Buddy Lists (x-posted in HUSH)

[Argus]

I use my buddy list quite a bit, and it's been one of the factors that has helped me move up in limits more quickly than I expected. While the play is generally tougher at higher limits, being able to track down weak players can make it seem like you're back at 2/4.

My buddy list is organised into two groups. The first group I look for are the 40%+ VPIP players. I'm sure there are plenty at every level, and it's worth datamining to find them. If I can't find four tables with some friends from that list, or the tables are 9 TAGs ganging up on my poor friend I go to my secondary list. These are players who are usually 30-40% VPIP, or sometimes 20-30 if they demonstrate poor postflop skills. I tend to make player notes on the latter so I know what to watch for; exploiting these players is a little bit trickier than the clueless ones.

There are lots of things I ignore when making this list. For example, I don't try to get players who defend poorly to my left (though it often happens anyway), I don't specially cateogorise maniacs (they tend to be online too infrequently, and don't always repeat their performance), and I'm sure there are other matters that I don't take into consideration.

What I want to know is if you have a buddy list, and if you do how you make and use it. Has it helped your results?