Hello,
I am a pokerdealer and we are supposed to remember an entire played hand. (preflop action, who bet how much and when etc) i still struggle with this. Does anybody know any good techniques that will help me accomplish this?
Hi Romml.
Most Card memorizers usually use the “2-card system” to memorize cards.
Each combination of 2 cards is a represented by a special image.To make such a system you need 52x52 = 2704 different images.
.
So, when dealing the 2 initial cards to 5 players, you just need to associate a special image for each player, and it will be easy to remember all their hands, by just recalling 5 images (1 image per player)
This system seems huge and takes a while to build, but since you are a Professional, I think it will be useful for your career.
Nodas
Let me assume you’re dealing a game of Texas Hold’em, probably the most popular poker variant these days. First, you’re going to need to create assignments for all 52 cards in the deck, and memorize those. Then, I would memorize a few images to attach to the primary plays in poker, e.g., CALL, CHECK, RAISE, or FOLD. Maybe CALL= a telephone, and CHECK = a paper check, etc. Also, assign an image to each of the stages of the hand: Pre-Flop, Flop, Turn, and River. Perhaps Pre-FLOP = a diver on the diving board, and FLOP= a diver doing a belly-flop, etc. Then, you’ll need at least a two-digit system of numbers, so assign and memorize 00-99. Lastly, create an image for the letters A-J (assuming you’ll have a max of 10 players per game), e.g. A=apple, B=boat, C=cat, etc.
Memorizing during actual play would go something like this:
- PRE-FLOP:
Small blind (Player A) bets 5
Big Blind (Player B) bets 10
UTG (Player C) Calls
Player D Folds
Player E Folds
Player F Calls
Player G Raises 10
Player H Folds
Player I Folds
Button (Player J) Folds
Small Blind Folds
Big Blind Calls
UTG Calls
Player F Folds
While this action is occurring, you’ve got to be busy putting together a story (or placing images in a memory palace). If you choose to go the story route, it might go something like this: A diver is on a diving board (Pre-Flop). He bites into an apple (Player A) while a seal (your image for “05”) is jumping up at you trying to grab the apple. Down on the water, a boat (Player B), is bobbing up and down, and you see some toes (your image for “10”) sticking out the back of the boat. Behind the boat you see a cat (Player C), relaxing on a small floatie, talking on a telephone (CALLS). You would continue making a story like this until you have completed the pre-flop round.
Then you deal the flop: Suppose it is Q of Diamonds, 4 of Clubs, and 7 of Spades. You might create a story like this: a diver does a belly flop onto Johnny Depp (Q of Diamonds), then you are both run over by a car (4 of Clubs), and you glimpse a lot of socks (7 of Spades) flying out the back window of the car.
Then you proceed to your next story to memorize the betting on the flop. Because there are only three players left, this story will be much easier to memorize. Then you deal the turn, and repeat this method, then deal the river, and repeat this method again.
An alternative way to do this would be to create four rooms in a memory palace, one for PRE-FLOP, one for FLOP, one for TURN, and one for RIVER. Perhaps in the center of each room you place the community cards for that round, and then place the better action images on the loci in that room.
I hope this helps. Obviously, none of this will be easy as you have to run the poker game as well at a decent speed. You might want to recruit some friends to help you practice, and maybe start with just four players and work yourself up to a full table as you gain proficiency.
I think you need 3 data:
Players, game, cards
I think using PAO like system its better for cards. So with 52 images you can remember 3 cards.
The table, as said I would use memory Palace with the linked story of player +action
Player: I would use a dictionary to get them, it has another advantage and its that you may need to get their archetypes so if the dictionary has the archetype included you can win time.
By example
Archetypes standard:
Eagle, elephant, fox…
Give them 4 names, I dont think they will be more.
They are the actors, if they raise, you use major to get the equivalent, if not, telephone or door as said.
You make the history of your actors and actions, and save them in memory Palace.
That makes a round and global information, after it, use another memory Palace to sabe rounds.
I think you can play 100 hands on a night at Most, so, its difficult but not impossible