Learning poker is a life time process. If you want to improve your game, one of the best ways to do so is by keep records of your poker sessions. The more you keep track of your game, the most likely you will see more improvements.
What to track
The minimum information that you need to record should be the date, game, the stakes involved, start and end time, number of hours you played, and the results. Write these down on your notepad when you start your session and at the end of each session. You can make most of the technology today and keep tabulation sheets on programs like MS Excel which can easily help you sort out data. There are also poker programs out there that can help you record your games.
Remember tracking applies to whatever scenario you are in. One of the biggest sins you can commit when recording your poker game is keeping a good history of your winning sessions while missing out on your losing streaks. So the best practice, is to keep a record without fail whether you win or you lose.
Separate short summaries
If you are playing several kinds of poker games in day, you should keep separate summaries for each. You can take note of the date, results, and the number of hours played. This will build discipline over time. Once you have a substantial amount of data, you can sort it to depending on the length of the poker sessions. Check your 5 biggest wins and 5 biggest losses. If you see a big discrepancy in the number of hours, like you play longer during your losing days then you might have discipline problems. This indicates that you do not quit playing when you are tired and already slipping.
