Poker tools can be a valuable addition to any poker player's arsenal.



There are a variety of tools available and this article will examine

the different types available to assist players. The most commonly

used poker tools are hand history databases, computer playing

programs, online poker assistants and online poker tools.

Hand History Databases

Most online poker rooms offer players the ability to download the

histories of the hands that they have participated in. These hand

histories are in a text format and while it is possible for a player

to scan and analyse a single hand, it quickly becomes difficult and

tiresome for multiple hands. Hand history databases offer the features

like win rate calculations, opponent analysis, hand replay, analysis

by position and much more. The most popular poker tools of this type

include "Poker Tracker" and "Poker Office".

Computer Playing Programs

Programming computers to play a strong game of poker is extremely

difficult and it is only recently that they have become about the same

strength as an above average player. Compare this to games such as

chess and backgammon, where computers have now surpassed all but the

strongest humans. These programs allow players to practice and improve

their play without having any money at risk. Most also offer advice

and the ability to setup and analyse certain situations. The strongest

playing poker programs available to purchase are "Poker Academy" and

Turbo series of programs produced by Wilson Software.

Online Poker Assistants

With the explosion in popularity of online poker, much software has

been developed to assist players while they are playing. There are a

couple of what are termed "bots" that make all of the decisions for a

player but these are not very strong and if discovered using one of

these programs a player can be banned and lose the money in their

online poker room account. Other types of software that are also

available are programs that overlay tables with statistics summarising

hand odds as well as the playing style of other players (for example

listing how often a certain player raises, calls or folds) in real

time. Examples of these online poker assistants are "Pokerbility" and

"PokerAce HUD".

Online Poker Tools

There are a number of web sites that provide free online poker tools

to their visitors. Some of the tools available are odds calculators

which analyse the probabilities for games such as Texas Hold'em, Omaha

and Seven Card Stud poker, and tournament equity calculators. Whilst

they may not directly assist a player while they are playing they are

great at improving a player's knowledge which then can later be

applied at the table. Websites with a variety of useful online poker

tools include " www.twodimes.net/poker " and "

www.poker-tools-online.com ".