Tracking Software (Day 21 Course Discussion)

[Debi]

Using Tracking Software can help you make and more informed decisions when playing poker.

If you have not yet read Day 21 and watched the video for Day 21 - take a few minutes now to do that and then come back here to discuss it:

Tracking Software

Collin discusses how you can use tracking software to improve your own game and to learn more about your opponents. This is always a hot topic for discussion - what are your thoughts? Both Collin and Katie are experts on this topic so be sure to ask them questions!

 

[Polytarp]

To run poker software properly requires a solid gaming rig as well as a back-up. What kind of gaming rig would you expect that a professional online poker player would have? I'm assuming a large monitor to multi-table, a back-up power supply, probably not linux as well as a back-up rig or laptop in case of crashes.
What is the latest postgres version of the database that you recommend for PT4? I'm using the latest version (rev. 12 maybe not wise) My poker computer is a simple HP touch screen running Win 7 and a Vaio laptop for backup.

poker stars has a listing of prohibited software that can't be used during game play. Regarding the software that is allowed have you ever experienced software conflicts with different tracking software accessing the same file types? What is the best way to integrate information from data bases like Shark Scope and Hendon Mob? Can you recommend any others?

During this video I was able to look up Katie's Poker Stars stats which ended on 11/15. Katie, how important is it to regularly change your screen name..or is it? I've encountered online professionals (I haven't seen any unsuccessful professionals online except for one who was a self-promoting pro $60 spin player) who had changed their screen name up to five times. Is it important to opt-out of being tracked by the likes of Shark Scope and why?

Thank you both and to CC for providing this course! The only other poker course I have studied is the Poker Stars school when they had their HighSchool, University....and my game improved a little. MIT open courseware has two free downloable zip files for 2015 and 2016. Have either of you looked at this material? I've skimmed through them to be aware of the content but not much more. CC is a great site for many reasons and when a poker course was proposed I knew it would be a quality piece of work. I'm providing feedback which I hope helps someone in some way. This course is influencing my playing and any uptick in my results will be directly attributable to the material in this course.

Final questions, how can tracking software be fooled or rendered useless by others trying to track you? I alluded to this point in a prior paragraph and was wondering if there were any other active counter-measures that you were aware of? Now that party poker has changed their environment, what kind of tracking software would you recommend there to guage player field experience other than note taking and tagging?

 

[magistrant420]

This program is free ???

 

[Debi]

This program is free ???

It depends on what you are referring to but I think most of them cost something.

 

[Katie Dozier]

To run poker software properly requires a solid gaming rig as well as a back-up. What kind of gaming rig would you expect that a professional online poker player would have? I'm assuming a large monitor to multi-table, a back-up power supply, probably not Linux as well as a back-up rig or laptop in case of crashes.
What is the latest postgres version of the database that you recommend for PT4? I'm using the latest version (rev. 12 maybe not wise) My poker computer is a simple HP touch screen running Win 7 and a Vaio laptop for backup.

The most important thing to a great setup is that it suits the individual poker player. I've seen winning poker players that grind all day while sitting on the couch, haha! For many years, I used an elaborate hotkey system and played with all my games stacked just on a nice laptop made for gaming. It is great to have the luxury of a setup tailored to your preferences but is totally unnecessary in terms of being a winning player. These days I love a big monitor and adjustable standing desk, a nice gaming desktop computer in a well lit room. A back up power supply as you mention is great. I do recommend always downloading the latest version of PT4. If you like your setup and find it comfortable, then great!

Poker Stars has a listing of prohibited software that can't be used during game play. Regarding the software that is allowed have you ever experienced software conflicts with different tracking software accessing the same file types? What is the best way to integrate information from data bases like Shark Scope and Hendon Mob? Can you recommend any others?

No, I've never experienced that. I play a lot of tables generally, so it just isn't feasible for me to search players on sharkscope or hendon mob normally. I like to use those when I find myself deep in a significant tournament, or when I play live and have a list of my tablemates that day so I can google them and find out more info before sitting down. In terms of other ones to recommend, I generally just google the player's screen name and see if I can find things out about them.

During this video I was able to look up Katie's Poker Stars stats which ended on 11/15. Katie, how important is it to regularly change your screen name..or is it? I've encountered online professionals (I haven't seen any unsuccessful professionals online except for one who was a self-promoting pro $60 spin player) who had changed their screen name up to five times. Is it important to opt-out of being tracked by the likes of Shark Scope and why?

I live in the US now and therefore can't play on Stars while I am home. I have never changed my screenname, though I do not have the same screen name on every poker site. At various points I've opted out or in of Sharkscope. I like being opted in in order to be able to search my own stats because the combination of all of my online hands of poker have been played on the many different machines I've grinded on over the years. On the other hand, opting out affords me privacy on these very same data, so it really is a personal decision.

Thank you both and to CC for providing this course! The only other poker course I have studied is the Poker Stars school when they had their HighSchool, University....and my game improved a little. MIT open courseware has two free downloable zip files for 2015 and 2016. Have either of you looked at this material? I've skimmed through them to be aware of the content but not much more. CC is a great site for many reasons and when a poker course was proposed I knew it would be a quality piece of work. I'm providing feedback which I hope helps someone in some way. This course is influencing my playing and any uptick in my results will be directly attributable to the material in this course.

We love CardsChat too, and thanks for your nice words. We have no experience with the course/school you reference.

Final questions, how can tracking software be fooled or rendered useless by others trying to track you? I alluded to this point in a prior paragraph and was wondering if there were any other active counter-measures that you were aware of? Now that Party Poker has changed their environment, what kind of tracking software would you recommend there to guage player field experience other than note taking and tagging?

I don't have any experience with trying to fool software, though I will say that people often missue the info they gain from HUDS. The most common mistake I see is overstating the relevance of a very limited amount of data (such as thinking a player is a maniac just because they opened 3 out of the last 5 hands or something). I'm not familiar with the current rules on software at Party Poker or else I would off my advice on that too.

 

[cheeeer]

I played once with player at the cash table. One hour, six handed. He raised almost every hand and played pretty aggresive almost every street. Later I sat at the other table with him. He was pretty tight: never raised pre-flop, almost never raised during the hand. I noticed it at once. But I understood if someone collects statistics all what he will see - he raises 97%, he raises 95% and so on. Statistics will change very slow.
Means: if tight player raises, software will show he does it all the time.

This program is free ???

You can do the same by simple notes.

 

[PsychoVas]

PT4 is the "MSWord" analog for poker. It has so many options and possibilities that you can never master it. I have been fumbling with it for two years now and I still think I know nothing about it's use. Good thing that the license is not time sensitive...

 

[Katie Dozier]

PT4 is the "MSWord" analog for poker.

That’s a cool analogy!

 

[cferdi]

Wow, I used PT4 during a trial, but only used the HUD. I can see so much potential and can't wait until I can afford to purchase the software. As I said in yesterday's lesson, it would also be useful to know my ROI% so that I could also use the variance software more accurately.

Thanks again for such a valuable course. If I had purchased it, I certainly would have considered it value for money!:icon_flow

 

[Phoenix Wright]

My favorite part is how within the first 30 seconds of the video, Collin "jokingly" says "But you know what? Nothing is more important than poker data" and then excitingly goes into the rest of the 16+ minute video making me wonder if he really meant this as a joke or not.

 

[belizebum]

For people looking for a simple HUD, I recommend looking up Tournament Indicator. I found it reasonably priced and simple to use. I tried Poker Tracker trial and it was just too complicated for my liking.

 

[redboy23]

Hi CCers,

I finally took the plunge and got a poker tracking software. I chose Drive HUD and have not been able to get my HUD to show. So would appreciate some help there folks.

I am excited about collecting stats on players and the ability to search for leaks in my game. It is great that I can get separate results on cash games, S&Gs and MTTs as well. This will go a long way in accessing my poker performance and is long overdue.

I am on an upswing and loving it. So hope it is due to an improvement in reads and plays thanks to this poker course.

Really having fun here.

Advance thanks for the feedback. Really want to get my HUD up and running. I have set the tournament and hand history folders to download and the settings on Drive HUD. Not sure what else I have to do.

 

[Katie Dozier]

Wow, I used PT4 during a trial, but only used the HUD. I can see so much potential and can't wait until I can afford to purchase the software. As I said in yesterday's lesson, it would also be useful to know my ROI% so that I could also use the variance software more accurately.

Thanks again for such a valuable course. If I had purchased it, I certainly would have considered it value for money!:icon_flow

We're really glad that you're enjoying the course so much

Hi CCers,

I finally took the plunge and got a poker tracking software. I chose Drive HUD and have not been able to get my HUD to show. So would appreciate some help there folks.

I am excited about collecting stats on players and the ability to search for leaks in my game. It is great that I can get separate results on cash games, S&Gs and MTTs as well. This will go a long way in accessing my poker performance and is long overdue.

I am on an upswing and loving it. So hope it is due to an improvement in reads and plays thanks to this poker course.

Really having fun here.

Advance thanks for the feedback. Really want to get my HUD up and running. I have set the tournament and hand history folders to download and the settings on Drive HUD. Not sure what else I have to do.

I can tell from this post and your other posts that you're really doing an awesome job completing the course. HUDs can certainly be involved to set up, but it will be well-worth the effort in the end.

Also I'm glad to hear you're on an upswing! Mine tend to come on the heels of a lot of studying which is all the more gratifying--may it continue to be the same way for you!

 

[freddydr87]

This is one off the most important thinghs in modern poker, when i start playing with a HUD is like when i first open my eyes and see the world(well i guess because i dont remember,lol) i was playing with a band in my eyes, because i was playing GTO no mather wath and i only exploid some weeknesses i knew some off my oponents had by making notes off they game, no i dont need to put so manny notes and i can make smoller ones because i have all info i need in the HUD.
And even more important that having info about your oponent is having info about you,you can see your leeks and fix them you can study yur strategy by reviewing your hands.

 

[Ivansito26]

Whenever a help software will give a player an advantage at any level, they are necessary because it helps us to improve and know how to make the right decision since it gives us the knowledge of how the player is going in a tournament and we can know how aggressive he can be. be or so light, but it is not so good because when playing a live tournament you will not have help software, the best way is to study the opponents watching their plays and how they act in each hand ... I do not use no help software, in everything I have played poker

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[Yanko57]

One of my biggest expense in the poker world was the buying of a poker tracker. I knew it would be useful, but not at this point.

I would simply couldn't play online poker anymore without it. My memory feels much better too and I can multi-table without losing the main infos on any table.

 

[Debi]

It is really essential to use some kind of HUD if you play a lot and are serious about making a profit.

 

[Tux97]

Wow, I used PT4 during a trial, but only used the HUD. I can see so much potential and can't wait until I can afford to purchase the software. As I said in yesterday's lesson, it would also be useful to know my ROI% so that I could also use the variance software more accurately.

Thanks again for such a valuable course. If I had purchased it, I certainly would have considered it value for money!:icon_flow

cferdi, you can get an idea about your ROI from sharkscope.com. Your results for partypoker are there but for a couple of other sites, you have to opt-in.

 

[zam220]

I can’t play with the Software, it just distracts me from the game and I don’t enjoy it!

 

[bruno13xs]

I have not yet had the opportunity to use software in my game, but I am researching some software so that I can test and see if it helps me to improve my game at the tables and still be able to make more profit.

 

[johnnylawford]

I love seeing some of the statistics from HEM in micro stakes, it's really telling of just how people play at the lower stakes. You'll frequently see numbers like 90 VPIP/5 PFR or 50% 3-betting pre-flop.

I'm glad you included a note about sample size as too often you'll have 10-15 hands on a player with 20% 3-bet frequency -which may look like a lot, but could easily be luck in picking up 2-3 big hands.

 

[Collin Moshman]

I can’t play with the Software, it just distracts me from the game and I don’t enjoy it!

Sure, if you've tried using tracking software and it hasn't helped you, then you've done your research and by all means play without it

I have not yet had the opportunity to use software in my game, but I am researching some software so that I can test and see if it helps me to improve my game at the tables and still be able to make more profit.

Great, let us know how it worked out.

I love seeing some of the statistics from HEM in micro stakes, it's really telling of just how people play at the lower stakes. You'll frequently see numbers like 90 VPIP/5 PFR or 50% 3-betting pre-flop.

I'm glad you included a note about sample size as too often you'll have 10-15 hands on a player with 20% 3-bet frequency -which may look like a lot, but could easily be luck in picking up 2-3 big hands.

For sure, you want very extreme stats to use a 15-hand sample, such as an 80% VPIP that's unlikely to just be chance (but of course still could be).

 

[zam220]

Sure, if you've tried using tracking software and it hasn't helped you, then you've done your research and by all means play without it



Great, let us know how it worked out.




For sure, you want very extreme stats to use a 15-hand sample, such as an 80% VPIP that's unlikely to just be chance (but of course still could be).

I now think that it is needed!

 

[PINOY]

Recently discover how powerful the PT4 is

Done Week 3
I bought my PT4 almost 7 years ago.

After i bought it, i tried to use it but found it very complicated and lazy to learn.
As a recreational player i use only the BB or M stats to know that i am near or on my shove/fold range.

I got my interest back with PT4 since i start posting the the forum ( due to Covid lockdown) and spend much more time studying its features; to study equity, review MTT hands and try to interpret stats of opponents based on VPIP to get specific hand range. So many stats option but i am slowly trying to understand it more and use it in the game.

Currently try to build my own HUD Profile.

 

[Collin Moshman]

Done Week 3
I bought my PT4 almost 7 years ago.

After i bought it, i tried to use it but found it very complicated and lazy to learn.
As a recreational player i use only the BB or M stats to know that i am near or on my shove/fold range.

I got my interest back with PT4 since i start posting the the forum ( due to Covid lockdown) and spend much more time studying its features; to study equity, review MTT hands and try to interpret stats of opponents based on VPIP to get specific hand range. So many stats option but i am slowly trying to understand it more and use it in the game.

Currently try to build my own HUD Profile.

Congrats on completing week 3!

And that's great on PT4. If you have any questions setting up your HUD profile, feel free to post here and I'd be happy to help.