Psalm Three: One of the best poker strategies is keeping score.

New poker strategies are so simple to implement: find out what works, do it over and over and count your profits.

Being a member of the Church of Texas Holdem is fantastic. Like all churches, you will receive regular donations from players, using our proven poker strategies to maximise the money they’re leaving in your collection plate.

However, there’s one thing you absolutely must do: keep records.

Church of Texas Holdem Psalm #3:
Thou must record thy wins and thy loses; for it is the sum of all a man’s achievements which create his bottom line.

Allow me to refer to a heathen’s viewpoint to explain why this, of all poker strategies, is so important.

Before I found (and founded!) the Church of Texas Holdem, I was lost in the wilderness. I went years without writing down a single entry in a poker diary or spreadsheet. Poker strategy was a foreign concept. I knew I was winning overall, because I started with $100 in December 2003 and had withdrawn many thousands of dollars.

But I had no idea how much I had won, how much I had withdrawn during a week, month or year, whether my experiments in limit cash games were successful, or anything actually useful. I was blind.

A simple spreadsheet gave me eyes.

Once I began making detailed notes, it clarified my success and failure at poker, as well as keeping me more focused. It really hurt to write down a loss. But the main difference was seeing on the page a record of my wins and withdrawls.

I realised that I could win, consistently, and the best proof of that was there in black and white.

Your notes should include the type of game you play, if you play more than one type. Examples are detailed notes of the Sit-and-Go buy-ins, INCLUDING the rake (it’s a vital factor), where you finish and your total amount cashed out.

Cash game details should include the type of game you play (fixed-, pot- or no-limit), the buy-in level ($5-10 or whatever) and your daily result.

How detailed you get is up to you. I have read plenty of poker strategies from professional players, who are obsessive about your most profitable level of play, how much you take per hour and whether a certain play has positive expectation in the long run. Dry, tedious stuff.

Who cares what my hourly rate is? It’s irrelevant. I work from home. As long as I’m paying my way, that’s all that matters.

Here endeth the lesson.

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