Pokertracker newbie

I've just bought Poker Tracker and downloaded Gametime+ (is there another addon program?). I'm completely new to software like this, and though I'm sure I can figure out how to work everything, I was wondering what you PT-frequenters do.
Do you just import hand histories every week or day or something, or is there an option that lets it continually update your stats?

I'm going to be using this mainly for SnGs and MTTs.

Any tips/advice for the Pokertracker newbie?

CASH GAMES: In order for GameTime+ to give realtime stats, you must import every minute. Just click the icon of your site in the Poker Tracker main toolbar. Then, make sure it is set up to read & remove to the right directories. Then set the import time to "1 minute" and click "Start Timer". When your GT+ is running & displaying stats, you'll see them change on every import. It's pretty cool.

MTTs & SNGs: Works like above except, for current stats, you can't use GT+ Heads-up display. You must use the heart-shaped icon in the Poker Tracker toolbar to see the updates. It runs as a separate window, but has the same info as the HUD.

If you don't need realtime stats, you don't have to do the above. Just click the import once a day or so.

If you get stuck, Poker Tracker has very good help text on every screen. Just click it & trust it.

Chuck.
Go Buy PAHud. It is much better than GT+

Follow-up question for ya Fish: Is there a way to set Poker Tracker up so that when you open it up, it automatically goes to (for example) your Ring Game database and automatically sets it to reload every minute (for real-time stats), without having to click on the Ring Game, the uploader, and selecting the timing?

Also, any way to open up PAHud at the same time as Poker Tracker automatically?

Thanks for the tips, MrS!

So for MTTs/SnGs you can't use GT+ for 1-minute updates?
I'm having trouble opening it up too - I just finished my first Stars SnG and was trying the whole time to set it up, but it wouldn't give me a table in the list to choose from ??

anyways I'm gonna need some practice with Poker Tracker and GT+; lots of features and doohinkeys to mess with

Chuck, do you have Stars set up to save your hand history directly to your hard drive?

Are these huds really worth it?
I really can't see myself needing them that much for the sngs that I'll be playing.
I don't really plan on playing rings too much, which is where I really see it having it's best use. I think the variance in tournies makes it less useful - am i right?

I'm a complete noob to Poker Tracker and stats in general, so I'm taking any and all advice anyone is willing to give.

I basically plan on using Poker Tracker to track my SnG progress and statistics, aswell as the odd cash game I'll be playing (for now, I'm not playing at all; strictly sngs). All on PokerStars btw.

What routine should I be using? Giving me an example of what you guys do every time you have a session would be great to put all this mumbo jumbo in perspective until I fully understand the program.

Do I have to request HHs, and download them from my email every time I want Poker Tracker to update? I'm sure there's an easier way...just can't figure it out. I thought I saw something about importing from e-mail, but can't find it now.

I don't think so - where is that option?

Yes, no HUD for MTTs, etc. But Poker Tracker does the "updates". The heart-icon is another form of GameTime for tournies & gives the same stats as GT+.

When you click the Stars icon in Poker Tracker, the import screen appears. You gotta tell it where to read the HHs from and where to put the used HHs. Then click "Start Timer" to start the imports. After the first import, you should see the tourney listed in the dropdown list in the PT GameTime screen. You know, I think you have to have GT+ running also. So make sure you see the diamond in your Windows taskbar.

I think it was just because I didn't have any HH saved on the PC yet.
I've adjusted the settings now, thanks for the help guys - I'ma give it one more go in my next sng

I think they help through the 1st half or 3/4 of an SNG. You can tell who is most often putting the most money in, who is PF raising most, who is winning their showdowns most often, etc. But as you know, as the blinds get higher & the players are fewer, these matter less.

It's a bit tougher in MTT's since you may get moved around more.

My routine for Stars (any game):

• Open Poker Tracker & get the Stars import started.
• Open GT+.
• Sit at my table or tourney.
• After the first 2 hands, open GT+ for rings OR Poker Tracker GameTime for tournies.
• When the tourney is over, I request the tourney summary from the Stars lobby.
• Then I have Poker Tracker import the emailed tourney info.

For most, no. For Stars, you just request the tournament summay that gives you the placings. Then you have Poker Tracker read your emails. PT then fixes the placings for your tourney so you don't have to enter them by hand. (not PT's fault, it just has to do with the way Stars lists their info)

I enter my placings by hand for Titan & Poker.com since Poker Tracker won't read any info from either. No biggie for me.

Everything you need to know about how to set up pokertracker is at
www.pokertracker.com in the forums.

Thanks a shitload, guys - I'll check out PTs forums too.

Another question (can't find it on the massive forum that Poker Tracker has):

I've set PokerStars to auto-save my HHs on my harddrive, but that was after my first game, which i want included in my stats.
How do I transfer a HH from email to Poker Tracker? It doesn't work when I click "Import HHs/tourney summaries" under File menu.
Do I have to manually save my emailed HHs as a .txt file?

nevermind...finally found the result on the Poker Tracker forum. You have to copy and paste it into either Notepad or wordpad after adjusting your email account to 132 characters per line. Then save, and import the file.

(http://www.pokertracker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11 and http://www.pokertracker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12)

I don't use Poker Tracker at all for tourneys and I seem to do ok... you've just got to pay attention!

Very useful for ring games though. Most use for improving your own play by checking where you won / lost money. Also useful if someone only raises pre-flop 0.5% of the time and they raise, you know exactly what they've got. (Worked very nicely for the me the other day when I called and hit a set on the flop...)

The HUD bits are probably more useful for ring games (and possibly MTTs to some extent), rather than SnGs... but it basically saves you some hassle in identifying the tight and loose players... and which are the aggressive or passive ones.
One way to look at it is that the first tim PokerAce helps you to spot when a player generally raises after the flop, so you make a tough call, or to spot when someone doesn't often raise, and save an expensive call, then it could easily have paid for itself.

ok another question for those who know:

When I import tournament summaries, what I do is request them after the tourney is done, then save what they send me to a txt file. Then I import it into PokerTracker.

My question is do I need to keep those files, or does Poker Tracker have its own separate files and not need the original anymore? I know PT keeps a bunch of files in the designated 'processed files' folder, but does it need the original?

The reason I ask is because it's now telling me everytime I auto-import HHs that I have too many files there or something, and that it'll slow the process unless I clear them up. I just don't want to be deleting files that I'll need.

HUH? If you are talking about Stars, all you need to do is click "File", "Import Hand Histories/Tournament Summaries", & click the "*Check E-mail" button (for Outlook Express emails, not internet-based)(It is best to have the email account that has the summaries open before clicking to check). Poker Tracker enters the placings and saves then to the database, which can be viewed by clicking "File", and "PokerStars Tournament Results - Manual Entry". No need to "save to a text file" (unless you have Yahoo or Hotmail, etc.).

Poker Tracker saves what it needs to the database. It is up to you how long you want to save the original text HH's. I still have text from January. They don't take up much room. The database & the text files are 2 different things.

Oh, you mean it wants you to "compact the database". Yes, this is what can get large & lag your computer. When I get that message, I just click "Utilities" & "One-Step Compact....". The 2nd time you do it, Poker Tracker will ask if you want to "Replace existing..." and I click "Yes". No biggie, but the compact time gets longer as your database gets larger.