Internet Player Essentials?

[Jibba]

I've been playing online for about a year now and I'm just starting to get intrigued by all the various programs available to players. I downloaded the trial version of Poker Tracker but haven't had time to decipher what it all means yet (and I could only upload 1,000 hands). I've seen a lot more of these out there and have no idea which ones are good and which ones are bad/scams. I've also seen a ton of stuff on rakebacks, affiliates, bonus whoring (I've done my share but some of it seems too complicated), etc. So does a player who's still learning need these things or would you recommend them as helpful? Anything else you'd recommend? I apologize if this has been discussed. I know there is a ton of stuff here and I will continue to browse, but I was hoping to get a comprehensive list or see if it's just a waste of time that could be spent playing poker. Thanks.

[WordWhiz]

Poker Tracker is essential, as is a heads up display (hud). Poker Ace is very nice, but game time+ is serviceable and free if money's tight. Get PA when you can scrounge together another $25.

There are other tools you'll need if you play SNG's rather than ring games. I'll defer to the SNG robots on that count.

Bonuses and rakeback aren't really programs, but rather methods of maximizing your profit from any given site. Rather than give a full explanation, I'll just say that if a site offers rakeback, you should always take it, even if you only plan on hitting it up for the bonus and never coming back. It can't hurt, and plans change.

Poker Stove is another nice free program for running hot-and-cold simulations of hands.

[Jibba]

Thanks for the response. I don't mean to bore people with the same old questions, but I'm really curious and am having trouble deciphering some of the other threads. So I'll likely spend the $55 (?) and get Poker Tracker first. Is an hud one of the add on programs it talks about and are those free or do they cost money (I can't quite figure out from your post if PA is one of these)? Poker Tracker just seems so massive and confusing. Does it get easier to understand or am I retarded for not getting it right away?

And do all sites offer rakeback? I'm currently using my Party, Paradise and PS accounts but also have a few others that I've cashed out of (Royal Vegas, Crazy Poker, Absolute, etc.). How do I sign up for it?

Thanks a lot.

[MakesCents]

check out http://www.pokeracesoftware.com/ for pokerace. its an add on to pokertracker and runs $25. Very much worth the $ if you are at all serious about online poker. There is also Gametime+ which is similar to PAHud but is free. I prefer PAHud though. Pokertracker should get easier to understand, there are some tutorials out there, check out the pokertracker website and forums and bet-the-pot.com if you are a NL player. Most sites offer rakeback, but not usually on accounts you have open. You would have to open a new account at a new site, check the affiliates/rakeback forum for more info.

[Overdrive]

Yes you really need a semi-bot like Pokerace HUD to compete. Or you can do what a lot of people do and play at sites that don't support pokertracker or HUD - because that is where the best games are always at.

[sublime]

BF % over 20

[ilovebadbeats]

What sites don't support PT? PA HUD? Both? (just curious...and you said the games were usually better there...)

To the OP: I use PT every now and then, really only to see how I'm doing/what my win-rate is, etc. I pretty much just import hands I've played
from each site into a DataBase I have in PT for that site (I have 1 DB for Party, 1 for Absolute, 1 for Full Tilt, etc.)
I am a part time player, and not a real "hard-core" internet player.
I don't use any of the HUDs or attempt to use PT to determine who the fish are, etc. I just use it to see how I'm doing...
(and if I find my win-rate in a certain game on a certain site is high, then I'm going to spend more time playing in that game!!! lol)

I'm sure the Hard-core guys will tell you you NEED PAHUD. I think (on Party, and perhaps a few other sites) you get to see a person's hole cards EVEN
if they choose to muck losing hands at showdown (this is a NICE feature).
And if you play zillions of hands on Party, etc. (you are a Hard Core Full time player) your databases can get big (and hence accurate)
when used to profile other players on a site...Whether doing so is "cheating"/illegal
I'm not sure.

My advice would be to just focus on your game (and not worry about all the stats of your opponents (your databases won't be big enough
anyway in the beginning).

The Game Time HUD I'm pretty sure if free - can't hurt to try that.
The PokerAce HUD costs $25.
And if you want to play on Pacific Poker, you need to buy something called
"Handgrabber" to be able to import hands into PT.

Hope this helps a little!

[Jibba]

Everything here definitely is helpful. Thank you. It's just difficult to weed out what really is helpful and what is a waste of time or money. I guess to start I'm going to have to shell out the $55 for PT's full version and maybe I'll try the free add on for starters. Being a bit inexperience I know there are flaws in my game that aren't going to go away just by reading through this forum (although it's definitely a big help) and plwoing through poker books. So I figured I'd start with the basics for a recreational player who'd like to work on his game. I've certainly got some good feedback. And I'm always open to more suggestions if people feel like chiming in.

[mbishop]

Sounds like a good plan to me.

[BS Yee]

Get PokerTracker, start loading your hands and forget about it for a month or two. You really need a decent sample size of hands, maybe 10,000 plus, to start to find holes in your game. When you start getting 30,000 plus hands then the data becomes more meaningful. PAHud is also an essential. Of course, you won't have anything to compare you own stats to. There's stuff out there about VPIP and PFR ranges but I mainly do SnG's and I know the data may not be as useful as cash games.

But PT can help you segment out all the different blind levels and you can do analysis of your tournament play.