If you’ve only just started playing Texas Hold’em online you may not be familiar with Hand Logs (Hand Histories) or how to use them to improve your chances of winning. A hand log is basically your chance to study a record of every hand that has been played at the table where you are currently seated. They are an excellent way of tracking what has gone on and are extremely user-friendly. Let’s look at an example of what a normal hand log might look like:
Game began Tuesday 19th September 2006 at 12.23 at a Table named: “Jackpot”.
Hold’em Play Money 2/4. Hand number 23234664 begins: BigBoy receives the dealer button SueNarmie posts the small blind 5 MeanMan posts big bind 10 You’re dealt (Jack Diamonds-Six Clubs) Fiddler calls 10 Botcher calls 10 You fold KronikKen raises 20 Snitcher calls 20 BigBoy folds SueNarmie calls 15 MeanMan folds Fiddler checks Botcher checks KronikKen folds Snitcher checks Flop is dealt etc etc
IT’S ALL LOGICAL & EASY TO FOLLOW As you can see from the simple table of events above you can very quickly scan and note exactly how the game unfolded and draw conclusions about how each of the named individuals played out their hands. By studying a raft of these logs and making appropriate notes you can quickly build up a rough profile of the names you may be confronting. Keeping notes on opponents is an essential weapon in a serious player’s arsenal. If you are playing regularly on a given site you will want to be able to identify and “know” your opposition as often as you possibly can. A majority of players don’t change their playing names that regularly so keeping track is not always as tough as you might imagine. Note-taking facilities are usually available on the bigger sites. Study the menu if the facility isn’t obvious. If your site doesn’t have this facility just make hand notes.
