Who use's poker software?

What kind do you use and why?Prices?Benefits of the program you use?I'm looking for one that is compatible with Pokerstars.Open to your guys suggestions.Thanks!

pokertracker.com

and

pokeracesoftware.com

Best software out there, and well worth the cost.

Yup, Pokertracker and Poker Ace Hud.

Pay for themselves many times over.

There is also a small part about this at the cardschat poker guide http://www.cardschat.com/poker/guide/tools

Poker Tracker is definitely worthwhile. Has so much data that it causes brain overload when you`re new to it, but persevere.

For a HUD, I prefer Gametime+. It`s very similar to Poker Ace but free, where PA costs $25.

I am still on the trial version of paHUD, so I will try gametime+ before I register Poker Ace. Thanks Egon!

I like free! D/L, thanks for the info scrambled eggs on brown toast.

gametime+ doesnt work in sng/tourneys whereas PAHud does.

good to know - you guys are just fountains of information!!!

i downloaded this and it says for use with pokertracker

im no expert on these things but I think they are just add ons for PT so you can have overlays with the table stats.

correct, you need PT to be able to 'use' them

Poker Tracker is the program which literally saves your hand histories, and runs calculations to present you with stats about your opponents, aswell as track your own play.

PaHUD and Gametime+ are add-ons which display stats next to their respective players right on your table. Those multicoloured numbers beside players' names are the work of these programs.

Lol, I hadn`t realised that, even though I`ve used GT+ for ages in cash games.

I`ve never thought it worthwhile to fire up a HUD during a SNG or MTT. I prefer to rely solely on my own judgement in those rather than on any statistics. It`s always seemed to me that, since any halfway decent opponent changes gears as the blinds change, detailed information about the way he played at a different level may be more misleading than helpful.

You are right to the extent that it absolutely needs to be used in context, and you are right a loose player may appear to be ubertight because you sat with them for 40 hands on the bubble when they had a shortstack and any number of other misleading stats.

However poker is a game of tiny edges, and MTT tournament play is about making big decisions based on limited info. There are times when looking at the HUD and seeing that it's the first time player x has raised preflop in 45 hands (and he's UTG and in no imminent blind pressure) can be the difference between reraising all-in with QQ or calling or folding.

In SnGs it's handy when it comes to assessing passivity/aggression but it does again need to be used as one tool among many.

I'm not suggesting for a second it has the same value as at cash games but I find it invaluable.

I`m very happy to believe it helps in tournies if you say so, m8. All the same, wouldn`t you know this from your player notes if you were properly awake ?

Then why get the software at all if your notes are that good??

My notes don't record exactly how many times someone has raised preflop, on the flop, on the turn and river. Nor do they give me an aggression factor like PAHUD does. My notes, and I take lots, are about specific behaviour in hands and general notes about the players approach. Usually this is supported by the stats in PAHUD and vice-versa. If they don't tally then it's cause for paying even closer attention.

No matter how much attention you are paying to a table, the level of detail provided by these tools will add more information. As you say it must be used in context along with every other piece of information but used correctly it's really valuable.

I will say that once I get to the final table of MTTs I switch the tools off as the play doesn't really lend itself to the same analysis, but for early to mid-late tourny play it's always on.

Looking at the QQ example there. It's unlikely you would record a non-event. After how many hands do you note that someone hasn't raised preflop? 10, 20, 30?

They may also get involved in a quite a few pots where they've played from the blinds or called a preflop raise and actually be quite active. Spotting that they are reacting to bets rather than building them may be quite tricky. Suddenly they raise UTG and you have a decent (but not stellar) holding and you notice that it's the first time they've open raised in 40 hands. It's a piece of information that you might miss based on an assessment of the game not based on the stats and could save you some chips by far better defining their range.

I know that many people agree with you and that use of these tools in tournies isn't very common, but I see huge value.

Different people keep notes in different ways. One of the things I like to note is the size of a player`s preflop raise and (if it goes to showdown) what the raising hand was. I find it gives a clue to the opponent`s general aggression.

Therefore, if a player has been at the table 40 hands and I have no note of any previous preflop raise, I know that something unusual is going on.


Ok, I believe you.

Poker Tracker is obviously very useful for post-session analysis. That`s its main value to me.

In a ring game, the HUD gives me a quick visual supplement to my own notes and, because all play is in the same static blind level environment, I know that the stats are applicable.

Also, the HUD gives table averages for aggression etc., something impossible to arrive at manually, and this is a key factor in helping me to decide when to get up from the table and "bank" my winnings.

Thousands wouldn't

I'm using Poker Office.