There is no rule against taking notes in a poker tournament, that I ever heard of.
Good story.
Gaming agent came in a few months ago. Ask if so & so had been playing poker at the Palms. I checked the player log in records and he had been playing regularly.
She said he was on parole and was not allowed in casinos. I barred him from clocking in.
I then asked if he had ratted himself out.
Well sort of.
His parole officer made a home visit and found a hand by hand, flop, turn, river, bets, calls, raises, etc log of every hand he had played in for over 3 months. Lots of notes on the log like idiot, stupid woman played 7 - 3 off, etc.
BIG PALMS at the top of each page.

The agent thought he might have been taking notes in order to set up some kind of cheating. After looking at the cards he started hands with and then checking his won lost records at the end of each session, I told her, if so he was he was failing miserably at cheating. He was in the hole over $4,100 for 3months in 4 & 8 Hold-em.