blonde poker forum

Hi all,

I am curious as to how many of you use poker software like Holdem Manager, Poker Tracker, Table Ninja.... Im not sure if Sharkscope or Pokerprolabs is in the same bracket.

Could you please tell me what your set up is and why you use whatever it is that you use... the pros and cons against each.

I have done some research online and instead of trawling through pages up on pages of peoples comments in various forums I thought id ask on here where I know quite a few of you do this for a living and will be able to give me the right advice.

Feel free to tell me to piss off and mind my own business but hopefully someone can point me in the right direction.

I would imagine 99% of players playing online for a living will use Holdem Manger/Poker tracker. Maybe 25% table ninja (i am not sure on this one - People who are playing 12+ tables probably using this under 12 i don't think you need it although it is useful if you can use it.

Sharkscope/opr etc i think people will check regular especially if playing against an unknown. It can help you quite a bit in the early stages of tracking someone.

The Pro's are that you are collecting information all the time and things you might not of picked up on due to playing many tables or maybe that you have not played with a player in a while you can be reminded by your HUD with data that you have previously collected. - This plus notes is very important. It is impossible to remember how 1000;s people play without these tools. Remembering how maybe 50 people at your local club play and tendency's is hard enough never mind the huge online player pools.

It takes time to get used to the software I think taking the free trail from Holdem manager and taking a month of playing with it is key!

Good luck!

You will be hard pressed to find anyone who is a winning reg that does not use this software.

Nigdawg doesn't  :o

More of use to cash game players.  Add note caddy to this list which analyses your Holdem Manager database and gives you notes suggesting how to best exploit your opponent. 

Do MTT grinders use similar software or not?

I would use Hold'em Manager if I could be bothered to getting round to getting it. Its SO useful if you're grinding alot and getting information on regs. Helps you find so many spots that you might otherwise miss

I use table ninja and HEM, many toys are thrown out of the pram if either happen not to work.

Ive downloaded the 30 day trial of HEM2 see how I get on with it... I have only really just started playing online and after just playing from time to time im in the middle of working on a plan to take it more seriously in the new year. This is why I have been asking a lot of questions to the regulars lately. I have no intention of leaving my job or anything like that but I would love to be able to work on my game on the side and build a roll big enough to take a few shots. Still early days I know and my sample on all the stats sites is tiny, but you have to start somewhere.

Thanks again

How wasn't this the first thing you and alex did?!?!?!?!?!

wow... Ive installed it and just sat at a small stg 6 seater... this HUD stuff is going to take some getting used to. I am going to have to study the software to understand it all, and understand what all these numbers mean..

Sorry if this sounds like a silly comment but when you havent used anything like this before its quite a change!!

hem1 I assume. never been so tilted by software as with HEM2.  Tis just not the same for MTTs. Notecaddy is a farce such a step further than a db of numbers.

I am HEM1 user and have held off using HEM2 as I have heard it has lot of bugs and my HEM has been very stable in recent times.

Yeah the HUD takes getting use to and feels very foreign to start off with. I would start off with it being very basic to start off with just (vpip/pfr/no of hands) and then add as you become more comfortable.

Yeah do what Longy said, just have hands/vpip/pfr first til you get comfortable. Otherwise it's a great tool to get your hands on. Though there are the odds sickos out there who've never used them it's a literally essential tool for the massive majority of serious online players.

practice using it and delving deeper into the numbers out of play time when you're going back through hand histories etc and you have more time. at first it will blow your mind otherwise.

C-bet stats are pretty useful as well even as a beginner

...and definitely don't focus too heavily on the stats of the player if you haven't played a substantial number of hands with them.

+1

Also reviewing your sessions and making notes, if you're anything like me, will make a huge difference to your game. It's a fantastic habit to get into.

After spending nearly an hour studying the stats its very clear that I lose far to many pots protecting the SB and the BB!!

Game needs some serious looking at!!

GENERAL PREFLOP Hold em 6 max

VERY High VPIP:345 / 880 for 39.2%(avg 21.1%)

Normal PFR:149 / 880 for 16.9%(avg 16.1%)

VERY High 3Bet:32 / 284 for 11.3%(avg 6.3%)

High Squeeze:4 / 53 for 7.5%(avg 2.8%)

This software is very interesting!!

You absolutely cannot underestimate the work you need to put in with HEM (1 or 2) in order to get your moneys worth. I try to spend 1 hour for every 6 playing.. I currently dont quite meet this but I did do a full day analysing hands and my own play recently and found it really helpful trying to spot some spots I get myself into a lot.

All if the software on offer is only as powerful as the effort you put in to learning how to use it.

I use HEM2, TN, NC, pokerstove, pokerstrategy.com equiplab, and YouTube for the music!

do you OPR/PTR whilst in play John ?

IMO You lose too many pots in these positions purely because you are playing too many pots in these positions! Granted 880 is a really small sample but a VPIP of >35% is a bit on the fishy side! However as 2/6 hands are in the blinds its natural for this Stat to be higher than a full ring player. (pretty sure HEM2 has a feature where you can get the figures to automatically adjust between 6max and full ring.)

  Its such a common leak for players to lose excessive pots from the blinds so I wouldn't worry about it too much! Just try and make a conscious effort to narrow your range in the blinds and play the spots more aggresively and you'll be VPIP < 30% by the time you have played another 1000 hands.

 Can not possibly emphasise how much HEM can develop your game though, just try not be results orientated until you have a proper sample!

This could be a complete game changer, at first I thought it was a bit expensive but I think within the first few weeks it will pay for itself.

Its one of those things that I am going to have to invest it at some point so why not sooner rather than later!! ;)

You'll look back in 6 months and think, what the hell was I doing! =] Money well spent!