Poker add-ons?
March 21, 2010 6:54 PM Subscribe
I play Hold 'em on PokerStars, are there any extensions, add-ons, etc that I should be using?
I've hear from several people that many online players use odds calculators and stat trackers that are integrated with PokerStars or scrape images from their screens. Many of these are apparently site-sanctioned so that your account doesn't get frozen.
Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of things? Searching the internet brings up a lot spammy style sites that I'm not willing to trust. And 2+2 seems way over my head. My goal is to take my poker playing to a higher level.
I've hear from several people that many online players use odds calculators and stat trackers that are integrated with PokerStars or scrape images from their screens. Many of these are apparently site-sanctioned so that your account doesn't get frozen.
Does anyone have any experience with these kinds of things? Searching the internet brings up a lot spammy style sites that I'm not willing to trust. And 2+2 seems way over my head. My goal is to take my poker playing to a higher level.
Best answer: PokerTracker and Hold'em Manager are both programs that collect the hand histories saved to your computer by PokerStars, and give you all sorts of statistical information about them. Both programs also include a "heads up display", which is an informational overlay that displays over tables where you're currently playing. You can configure it to show almost anything, but for a basic idea, it can show you the frequency with which your opponents call preflop, raise preflop, 3bet preflop, continuation bet on the flop, etc. Both programs have a free trial available so you can try them both and see which you prefer. Both also have very active and helpful forums, where you can get advice or help troubleshooting.
Having one of these programs is extremely helpful for playing online poker. If you're playing a sensical number of tables (say, up to 4 or 6), this is probably all you'll need. If you play a ton of tables, you might want a little more help. TableNinja is a commercial program that will help you massively multi-table, doing things like auto-filling in your preferred bet sizes, auto-bringing your mouse to the table that needs action next, auto-registering you for sit-n-gos, and lots more. I sometimes use a simpler (and free) AutoHotKey script, called StarsPlanner, which I use just to automatically place my mouse near the buttons of the next table needing action; I find that helpful for reducing RSI-inducing motion even when I'm only playing a few tables.
PokerStars accepts the use of these programs. You can check out their policy on third-party software if you want more details.
posted by gorillawarfare at 8:06 PM on March 21, 2010
Having one of these programs is extremely helpful for playing online poker. If you're playing a sensical number of tables (say, up to 4 or 6), this is probably all you'll need. If you play a ton of tables, you might want a little more help. TableNinja is a commercial program that will help you massively multi-table, doing things like auto-filling in your preferred bet sizes, auto-bringing your mouse to the table that needs action next, auto-registering you for sit-n-gos, and lots more. I sometimes use a simpler (and free) AutoHotKey script, called StarsPlanner, which I use just to automatically place my mouse near the buttons of the next table needing action; I find that helpful for reducing RSI-inducing motion even when I'm only playing a few tables.
PokerStars accepts the use of these programs. You can check out their policy on third-party software if you want more details.
posted by gorillawarfare at 8:06 PM on March 21, 2010
PokerTracker, like others have said, is really the software to get. It will accumulate statistics for other people at the table and help you make more informed decisions over a long period of time. Beyond that, it really can help identify leaks in your own game that need to be corrected before you can move on to the next level -- whatever that may be.
2+2 may seem overwhelming since there are so many forums, but stick to the forums that are dedicated to the stakes or games that you play and you'll find a ton of information there that will help elevate your game. It takes patience, just like the game itself, but the wealth of information contained on that forum is incredible.
posted by tommccabe at 4:55 AM on March 22, 2010
2+2 may seem overwhelming since there are so many forums, but stick to the forums that are dedicated to the stakes or games that you play and you'll find a ton of information there that will help elevate your game. It takes patience, just like the game itself, but the wealth of information contained on that forum is incredible.
posted by tommccabe at 4:55 AM on March 22, 2010
I have been a professional online poker player for 8 years.
The standard program in the industry now is holdem manager, it has more functionality options, and goes more in depth for stats, and is highly customizable, but Pokertracker tries to keep up, but in my opinion is not as good.
There are tons of add on programs available in the software section of two plus two.
You can modify the skins, the cards, chips, table layout, color code (good players red, bad players green etc), auto click "time bank" when you are running out of time, layout multiple tables across several screens, screen scrape to remind you what actions have happened so far in the hand, block advertisements, there is tons of stuff out there.
I have no affiliation with any poker site, or software producer, I just use a lot of it to make a living.
posted by crawltopslow at 6:09 AM on March 9, 2011
The standard program in the industry now is holdem manager, it has more functionality options, and goes more in depth for stats, and is highly customizable, but Pokertracker tries to keep up, but in my opinion is not as good.
There are tons of add on programs available in the software section of two plus two.
You can modify the skins, the cards, chips, table layout, color code (good players red, bad players green etc), auto click "time bank" when you are running out of time, layout multiple tables across several screens, screen scrape to remind you what actions have happened so far in the hand, block advertisements, there is tons of stuff out there.
I have no affiliation with any poker site, or software producer, I just use a lot of it to make a living.
posted by crawltopslow at 6:09 AM on March 9, 2011
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As far as software, PokerTracker seems to be the most popular in my group of friends.
posted by d13t_p3ps1 at 6:56 PM on March 21, 2010 [3 favorites]