Why it's important to keep a diary of bets and emotions

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The diary is the black box of your game. It turns the chaos of emotions and accidents into data and solutions: it helps to stop in time, not to overrate "out of feeling" and not to rewrite history after the fact. Below is what exactly to record, how to analyze and what results await you in 2-4 weeks.

1) Why the diary player: 6 reasons

1. Protection against self-deception. Memory chooses good moments; records return facts.

2. Risk control. You can see where stop losses break down and rates rise.

3. Emotional regulation. Marking "angry/euphoric" reduces the intensity of the impulse.

4. Searching for triggers. It becomes clear what pushes to the dogon (fatigue, haste, quarrel).

5. Improving strategy. You understand what games/times of day and limits work for you in plus discipline.

6. Proof of progress. Graphs and metrics motivate more "sensations."

2) What to record: minimum set (6 lines)

6-line pattern per session (2 minutes before and 2 after):

1. Plan: time target (min), rate ≤% BR, stop loss/stop wine.

2. Facts: starting BR, game/provider, duration.

3. Result: +/ −, final BR, whether there were unscheduled deposits.

4. Emotions 0-10: before/after (anger, anxiety, euphoria - choose 1-2).

5. Compliance: Timer? stop loss? without dogons? (Y/N).

6. One lesson one correction until the next session.

💡 This is enough to see the dynamics of discipline and emotions. Everything else is nice additions.

3) Extended magazine: when you want deeper

Context: sleep (h), coffee/alcohol, stress/10, time of day, device.

Bets: average size, maximum, number of apses.

Triggers: "tired/hungry/after conflict/boring."

Breaks: Number of reality checks and how many are ignored.

Conclusions/deposits: amounts, frequency, commission.

Notes: "almost entered," "in a hurry," "played against the background of the series," etc.

4) How to do it without pain: 4 rules

1. Micro-ritual. Recording before the game - 60-90 seconds, after - 60-90 seconds.

2. Standardize. One template, one scale (0-10), one abbreviation.

3. Facts first, then interpretations. Dry numbers → emotions → conclusion.

4. Weekly review 10 minutes. Without it, the diary turns into a warehouse.

5) Weekly review: What to watch

Discipline:% of sessions with observed stop loss and without dogons.

Emotions: medium anger/euphoria before/after; how many times ≥6/10.

Time: average duration; Percentage of sessions with timer pause.

Finance: total of the week (+/ −), frequency of unscheduled deposits (target - 0).

Triggers: TOP-3 context, where breakdowns are more common (for example, "after 23:00," "on a smartphone," "after a quarrel").

Decision of the week: 1 change in the rules (reduce the bet, ban time, harder timer).

6) Progress dashboard (simple metrics)

SRL - Stop-Loss Respect Level: the proportion of sessions where stop loss is observed (%).

NED - No Extra Deposits: weeks without unscheduled deposits.

ERT - Emotion Reduction Time: seconds from pulse to technique application (target - <30 sec).

BRV - rate spread (standard deviation/average rate) - keep low.

RCP - Reality Check Response: % No-Ignore Triggers

SANE - average emotion "before" minus "after" (cumulative): seeks to decrease.

7) How a diary breaks cognitive distortions

Illusion of control. Records show: an increase in the rate "out of feeling" does not correlate with the result.

Selection of confirmations. Visible real% "almost went" against the total distance.

Sunk cost. Facts on time and losses remove the desire to "finish off another hour."

Gambler error. Long episodes and their frequency on numbers - less faith in "must give."

8) Example of recording (realistic, brief)

Plan: 25 min, rate 1% BR, SL − 3%, SW + 7%

Facts: BR 210 → 205, slot X, 26 min

Result: − 5, unplanned deposits - 0

Emotions: before anxiety 3/10 → after 2/10

Rules: timer Y, SL Y, dogon N

Lesson: a rush at the end of 5 minutes - to get off the timer earlier. Correction: timer for 22 minutes.

9) 7-day implementation plan

Day 1: Set a 6-line template, the reality check timer.

Day 2-3: 2 records/day (even if one is zero without playing).

Day 4: Add 0-10 emotion and one clear trigger.

Day 5: Count SRL and NED for the first 4 days.

Day 6: Implement one change per data (reduce rate, reduce time).

Day 7: weekly review 10 minutes; fix 1 rule for the week.

10) Common diary errors

Too detailed - I throw it. Solution: only "6 lines" 1 week.

I fill in "retroactively." Solution: reminder immediately after the session; if you missed it, write "I don't remember anything" and mark it as a pass.

Self-flagellation instead of analysis. Solution: recording formula - fact → emotion → one output → one action.

No review. Solution: Sunday 19:00 - hard slot for 10 minutes.

11) Privacy and data hygiene

Keep your diary separate from your gaming accounts (cloud note/local password file).

Do not write personal card/login information.

Make a backup once a week.

If desired, share only units with "buddy" (SRL, NED, RCP).

12) Mini-FAQ

If I don't play - write? Yes: zero entry fixes discipline "did not go."

If you are ashamed to write about the breakdown? Moreover, write - this is the main value of the diary.

Need applications? Any notes/tables will do. The main thing is a standardized template and reminders.

The Betting and Emotion Diary is a simple tool that does three things:

1. Stops momentum at the moment, 2. Translates expertise into data and solutions, 3. Shows progress on graphs, not imagination.

Start with "6 lines" and a weekly review - and after 2-4 weeks you will notice fewer dogons, a more stable bet and a calmer head.