Poker Tracker - yes or no?

I have been playing online for just over 5 years and have decided to take it more seriously and try to make some real money at it. I am currently grinding it out at 50NL and seem to be winning there.

I know that a lot of people use PT w/ HUD while they play and I feel like this is the basis for most of their decisions on how they play. If you took PT away from them they would be lost. But my real dilemma is that I think they have an advantage over me while we play because of PT. I'm not against programs like PT I just don't want myself to become dependent on it for my play.

So what should I do?

1- Buy PT, start to learn it and use it
2 - Continue to let people have an edge over me and continue doing what I'm currently doing
3 - Play at a site where PT doesn't work

I think people often confuse Poker Tracker with odds calculation software and the like. Yes, Poker HUD will show you stats on your opponents, but the same could be accomplished by keeping detailed notes on those you face. (although would be exceptionally time-consuming)

But, for the most part, PT is used far more for:
a) Finding holes in your game (ie, hands you play too strong or too weak)
b) Tracking your wins/losses (ie, which limits are most profitable/costly for you)
c) Providing neat charts to encourage (or discourage) you as you see your progress over time

Because all odds even out over time, a large database is the only real way to analyze your game. Going over how you played in an individual session can be useful, but might steer you in the wrong direction if you have an unusual run of cards.

Personally, before I started using PT, I was tracking everything manually in a database. That was a nightmare, and lead to inaccuracies and distractions during games. Now, I can concentrate on the real task at hand: playing poker. I certainly wouldn't be lost without PT, as I'm usually playing against people I have no data on anyway. And if you get too caught up in the numbers, you miss out on obvious information. PT doesn't tell you when someone goes on tilt, but a good eye at the table will.

If your multi tabling then not having PT is a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge leak imo!

x2

if your playing 1 table at a time its not so bad playing without PT, but it is nice when you sit down at a table and have a couple hundred or more hands saved with stats you dont have to remember from 2 weeks ago, the last time you played them.

honestly its free right now, and if your only doing one table its not that buggy. it starts slowing down when i get upward of 8 tables at once but i still manage.

def necessary for multi-tabling though!