On our blog, you can find a lot of information about different kinds of poker tools which improve your overall poker skills. In this article, we’d like to take a closer look at poker tracking software, the modern bread, and butter of almost every professional online poker player.
If you are interested in becoming a pro, have a peek at the article where we explained what it takes to be a poker pro: How do you become a professional poker player?
Why is it so important? Because there is no other software that’s so useful for the virtual felt.
How do the poker tracking programs work?
Such programs often referred to as trackers, allow you to create databases with all of the hands you have played online. Poker tracking software not only stores information about your decisions, but it also records the actions your opponents took in the hands in which you participated.
You can make use of all the gathered data in two main ways.
The first one is studying the mentioned database. Poker software allows you to review and analyze the hands you’ve played in the past. It’s an extremely useful, if not essential, feature during the game study. While at the online poker table, you have only a limited amount of time to make the best decision. Using the poker tracking software, you can go back to any hand you’d like and reevaluate whether you made the correct decision. The database also allows you to filter through stored hands with many different assumptions (e.g. hands you’ve played on big blind or only 3-bet pots).
The second way is the display of poker HUDs. A poker HUD (short for heads-up display) uses the hands from your database to come up with the statistics characterizing every player at the table. All of the stats are displayed in small boxes next to each player. In a nutshell, HUD software uses the poker hands you’ve gathered earlier to characterize the players you are playing against in real-time.
HUDs can be customized to show different stats, but generally, the basic ones are the most important. That’s why every HUD includes information such as: how often your opponents put money in the pot voluntarily (that statistic is called VPIP), how frequently they raised (PFR), and how many times they 3-bet in the past (3B).
Remember, it will take some time for your database to grow to a big enough size that you’ll have accurate information. Usually, you’ll have to play a few dozen or a few hundred hands with the same player for a HUD’s data to be reliable. That might seem like a lot, but if you play the same games regularly, you’ll build your database in no time.
Tracking software allows you to track your financial results as well
Whatever your game of choice is, trackers allow you to verify where you win and lose money. This is especially handy if you are thinking about moving up the stakes. Tracking software will show you your win rate at the current stakes and provide you with more specific data, like win rate on specific positions or with particular hole cards.
And that’s only a few from the vast array of stats you can check!
Which software to choose?
There are two main competitors in the poker tracking software market: Poker Tracker and Holdem Manager. The overwhelming majority of the poker community uses one of these tools. Both of them have been present on the market for ages, and both are regularly updated. Similar to other kinds of software, both programs have some differences in functionality, but both are suitable for anyone willing to improve their game.
Whichever program you choose, be aware of a few things.
Poker tracking software is very potent, but it won’t do the job for you
If you have never used HUD-providing poker software, you might feel that it provides unfair advantages. It does not; however, it is so helpful that there is no reason not to use it.
Almost all of the major poker sites allow their players to use the poker software we mention in this article. Some operators are not too content with the HUDs and limit their functionalities, but the consensus is that the tracking software is a part of the modern poker game.
After all, they may help you to craft your poker strategy, but they won’t do it for you. Just like every piece of information in poker, the insight of the tracking software must be taken into account with the right context. It’s very easy to misapply the information you receive, especially if you are new to Holdem Manager or Poker Tracker.
Don’t worry though; overall, trackers are one of the most accessible kinds of poker tools to master. At Smart Spin, we’ve taught hundreds of poker players how to use them, and we can teach you too!
In which formats are the poker HUDs most beneficial?
The answer is simple: in every popular online poker format. Whether you play tournaments, cash games, or Spins, the tracking program will help you in some way.
If you still wonder which poker format to choose, please follow our article to get an answer: Which online poker game should you choose?
Over a large enough sample, you’ll likely run into similar situations versus the same opponents in both Spins and cash games. The knowledge of what others were doing in the past will be priceless, as it makes it significantly easier to guess what your opponent might be up to.
Tracking software will also be a considerable help if you are a tournament player. Just remember that the MTT hands in your database will likely come from the different stages of the tournaments, so you have to be more thoughtful.
Most online poker players use some sort of software
We can’t blame them – tracking software is a great way to get a fair advantage over your opponents. In fact, it is a must if you want to be the best player at your poker table.
Do you want to learn how to get the maximum out of trackers and other poker tools? Join Smart Spin, and we’ll teach you the efficient use of the best poker software and way more.
We’ve trained hundreds of winning players, and you may be next!