Browse > Home / Poker Bonus Codes / Using Online Poker Tools to Your Advantage

Using Online Poker Tools to Your Advantage

March 16, 2009

Although there has been a rise in online poker programs such as Poker Tracker or Poker office, many new players cannot afford these programs. Not to mention that many online poker rooms are banning these programs to ensure that all players have an equal change at winning. But that does not mean the end of the world is near, just that you need to be creative and use what is already available. Below, we will show you a few options that are completely free and easy to use.

Notepad/Avatar:

This feature is probably one of the best. I realize that you are probably thinking that you will never see the person again, so why am I writing stuff down? But I have run across many of the same players time and time again even months after I have written notes about them. Not only that but if you play the same games such as $3/$6 then you are bound to run into other players that do to.

Some of the most important information you will need to write down about someone is: how tight/passive/loose a player may be, betting habits, possible hand range, and any other tidbits that stick out. You will be surprised to find that with great notes, you can make better decisions when the pressure is on.
The information you can have the better. If you find that it is difficult to keep up, write down abbreviations and make yourself a key. No one needs to understand them but you.

Hand History:

This can be a tedious task, but going through the hand history can tell you a lot about other players, including yourself. There is several programs available that can make these hand histories easier to read as well.

What you will want to look for is all the showdowns that a specific player has had. Once you find a player and their showdown, take a look at their seating position, their position on other players, and their betting habits. Try to find as many showdowns from the same person as possible to see if you can find any “tells.” These tells can become quite obvious and will become one of the biggest and best tools you could use. If it is an easy player with even easier tells, you will find yourself hunting for that player every time you come play.

Poker Calculator:

This one may sound self explanatory and well, it is. This is a good tool to have so you can see A) what you need to improve your hand and B) the likelihood that you will improve your hand. This is especially helpful if you can put an opponent on a certain range of hands. You can then discount your outs and have a better idea of where you stand.

Other Notable Mentions:

Some rooms such as Aced or Carbon Poker have icons that you can tag to another players avatar. Some of these icons would include a fish, shark, or little buddy. These icons can replace writing text for a short while, so you have more time to gather info. 4 Color Deck: Why take the chance of missing a flush? Chat Box: Mislead your opponents by chatting or even throw them on tilt by trash talking them after they lost a big hand. You will have a big advantage if a player is playing with his emotions verses his cards.

Even as popular as poker tracking software has become, their days could be numbered. Provided that most rooms are banning these products, we encourage you to follow our tips that we have provided above so you can be prepared no matter what. It’s important to keep in mind that it’s more than likely that the poker rooms will never phase these tools out, so take advantage and learn how to use them well. So go take some notes and be prepared for your next online poker game.

Other General Poker Strategy Articles

Back to Poker Articles page.

Written by admin · Filed Under  

Comments

Got something to say?

You must be logged in to post a comment.