Poker is a very competitive game and can be difficult to master. In order to do well at poker, players must develop their skills and learn how to analyse and make quick decisions.
Thankfully, there are a range of online tools that are there to help you up your game and make more informed decisions during play. Although these software are great for assisting in mathematical calculations and probability analysis, they cannot completely replace the experience players need which can only gained through playing poker games for real.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at some of the best tools out there for poker players:
Poker odds calculator
When playing a game of Texas Hold’em you will always want to know how far ahead or behind you are from the others at the table. This is where a poker odds calculator can come in good use.
The poker odds calculator is a great example of this tool. Its visual layout is easy to understand and it lets you enter information for up to eight different opponents.
A poker odds calculator can help you work out odds in your specific situation. You simply let it know your hand, your opponents’ hand and what is on the board. The calculator will then give you the information you need to make your next move.
These calculators are simply in nature and great for beginners who may want to avoid more complex tools and software. They are much more effective than solely trying to guess at probabilities.
Poker tracking software
Many professional online poker players will have utilised poker tracking software to get ahead in games. The right tracking software will give you all the information you need to decide on your poker strategy.
These tracking tools basically handle all the data given by the poker room after every hand that is played. It reads the histories and creates information and your opponents for you to study and make decisions from.
There are a number of different tracking software out there and each have a different range of features.
For instance, one programme is Poker Tracker 4, a powerful Heads Up Display (HUD). Poker Tracker 4 enables you to look at table statistics, filter by stack size in tournaments, tag and review hands and see live big blind counts.
This tracker can be integrated with many different poker rooms and networks. It can be used for games of No-Limit, Limit, or Pot-Limit poker and supports Cash Ring Games, Sit N’ Go’s, and Multi-Table Tournaments. It is a great option for games of Ohama or Texas Hold’em.
A similar option is the Holdem manager 3 tracking software, which is also a Heads-Up Display. The situation view allows you to see the situations that you most often analyse within mini view screens on a dashboard. Also, the live play dashboard provides live feedback and allows you to easily monitor session feedback.
HM3 is great for those who play against the same opponents regularly. This is because of its vsHero stat feature that compares your opponent’s plays against your plays.
GTO trainer
Another useful tool for learning more about effective poker strategies and improving your game is a GTO trainer. These allow you to analyse any possible situation you could come across during gameplay.
GTO trainers such as Simple GTO Trainer give you the opportunity to train with pre-built scenarios or upload your own to practice with. They give you feedback on each hand you play in real-time and carry out range composition analysis.
Using trainers can be a really effective way of discovering your individual weaknesses and developing the very specific skill set that is needed to make it as a poker pro.
ICM calculator
ICM calculators are a handy tool to use when playing ICM poker. ICM means Independent Chip Model and enables you to convert tournament players’ stacks in chips into their money equity.
By using ICM equity conversion, players can analyse the expected value of their stack for different options, such as folding or playing the hand in different ways.
The ICM calculator will often display data in an easy read table format. They will include a detailed table showing how likely it is that each player in the game will finish in any position.
There is not one ultimate tool that will turn you into a poker pro overnight, experience can only be gained overtime and with lots of practice. Professional poker players will often use a combination of the tools in order to improve their game.
Many also keep up to date with the latest news in the industry and embed themselves within the poker community through engaging in different forums and sharing tips with one another online.
There are a huge range of resources for learning about poker and poker strategies, including books and online resources such as video tutorials and online courses. Completing these can help you to get the theory down and using the tools above will enable you to continuously improve your poker game.
