You realize its almost 2008, right? Do you still have an 8 track player?

Oh ya, the donks are all into FR these days. I run at like ... well I won't say how many PTBB's per 100 at Bodog full ring over my entire career, because nobody would believe me.