Over the last few years, the game of poker has evolved tremendously. Some poker concepts that used to be known only by the best players out there are widely utilized now. A deeper understanding of game theory has undoubtedly changed online poker and live games for good. While some players complain that the games got tougher (which is certainly true), it is what it is, and the best thing one can do about it is to take advantage of the changes and adjust their game.
The good news is that all of the poker tools that helped to evolve poker are at your fingertips. Here’s a list of the best poker tools and how and when you can use them.
When can you use additional poker software?
Nowadays, many tools will help you to develop a better poker strategy. Before you get any of them, you must be aware that major poker sites do not allow the use of some poker tools while playing. Although you are free to use any poker software away from the tables, you must find out which software is legal while you play on a certain site.
That being said, let’s look at the most crucial poker tools out there. The first category we’ll be looking at is:
Poker tracking software
This poker software works in two ways. Firstly, it allows you to save the hand histories from your poker sessions. Secondly, it provides you with a poker HUD (which is short for heads-up display). HUD is a small display above the players on the table that provides information on how a particular player has played while you both were at the same table.
While this information is not so helpful after a few hands, if you’ll play long enough you might be getting a lot of knowledge out of your tracking software. Playing with the same opponents often allows you to gather an extensive database of hands, which will help you to understand how they play and adjust accordingly.
The most popular poker tracking programs are Holdem Manager and Poker Tracker. Both are pretty similar in their functionalities and allow tracking online tournaments and cash games.
Tracker is a must-have if you want to work on perfecting your play. Poker tracking programs have a broad use and allow you to create custom stats, filter hands through stack sizes, measure player pool tendencies, and many more!
Both HM and PT are legal and work on major poker sites, however, some of the operators provide you with the hand histories after they’ve been played, which prevents you from using HUD in real-time.
Before buying HM or PT, you can try a free version of both.
Smart Spin offers its members a custom-made HUD for PokerTracker 4 as well as the reports that help with results tracking and leakfinder. Find out more about it here.
Poker equity calculators
It’s quite easy to judge whether you had enough equity to call with your actual hand versus your opponent’s hand. But how to estimate your equity against a specific range of hands your opponent could have? With a poker equity calculator.
This kind of poker software allows you to evaluate the profitability of your decisions. It’ll also help you significantly improve your online poker game. Toying around with the hands you’ve already played will help you make faster and more accurate decisions in the future.
The most popular poker equity calculators are PokerStrategy Equilab and its more advanced version Power-Equilab. They have similar capabilities, however, the latter is a more powerful one.
Both calculators are banned during play.
Independent chip model (ICM) software tools
This is a fundamental category for poker players whose game of choice are multi-table tournaments. While playing tournaments, you often have a short stack, and your most profitable option is either going all in or calling someone who did it before you.
The optimal strategy of playing while short-stacked is a crucial skill for online poker players who think seriously about tournaments. If you do, too, then the ICM poker tool is a must.
The vast majority of players use one of the following: Holdem Resource Calculator or ICMIZER. Once again, they offer similar options, and either of them will develop your poker game immensely.
There’s one important thing to add here: calculators like HRC or ICMIZER are illegal while playing online poker and using them in such a manner may lead to a ban! You are welcome to use them outside the poker table, though.
If you still wonder which poker format is best for you – you can find an answer to that here.
What is the best poker software?
There is no correct answer to this question. All of the software we’ve covered in this article is very useful for developing a strategy-based approach to the game. Still, some of these tools are targeted at different kinds of poker players than others.
Over the years, we’ve discovered how to make the most of all these tools. We can teach you how to use them, too. Take a look at our offer, join the ever-growing Smart Spin community, and elevate your game today.