Importance of Poker Tracker????

[Mase31683]

I've been on quite a bit lately, and seem to notice a trend forming. When others give advice on a hand that contradicts mine, and I can't seem to understand why, it usually has to do with one player's poker tracker stats.

I don't use pokertracker currently, and I'm wondering how much this could be affecting my game. Is this a tool that I should absolutely have to play online poker? It seems like the first thing players take into consideration is the pt numbers rather than how the hand is playing out.

[slush420]

I think most players $100NL and above do use pokertracker as it allows you to gain valuable insight into your play and the play of others. It is a great tool for ppl like me who often aren't paying full attention to poker but would like to know how often someone's splashing around in the pot.

[mikechops]

I've spent a fair amount of time developing a stats program for online poker. However IMO, people place too much reliance on stats, particularly ones for which they don't have a sufficient sample size.

I've read a number of opinions from good players (Isura springs to mind but others too), saying their game got a lot better by switching off the HUD, playing fewer tables and really playing paying attention to the way the hands play out to develop reads. That being said, if I were playing >2 tables I'd want all the information I could get and wouldn't do without some package.