This question is more aimed at live play:

How do you memorize the hands you post? My memory is not great and I worry about the implications of that. For instance, I have read some very detailed hand histories and I wonder if players are recording notes (i.e. into their phone or micro recorder) or if they just memorize all of the action. Is it a developed skill or something you can just do?

Pay attention to hands you're not in. Practice keeping track of pot sizes. Input hand info into your smartphone notes app as soon as a hand is done.

Some people have amazing memories and some people have really poor memories. I would say that having a great memory will only slightly make you a better poker player. There are so many skills much more important than memory imo. But usually how well you remember the hands you play live will be a function of how much attention you are paying to the hand. You are probably just not focusing as much as you could be.

It's just practice. The more you play the more you recognise standard spots and the easier they will be to remember.

Thanks guys.

Recalling details about a hand after a hand is played is expedited by considering these details as you're playing a hand.

E.g, beginners tend to only remember what they had because that's all they think about when they're in a hand. With regards to details like stack sizes, position and lines, you won't remember these things if you don't know what the strategic implications of them are. You'll be unlikely to remember these things if they never influenced your decisions during the hand.

But learning new strategy requires you to memorise some new details that you didn't know before, so then you can apply and memorise more. Once you've done something enough that it becomes second nature to you and you don't have to think about it, you'll never forget it, and then you can move on to the more advanced stuff. Nobody memorises everything. People only memorise the things that they care about.

Hope that make some sense

There is also a chunking aspect to it -- as someone new to poker your memory is along the lines of "tons of stuff happened". It is hard to keep track of all the bits. As you get more experience and can put the pieces together, your memory is "he played the hand standard except his turn bet size was off and on the river he over-respected the gutshot getting there and missed clear value". The same things happen, but the experienced player only has to remember two things and the novice has 4 streets of action, betting amounts, pot size, and 7 bogus potential tells that were meaningless.

As you recognize lines, betting patterns, and thought processes of your opponents it gets easier. Also, by playing in the same place you'll have previous reads on your opponents. You sit in a new room and you have 8 unknowns at the table. Play 6 months in the same room and you are just looking for abnormal behavior in 6 people (you've played a decent amount with each of them) and you only have to focus on 2 new people. The effort is lower. You have time on your side and can relax. You have a bigger sample to filter out the odd stuff in each player. Your mind is meant to get to know people around you, and that works for you.

I'm in a bit of a weird position. I used to play a lot, but I never really studied. I read a few things but mostly misunderstood them so I had these bastardized versions of concepts in my head. I haven't played in over a year. But I'm studying and thinking and prepping to get back into it very seriously. (My severance package from my job will provide a starting bankroll)

So I'm trying to think of anything I need to be working on. Thanks for the thoughts and support. It makes sense that now that I'm thinking about more things, I'll be able to remember more.

Smartphone....I either e-mail the last hand I want to review while it is still fresh in my mind or I downloaded a voice recorder app, step away from the table and record the action and then transcribe later on to paper. I like to think my memory is pretty good by using these tools and big hands/trouble hands that stick out during a session kinda stay in my mind very clearly and can remember them days later. But prefer e-mail, voice recorder to ensure I didn't miss key info as soon as the hand ends.