If you’ve been around the business long enough, then you’ll know that poker software is all the rage. You can buy and use programs that allow you to track your own stats, track the stats of your opponents, view real-time odds, and be able to find the best sit and gos and tournaments based on a specific set of criteria. The capabilities of today’s programs are truly very impressive. However, a debate has raged on as to whether players should be using the programs as well as the ethics behind them. We’ll leave the ethics question for another article. Let’s focus now on the financial decision on whether to buy poker software.

Buying poker software is not something you should be doing from the very beginning. Spend the first six to seven months of your poker career learning the game, developing a knack for understanding when you’re ahead in a hand and when you’re behind, and getting a feel for how to multi-table effectively. In all honesty, all of the poker software in the world won’t help you if you don’t understand the game. Sure, some programs will basically tell you whether to raise, fold, call, or push all in during each hand. However, many of these programs fail to take into account things like stack sizes, position, and player tendencies. All of these can only be understood by a large amount of practice.

Moreover, learning poker software on your own is tremendously difficult. Since each program interfaces with the various poker clients differently, there are many bugs that you’ll encounter. If you’re not a computer whiz, you’re going to need some assistance. While each software program has some sort of support available, such as e-mail and live chat, your best bet before you buy any program is to join a popular poker forum and read about what does and does not work. Poker and poker software forums are full of people just like you who are using programs like Hold’em Manager and PokerTracker for the first time. If the Heads Up Display (PokerACE) isn’t working, chances are someone on the forum knows why. I can’t stress enough the importance of communities when you first dive into poker software. Learn what works, what doesn’t, find hidden jewels, and seek help all in one place. It’s that easy.

Poker software is an investment. Many of these programs will run you between $50 and $150 in a one-time fee or charge you a certain amount of money per month. If you want to become a winning player, however, oftentimes the initial investments or monthly fees are well worth it. How else are you going to know exactly how the big blind will react when you three bet him? The answer is there’s no way you can, especially if you have five or ten or 15 tables open at one time. It’s almost like the stock market. It’s an investment that will pay off down the road. In the meantime, although you may be losing money on a day to day or week to week basis, over the long-haul, you will turn a profit.

Take baby steps. Poker software is complicated. I won’t lie. A friend of mine has been trying to set up PokerTracker 3 and he is completely lost. Once he does get it working, there are a bevy of stats that he will be forced to wade through, including foreign terms like VPIP, PFR, TAF, CC, AS, and WSD. Yeah, it’s a haven for acronyms. It’s important to take your time and learn one program and master it before you move onto another one. There are probably a dozen tracking and analysis programs out there. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of free trial offers and take into consideration what others say about it before you start shoveling out cash. Once you’ve learned the ins and outs of a stats program, for example, feel free to move onto an odds program or vice versa.

Finally, know some of the big players in each industry. Here are a few examples to help guide you of some of the primary programs that you’ll find people using:

1. Tracking Software: PokerTracker, Hold’em Manager, Poker Office


2. Odds Calculators: Poker Stove, Poker Wingman, Poker Sharpener


3. Table Selection Aids: Lobby Edge, Sharkscope, Sixth Sense


4. Sit and Go Programs: SNG Wizard, SNGEGT, Spade Eye


5. Buddy Lists: Ultimate Buddy, Full Tilt Buddy, Stars Buddy

It’s important to note that some poker software programs are banned on major online poker rooms. If you get caught using them, you’ll be punished accordingly. When in doubt, ask the software manufacturer or the online poker room itself.

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