Software to Help Your Game

Distributed By Wise Hand Poker, Jul 2007

A few different types of software can help you with your game. Today, we’ll talk about two of them: hand simulators and sniffers.

Hand Simulators

A hand simulator takes hand match-ups as its inputs and spits out the winning percentages for each hand. Some hand simulators only work with match-ups between individual hands, but the best ones work with match-ups between hand distributions.

Use hand simulators away from the tables to help you learn the numbers, and use them while you play online to make the most informed decisions possible. My hand simulator of choice is Poker Stove; get it at www.pokerstove.com.

Sniffers

In Killer Poker Online 2, John Vorhaus uses the term “sniffers” to refer to software packages that log data on your opponents and calculate mounds of useful statistics. You can also use sniffers to deeply analyze your own game and to plug any leaks you might have. My sniffer of choice is Poker Tracker, which can be found at www.pokertracker.com.

Getting information about your opponents is of no use if you can’t easily access it while you play. To overlay real-time statistics from a sniffer on your screen while you play, you need a heads-up display. My heads-up display of choice is Poker Ace HUD because it works well with the Poker Tracker database. Get it at www.pokeracesoftware.com.

The best online players use sniffers and heads-up displays, so you should as well. They are essential if you want to multitable, and even if you only play one table at a time, it’s nice to have a backup in case you miss some important pieces of information.

Take Advantage of Every Edge You Can Get

Poker is a game that favors those with the best information. By not taking advantage of hand simulators and sniffers, you’re yielding an advantage to those who do. Deal yourself an edge, and get these pieces of software today. Once you get them, spend some time playing around with them, so you can get as much as possible from them. And in the interest of staying ahead of the curve, be on the lookout for other types of software that may become available in the future.