Definition
Hand history review is the systematic analysis of your played hands to find mistakes, understand decisions, and improve your game.
The fastest way to improve is reviewing your own hands
| Benefit |
How |
| Find mistakes |
See what you did wrong |
| Reinforce good plays |
Confirm correct decisions |
| Spot patterns |
Identify repeated errors |
| Learn from experience |
Turn hands into lessons |
| Hand Type |
Why |
| Big pots lost |
Biggest impact on win rate |
| Confusing spots |
Where you were unsure |
| All-ins |
High stakes decisions |
| Hands you marked |
Things that felt weird |
| Hand Type |
Why |
| Big pots won |
Did you maximize? |
| Bluffs (successful and not) |
Was it the right spot? |
| Calls that felt bad |
Were you right to feel bad? |
| Question |
Purpose |
| What were the stack sizes? |
SPR matters |
| What were positions? |
Ranges depend on position |
| What did I know about villain? |
Reads influence decisions |
| Street |
Ask |
| Preflop |
Was my action correct for my range? |
| Flop |
Did I have a plan? |
| Turn |
Did new card change things? |
| River |
What was villain's range here? |
| Question |
What It Reveals |
| What was my plan? |
Did I have one? |
| What hands beat me? |
Counting combos |
| What was I targeting? |
Bluffing right hands? |
| What would I do differently? |
Improvement opportunity |
| Outcome |
Lesson Format |
| Made a mistake |
"In spot X, I should have done Y" |
| Played well |
"My logic for X was correct" |
| Unclear |
"Need to study this spot more" |
| Tool |
Use |
| Tracking software |
Replay, mark hands |
| Equity calculator |
Check range vs range |
| Solver |
Compare to optimal |
| Study group |
Get other perspectives |
| Mistake |
Fix |
| Only review big losses |
Also review wins |
| Focus on results |
Focus on decision quality |
| Skip marking hands |
Mark during session |
| Review too fast |
Take time per hand |
| Not writing notes |
Document findings |
| Step |
Frequency |
| Mark hands during play |
Every session |
| Quick review |
After each session (15 min) |
| Deep review |
Weekly (1-2 hours) |
| Solver check |
For tricky spots |
Reviewing hands is essential for improvement. Focus on big pots, confusing spots, and marked hands. Go street-by-street, question every decision, and extract specific lessons. Make it a habit—even 15 minutes after each session compounds into huge progress.