My Poker Journal

Written by Nigel

Have you ever kept a journal or diary when you were younger?  I suppose this activity (in its traditional sense) is fast disappearing, largely due to the existence of blogs.  I myself remember fondly those days when I wrote on actual paper.  Anyhow, the reason I asked is that I realized that keeping a journal is actually something that can help in my quest to take my poker game to the next level.  How so?

In keeping a poker diary, I can target three things:  I can keep track of my progress (or lack of it for that matter), I can take down new experiences, and I can do something about my observations.  First, keeping track of progress is an important thing in any endeavor.  Knowing where you stand lets you know how far you are from your goal.  It allows you to look back and measure how much you have improved.  At the same time if you do not see improvement, you have it on paper and you can do something about it.

Next, experience is one of the best teachers.  Yet human as we are, we may not remember every little detail that is important to the learning process.  With a poker diary or journal, we can revisit those new experiences and learn from them all over again.

Last, keeping a poker journal is not about just taking down notes.  It is for a specific goal.  It is merely a guide and a reminder to help you reach that goal.  Next time, let’s take a look at some specifics that I write down in my journal.