One of the best pieces of advice which can be given to a new online poker player is to be prepared to take notes on your opponents. While this is more relevant to those playing in cash games and sit and go’s it also applies to those playing in tournaments with high numbers of players. The advantage you get from knowing whether or not your opponent is loose or tight, aggressive or passive is huge. This way when your opponent does something which is out of character, you’ll know it and you’ll be better able to react to make a profit.

Some players claim that they can record enough information in their head and hence have no need for taking actual notes. If you believe that you fall into this category that’s fine but I guarantee that players who do take notes will do better than players who simply try to store large amounts of information in their heads because the amount of stuff do you need remember when playing poker is much bigger than what most people can actually store in their brains.

Note taking is something which should really only be done in online games. It is possible to take notes when you’re playing on a real table, however if you’re constantly writing it would be pretty obvious what you were doing and it will look a little strange. When playing online take advantage of your ability to take notes discreetly.

Poker is ultimately a game of knowledge, the player who wins is the one who knows the most about both the game and his opponents. The more information that you know about the people you’re playing against the more likely it is you’re going to be able to beat them. Taking notes on your opponents will undoubtably give you an edge if you’re serious about winning and making money.