PokerTracker

Developer(s) PokerTracker Software, LLC
Stable release 3.06.2 (3.07.6 BETA) / April 16, 2010 (October 21, 2010)
Operating system Microsoft Windows
Type Poker tools
License Proprietary
Website PokerTracker Homepage

The general info tab view of a sample database in PokerTracker Holdem v3.00 beta 29, including user customized columns such as final tables and highest percentile finish.

PokerTracker Software, LLC is the name of a poker tool software company that produces the popular PokerTracker line of poker tracking and analysis software.[1][2] PokerTracker's software imports and parses the hand histories that poker sites create during online play and stores the resulting statistics/information about historical play into a local database library for self-analysis.[1]

The software allows the user to monitor each poker session's profit or loss, hands played, time played, and table style. It calculates and graphs statistics such as hands per hour, winnings per hand, winnings per hour, cumulative profit and loss, and individual game profit and loss.[3]

Software features

On most online poker sites, players can have the client software create a locally stored text file that records the hand history as shown in the 'Sample Hand History' example. These hand histories summarize the details of the hand in a format that can be parsed by computer software. PokerTracker reads these files and extracts the relevant information, which it converts into a database for later review or statistical analysis.[8] The software is capable of combining hand history details of multiple accounts from different online poker services, which allows a user to aggregate his or her data.[9] Statistical summaries can be consolidated from different poker sites regardless of whether the user's screen name is the same at each site.

PokerTracker software is capable of analyzing cash ring games in which players play for cash during each hand, sit and go tournaments in which players compete for set prizes after the prescribed number of competitors join the tournament, and multi-table tournaments in which players compete for tournament prizes based on the total number of entries at the scheduled start time. Statistics can be tracked by position, session, tournament, best & worst hands, and hand results. The helps the user analyze statistics based on starting hand or final hand. The software also enables the user to replay any specific hand.[10]

Sample Tournament Summary
PokerStars Tournament #165494542, No Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $0.25
90 players
Total Prize Pool: $22.50
Tournament started 2009/05/21 10:19:54 ET
Tournament finished 2009/05/21 14:09:17 ET
  1: ElT007 (Chicago), $6.20 (27.55%)
  2: Rogoslav (??????), $4.17 (18.53%)
  3: zibi23 (Warsaw), $3.16 (14.04%)
  4: Samskn (Veltem-Beisem), $2.14 (9.51%)
  5: thyrandy360 (Valkenburg), $1.57 (6.97%)
  6: Lil Advocate (Göteborg), $1.18 (5.24%)
  7: hungrong (wien), $0.95 (4.22%)
  8: CKWIFE (LIVRY GARGAN), $0.81 (3.60%)
  9: NaiVang (Maplewood), $0.67 (2.97%)
  10: SONAG777 (??????), $0.55 (2.44%)
  11: zofiaj (newark), $0.55 (2.44%)
  12: alinjef (bigspring), $0.55 (2.44%)
  13: Richt_Ace (Solna),
  14: slongadonga (Port Pirie),
  15: dadou187 (a cote de chez toi),
  16: SainttAA (Greve),
  17: MaxFox123 (Moscow),
  18: Suxela (Lubertsy),
  19: Albazax (??????),
  20: michmach69 (köln),
  21: patriot1011 (Moncton),
  22: scotticus08 (Australia),
  23: jajay211 (Jacobs Well),
  24: pitcherplaya (Oklahoma City),
  25: Caraxe (Utrecht),
  26: robygrasu (bucuresti),
  27: DrKuzma (Paracin/Great Serbia),
  28: Pot`Nbeer (Mautern),
  29: jdcecil (Middletown),
  30: Loushje (Bergen),
  31: ancuta010601 (botosani),
  32: redmarian111 (alcorcon  (madrid)),
  33: drbobo69 (Warszawa),
  34: $700straight (Frankfurt am Main),
  35: SportModel (Oakland),
  36: mietze166 (Essen),
  37: diannepoesje (arnhem),
  38: emivallejo (San juan),
  39: mamo54 (Fort Worth),
  40: DEANO247365 (LONDON),
  41: BigBenefit$ (sydney),
  42: Lin Pi Yama (Ermelo),
  43: fishmunga (sydney),
  44: tissy26 (Hamburg),
  45: Thomas Less (Helsinki),
  46: ptrperfect (sydney),
  47: maxouu31 (Toulouse),
  48: franssuh (horst),
  49: snöby (månkarbo),
  50: SaberKt (Kutina),
  51: tupac_thegod (charny),
  52: miguel1076 (famalicao),
  53: Vitilo (Gijon),
  54: ARENA83 (Fuerth),
  55: JOBABIS4799 (BRUNTAL),
  56: slawus (Bilgoraj),
  57: zamgod (morelia),
  58: bd1968 (ceres),
  59: darkcity007 (Durham),
  60: Elias2010 (Köln),
  61: Roti82 (Montevideo),
  62: soerer (berlin),
  63: N.O. SLIMM (Harvey),
  64: xenys2804199 (Riga),
  65: Mrs. Natalie (St.Petersburg),
  66: elnoblecigar (Dortmund),
  67: chequeulater (Perth WA),
  68: Roleeka86 (Budapest),
  69: Repanocha (Las Palmas),
  70: WinningPKSTR (Khren),
  71: realnice11 (Amsterdam),
  72: Athazoth (Novi Ligure),
  73: verdugo617 (cumana),
  74: LadiLiberty (Las Vegas),
  75: madmirko78 (ahaus),
  76: Lvpokeragain (Fremont),
  77: MortyO3 (naples),
  78: LEONA999 (Montreal),
  79: luislamm (tucuman),
  80: makul1974 (Granowo),
  81: JokerSTV23 (??????????),
  82: el traga (rojales),
  83: zlaja75 (gradac),
  84: DieciCapello (CPH),
  85: luca.elisei (castelldefels),
  86: AVELÃ (lisboa),
  87: retiredn86z (Redding,ca.),
  88: tradechp (?????????),
  89: hurco007 (lalin),
  90: Derekas (Toronto),

You finished in 1st place.

The software's database uses tournament summaries such as the 'Sample Tournament Summary' example and hand histories to provide a three section summary (see infobox screenshot). The top section of the general information tab provides tournament summaries of profit/loss as well as ordinal placement summary. The other sections summarize situational statistics based on the level of the blinds and the starting hand. Additional tabs in the software produce detailed information for various statistical interests.

PokerTracker's probability graphs, as well as historical statistics of the hands a user and his or her opponents have played, enable the user to analyze conditional statistical possibilities and optimal betting amounts. The situations it analyzes are conditional on the opposition's playing characteristics and the player's position relative to the dealer.[11] Graphs can be produced for a single session or for any part of one's playing history.[10] One of the biggest improvements in PokerTracker 3 over PT2 is that it is fully-customizable so that all statistics and reports can be tailored to the individual user.[8][12] The Guardian claims most serious players use PokerTracker during online play to constantly calculate situational optima.[13]

PokerTracker 3 version v3.00 beta 29 Profit graph

The PokerTracker company is also known for its PokerAce HUD software, which is a heads-up display sold separately from the PokerTracker Holdem v2, PokerTracker Omaha and PokerTracker Stud software programs. The PokerAce HUD is a transparent video overlay data presentation that makes statistics and notes are readily available during play.[14] It allow an online poker player to focus his attention on the playing screen, rather than on the PokerTracker software. The HUD provides a vast array of realtime statistics for in-game analysis, customizable to the user's preference.[10] In addition to the statistics available constantly during play on the poker window, detailed statistics are available in a pop-up window, accessible via a single mouse click.[15] Marbella Slim of the Daily Star used the vision of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator character in an analogy with the HUD: "In some scenes, you get to see what the robot Terminator is seeing and he has all these data streams in front of his vision - it's a HUD or a head-up display."[14] Unlike other PokerTracker products, PokerTracker 3 includes a HUD as part of the basic program.[8] The PT3 HUD, which automatically overlays a player's opponents' statistics next to their avatars, is essentially a built-in version of the PokerAce HUD.[12]

PokerTracker v2 will no longer be supported after March 31, 2010.

PokerTracker 3 also offers a monthly subscription-based service called Table Tracker. Table Tracker is a software program that automatically identifies ring tables with competition suitable to the user's playing style.[12] PokerTracker's servers constantly monitor which players are playing and what tables they are playing at on various major poker sites,[16] which allows Table Tracker to find the weakest players across multiple online poker websites.[10] The user can search based on the software's built in scoring system or any other statistics of his or her choosing.[16]

In September 2009, the company announced that as of March 31, 2010, PokerTracker Holdem v2 would no longer be supported. The decision was made because PokerTracker 3 had been released on May 15, 2008 nearly two years prior to the end of life date. The company felt that discontinuing support of v2 would avail resources which could be dedicated to improving PT3 and providing exceptional customer service.[17]

Use and legality

PokerTracker 3 includes a HUD overlay as seen in this Pokerstars online poker session

Serious poker pros and casual amateurs alike can benefit from the poker tracking software,[18] and poker magazines such as Card Player repeatedly remind poker players of the usefulness of tracking software.[19][20] Total Gambler says that in addition to experience and skill the other necessity for a gambler to become a professional poker player is a good software package such as PokerTracker.[21]

Several websites portray PokerTracker as either the world's leading or the world's most popular poker tracking software. For example, Pokersource.com describes it as "the most popular poker tracking and analysis software available"[2] and Party Poker describes PokerTracker as "the original and largest piece of poker tracking software".[12] PokerSoftware.com says "Poker Tracker has been the industry standard ... for years".[8] Total Gambler says that for more than a two-year period PokerTracker 2 was the "prominent force in online poker tracking", but at the time of its December 2008 review it speaks of this leadership position in the past tense, noting that PT3 had not yet been "fully released" at the time of its testing.[6]

Major online card rooms forbid the use of software that gives a player an "unfair advantage." This typically includes software that allows players to share their hole cards with other players during live play and software that automates decision making. Since PokerTracker software doesn't fit into either of these categories it is generally allowed on most sites, including industry leader PokerStars.com.[2][22] Legality aside, some players feel the use of PokerTracker takes away from the game; for example, Victoria Coren of The Guardian remarks "there is only one downside [to using PokerTracker]. Where's the bloody fun in it?"[13]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "What is PokerTracker?". PokerTracker Software, LLC.
  2. ^ a b c "Poker Tracker". PartyPoker.com.
  3. ^ a b "Poker Tracker 1.1". CBS Interactive Inc..
  4. ^ "Overview". PokerTracker Software, LLC.
  5. ^ "What does PokerAce HUD have to offer?". PokerTracker Software, LLC. 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d Martin, Alex (December 2008). "Poker software reviews: Poker software". Total Gambler.
  7. ^ "PokerTracker 3 :: Frequently Asked Questions". PokerTracker Software, LLC.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Poker Tracker 3". Pokersoftware.com.
  9. ^ "Using Online Poker Tracking Software To Make Money". All-the-Aces.com poker column. Daily Star. 2005-10-06.
  10. ^ a b c d "What does PokerTracker Hold'em have to offer?". PokerTracker Software, LLC.
  11. ^ Blincoe, Robert (2008-09-25). "Computers tell a poker strategy". The Guardian.
  12. ^ a b c d "PokerTracker 3". PokerSource.com.
  13. ^ a b Coren, Victoria (2006-10-20). "How to play poker". The Guardian.
  14. ^ a b Slim, Marbella (2008-12-12). "The Daily Star: All The Aces". Daily Star.
  15. ^ "What does PokerAce HUD have to offer?". PokerTracker Software, LLC.
  16. ^ a b "What does TableTracker have to offer?". PokerTracker Software, LLC.
  17. ^ "PokerTracker Holdem v2: End of Life – March 31, 2010". PokerTracker Software, LLC. 2009-09-17.
  18. ^ Bedell, Doug (2004-10-28). "Deal yourself in". Dallas Morning News.
  19. ^ Caby, Taylor (2007-07-01). "Tracking Preflop Play Essential to Success". Card Player.
  20. ^ Wiggins, Andrew (2007-06-12). "Beyond the LAG Revolution". Card Player.
  21. ^ "How to become a poker professional: Going pro". Total Gambler.
  22. ^ "Pokerstars.com: Third Party Tools and Services FAQ". PokerStars.com.

Links

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