Looking for an added advantage on your competition? Trying to plug a few leaks in your own game? One of the best ways to analyze your own performance as well as your opponents is through the use of a poker tracking database, called PokerTracker. PokerTracker was the original poker database, providing statistical analysis of a player’s game. Over time the software has been improved to work with the majority of online poker rooms including the worlds biggest and best, PokerStars.
There are many reasons to use a database program. These programs help you track your results, plug any glaring leaks, and to attain a better understanding of your opponent’s tendencies. For those wondering, yes, these programs are 100% legal to use before, during, and after your online play.
Setting up PokerTracker is quite simple. The first step is saving your hand histories on PokerStars. Under the “Options” tab at the top of the screen select “Instant Hand History Options…” as shown below:
Once in the Hand History Options screen make sure to check “Save My Hand History”. The best folder will be C:\Program Files\PokerStars\HandHistory\. You can keep the hand histories for up to 9,999 days, which should be plenty of time.
From there importing your Hand Histories is quite easy. Once PokerTracker is open, select the poker room you are currently playing from the top of the screen and the “Auto-Import” box will automatically open. Be sure your Hand History Folder Location is set to C:\Program Files\PokerStars\HandHistory\ and you will be good to go after clicking on “Begin Auto Import”.
PokerTracker is best used to analyze your own game. The program lists a wide variety of statistics about your tendencies which can paint a fairly specific picture about your strengths and weaknesses. The first aspect of your game to analyze is your Pre-Flop tendencies. For those new to poker, the best strategy will be a tight-aggressive one. At 9-10 handed tables this might result in a VP$IP of 10-15 and a PFR of 8-12. VP$IP is the percentage of hands you voluntarily place money in the pot. This could be from limping in, calling a raise, completing the Small Blind, or raising before the flop. PFR is the percentage of hands you raise before the flop, which includes re-raising as well. For those playing short-handed tables (typically 6max) your stats might look more like 20/15 (VP$IP/PFR).
The screenshot below illustrates many of the basic statistics given from the PokerTracker General Tab. Besides VP$IP and PFR players can track how many hands they’ve played over a given time frame, the amount of money won/lost, and even the percentage of times they see a showdown. This is a great place to start analyzing some basic leaks and can help to drastically improve one’s winrate:
A lot of players use PokerTracker to better understand their opponent’s games. By using PokerTracker in conjunction with a Heads-Up Display (also known as a HUD) you can relay real-time statistics onto your screen while you are playing! The major benefit to using a HUD is best seen in those playing a large number of tables, known as mass multi-tabling. Playing more tables is a great way to increase your hourly winrate, as even though you might earn less per table on average, your total earning will certainly increase. Be careful not to add too many tables too quickly, as this can have a negative effect if you are not used to a faster pace of play. Another benefit of playing more tables is the ability to move through PokerStars VIP Levels at a faster pace, as you’ll earn more VPPs/hour than you will just 1-tabling. The difference can be huge, as you may earn 2-3 times more VIP credits at higher levels. Those reaching Supernova Elite on PokerStars earn on average more than 50% rakeback and over $125,000 per year in bonuses and tournament entries!
One of the best and often under-utilized reports in PokerTracker can be found under the “Positions” Tab. This section gives a player a view at how active he/she is in certain positions at the table. In poker, the majority of your hands should be played from late position, also known as the cut-off (seat 1 to the left of the button) and the button. Opening the Position Tab will allow you to see if you are taking advantage of your position at the table. You should see quite a large difference between your Early Position VPIP/PFR stats and your late position stats.
Finally, the “Graphs” Tab can present a visual aspect of your winnings/losses. Graphs are typically over-analyzed; however, they are a great way to illustrate progress in your game. Most players might see a graph (illustrated below) which starts out quite break-even for a while as they adjust to online play. From there, after studying and analyzing their stats, they can see a sharp increase in their earnings.
Overall PokerTracker is an excellent tool which can only help your poker game. Just purchasing the program is not enough, as you must commit time to studying both your own game and your opponents. PokerTracker and PokerStars is quite the winning combination, as both provide excellent customer support and are industry leaders.
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