I caught a clip of the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event the other day and saw eventual champion Greg Raymer jotting down notes about the hands he played. I remember thinking to myself when the show was originally aired that note taking was a great idea. Fast-forward to 2011 and note taking is still a smart practice, but for online players, it is now automated with hand analysis software like PokerTracker and Holdem Manager.
One can argue in a couple directions on the most valuable use for hand analysis software, but in my mind, the most significant benefit such a tool provides is the opportunity to review your game on your own time without the pressure that can mount during a session. Like an athlete reviewing game film, with tracking software, you can comb through all of your hands to evaluate what tactics worked and what decisions could have been better.
But it is more than just reading your hand histories. That’s only good if you know exactly where to look. But much of the time, we don’t know why we’re on a downswing or we may suspect we’re struggling in late position, but can’t really put a finger on the reason.
Software packages like PokerTracker and Holdem Manager have all sorts of reports that can show you your leaks. You can take them for what they are or filter your data to your heart’s content. See what pocket cards treat you the best, check out what street causes you the most trouble, and look at your results by table position. Really, anything you want to know about your game is there just by using any variable combination you can dream up.
The other main purpose hand tracking software serves is providing information about opponents. While you can always study your opponents’ hands and statistics by sifting through your database just as you would your own hand histories, people generally gain the most by using the analysis software’s Heads-Up Display (HUD) during game play.
Completely customizable to display whatever figures you would like, an HUD sits right on top of the virtual table, showing you information about each opponent. Of particular use to players are statistics that show how aggressive opponents are on each street, determined by whatever data you have already gathered on them in previous sessions. So if the player in Seat 4 raised pre-flop, your HUD could tell you how often he does that. If that’s a rarity, you might want to stay away from him in that hand, as he probably has something. If your HUD tells you that raising is like breathing for him, there’s a good chance he’s full of it.
Some software can even create an HUD of sorts for the poker room lobby. It will scan each table to see who is playing, look them up in your database, and then give you a snapshot of what your competition would look like if you sat down. Want a table that’s loose-passive? The software can find one for you.
In combination, all of the information you have can be of great use when you seek out strategy advice from friends or others in the poker community. It’s all well and good to describe a hand on a forum and ask for opinions, but any answers you get back will be very basic. When you can also supply information about your opponents’ tendencies as well as exact details about starting chip stacks and seat positions, you allow others to have a complete picture of the hand. You can even provide information about any relevant hands leading up to that one that may have had an impact on the action. Since you have all of the hand histories and all of the data in front of you, you don’t have to worry about the accuracy of your memory.
Finally, hand analysis software can help you keep tabs on your poker finances. Since every hand is recorded, you can see how much of a bankroll you have, what sort of trend you are currently on, how much rake you have paid, and anything having to do with your poker money. And one thing that often gets overlooked, but which I have found to be very valuable, is that all of this can be used to report your tax return.
