Hand histories are definitely one of the perks of playing online poker and one of the most underused tools when it comes to helping you develop and refine your game.

The hand history feature records all the action in online poker hands. This includes the game type and limit, the names of the players and their respective seating positions, the amount in the players stacks at the beginning of each hand, any hold cards that are available to the person making the request, any of the exposed community cards, as well as the betting actions of each player in each betting round.

Keep in mind, only the internal version (i.e. the version accessible to customer support) will show the hole cards. The version made available to the player only discloses the cards of the player him or herself, hole cards displayed at showdown, or cards revealed by a player voluntarily.

While hand histories are often used by customer service in the event of player disputes, these records are also invaluable resources you can use to monitor your own behaviour as well as some of the habits of other players. In short, this is a great lesson in self-reflection and psychology.

Viewing your poker hand history at Tower Gaming:

We have it conveniently set up so you can keep a record of your hand histories simply by enabling the feature by going to 'Options', then 'Preferences', then 'General'. At this point all you have to do is click on the 'Enable Statistics' and then 'Apply' boxes. At any point during the game just select 'Show Hand History' and you'll have all the information at your fingertips.

However, poker sites don't always handle hand history information the same way. With some online poker sites, you are going to have to cut-and-paste the data from the table after each session. Alternatively, you may have to take screen shots for any hands you'd like to examine later. While some of the methods are not as convenient as others, it is still worth your while to take advantage of the feature.

What hands do you pay attention to?

There are some players who only look over their big hands, thus effectively narrowing their scope and really taking a good look at the detailed history of a hand. You can get a solid handle of the odds and a more intimate feel for the inner workings of that particular play.

Other players take a broader approach, opting to glance at the entire game. This method makes it possible to pick-out trends and general leaks in your game.

The best players I've ever seen use a combination of both methods, some favouring one more than another. Of course, we all learn differently and it is important that you find a balance that works best for you. This way you're more likely to stay on your game and in the money.

- Patricia Lang, Tower Gaming Media Room Manager