It helps you A LOT with decisions when you get refined calculations of betting patterns over time versus players, most people that use these tools will agree that you're crippled without software like Pokertracker or Hold'Em Manager. There's less use of your brain involved when used and in certain spots it's hands down automated play to maximize profit.
We disagree. Just read any of our MANY posts on this topic in this forum, you will learn that we commonly discount the assumption that a HUD makes you a better player - that is simply not true in most scenarios. It is however true that a HUD can make you a more efficient player, it is a productivity tool that helps you retain a memory of your opponent's past play. In a live game you do not need a HUD because the human brain remember's your opponent's faces and tendencies; in an online game where you face countless new opponents and only have a screen name to go by the human brain's functionality is hampered - the HUD is designed to mimic how the brain works, and to help make the game more like a live game where you pay close attention to all of your opponent's
tells, actions and reactions. The HUD helps with productivity, without a HUD multitabling is usually too hard for most players to do. Ironically, Shaun Deeb was one of our consulting pros when we designed PT4 - he was at one time known all over the world as being one of the best massive multitablers in the world; yet he did not use a HUD or any tools to accomplish this goal - just a laptop and a trackpad would allow him to play over 36 tables at the same time. Shaun is the rare exception to the rule however, most players need a HUD to be able to play many tables at the same time - which is why it is fitting that Shaun was such a big advocate for HUDs and personal tracking even though he himself did not need these tools. Its similar to trading on wallstreet, using a trading desk with technical analysis graphs will not make you a better trader - it only makes you more productive.
Do you think these tools in a way bastardized the game, or made it better by perfecting the essence of perfect poker play?
We are getting close to 15 years of PokerTracker history, it is safe to say that it is longer than almost everyone in this forum has been playing poker (including the person writing this post). PokerTracker has been around since the birth of online poker, it is a major part of the reason why online poker has been so successful. So if PokerTracker and Holdem Manager (the only two successful personal trackers with HUDs) bastardized the game, you should thank us for helping to make it so successful - without our help, overall poker liquidity would be much smaller and the game may not have been as successful... multitablers are what keep the industry alive and well as we know it today, and our software empowers these multitablers to provide more tables to play at, more options to choose from, and more rake for the online poker rooms to help the industry succeed. Don't believe us? Just take a look at the Nevada, Las Vegas market. That is the only market in the world that we do not support. Nevada is the home of poker world wide, yet the overall network liquidity is too small to be successful. Why? Very few multitablers = toughest games in the world for the equivalent stakes = players do not want to play. If
wsop Nevada added hand histories and allowed HUDs (they are legal in Nevada contrary to the claims of some who do not understand the law in this state) then player liquidity would skyrocket overnight, and the games would not be as tough as they used to be.
