Datamining and Point of Diminishing Returns?

[Seether]

Hello, my hard drive crashed recently and being an idiot I didnt have a backup of my pokertracker database. So to get back in the swing of things I have been datamining, having 8 tables of 3/6 open 24/7. I now have about 40,000 hands in my database. I am wondering, is it beneficial to keep the datamining up or have I gathered enough information to the point where it does not benefit me nearly as much as the first 40k hands or so? Thanks for the info.

[MS Sunshine]

With the limit on PT db size, the reduced computer performence of large db's, and the loss of data on regular players when starting a new db, managing DM is a problem without a clear answer for me.

While trying to get 100-200 hands on any new player that you might play with in the future, you try to avoid getting more HH's on players that you already have 1000's of hands on. Not an easy trick when both types of players are at the same table, because the second type is trying to play with the first type. Also, the easiest time to DM is while sleeping making changing tables difficult.

I cut down on DM mon-thurs overnight. I'm willing to listen to any suggestions that help in this area.

MS Sunshine

[Seether]

I was actually unaware there was a max size of a database in pokertracker. How many hands is the maximum? What options does one have when that maximum is reached?

[gchaos]

2GB is the limit for the pokertracker database. Pat is working on a new version using MySQL which will not have this limit. However, I find that after about 1GB, performance suffers. Therefore I try to keep it around 500MB. For DM purposes I keep all the hand history files and rebuild the database every other week using the last week or so worth of files.

[ace_in_the_hole]

Just out of curiosity, about how amny hands will equal 50mb? Or is there any easy way to fisgure out the size of my database. Sorry if this is a dumb question.

[teddyFBI]

[ QUOTE ]
2GB is the limit for the pokertracker database. Pat is working on a new version using MySQL which will not have this limit. However, I find that after about 1GB, performance suffers. Therefore I try to keep it around 500MB. For DM purposes I keep all the hand history files and rebuild the database every other week using the last week or so worth of files.

[/ QUOTE ]

How do you do this? >>You keep all the observed HHs? Doesn't this take up an obscene amount of space on your hard drive? I checked the bos in mine to not save the obs HHs

[Freakin]

Do most of you use completely separate databases for your DM efforts?

Freakin

[aflaba]

I "only" have a a couple of hundred thousand hand database (split in 2 files) so far, so it is not a huge problem for me yet. I use playerview, which can use info from both databases at once.

But I'm planning on having about 5 2GB databases and removing the oldest one every time I fill up a new one.

that way I keep the infobase fresh.

[aflaba]

I do

[teddyFBI]

Can you explain what the benefit of "splitting" them into 2 files is, and how you accomplish this?

[aflaba]

No real benefit.

It's just that as someone said they have a maximum size of 2 GB.

How it is accomplished:
First I import observed hands into one database.
When it is full I create a new database and start importing into that one.
Not tricky at all.

[Professor Frink]

hey go to my comp -> c: -> program files -> poker tracker folder -> click (or right click) on the ptrack.mdb file and it should show the size

for an indication my database is 90,000 hands and is 502Mb whilst the hand history database (hhdb.mdb) is 288Mb

hope that helps

[nevadaJACK]

[ QUOTE ]
hey go to my comp -> c: -> program files -> poker tracker folder -> click (or right click) on the ptrack.mdb file and it should show the size

for an indication my database is 90,000 hands and is 502Mb whilst the hand history database (hhdb.mdb) is 288Mb

hope that helps

[/ QUOTE ]

I see....but just what is the benefit of even hanging onto one's hand-history database...I usually just delete my HHs from my computer after they have been added to my PT database??

[mosta]

[ QUOTE ]
Do most of you use completely separate databases for your DM efforts?

Freakin

[/ QUOTE ]

I keep hands that I played in a separate database from where I keep observed hands. That way the db where I review my numbers doesn't become clogged and bogged down with irrelevant hands slowing it down. it used to also be important to have your hands separate for purposes of calculating rakeback, but they've worked around that problem. if you keep everything in one db, and you fill it up in a month or two, then you can't review your play over several months, or longer, in one ring game stats window. I also keep separate db's by limit and by short or full table.

one disadvantage of multiple db's is that when you run your advanced export of statistics you can not use the new feature to use only the most recent N number of hands per player. it's too complicated to figure the most recent up to that number if it has to compare across multiple databases. you can limit the hands it uses by hands only since a certain date, but that is not as useful a restriction. the idea is that you want enough hands to get accurate numbers, but you also want to see only their current playing style in case it's been evolving, so you don't want a bulk of older hands to average out new playing characteristics. the best way to do it is to look at the last 300 to 500 or 1,000 hands only. cutting it off by date is not as effective, because that throws out hands you want from players you haven't seen in a long time, and keeps more hands than you need from players that play a lot.

http://www.pokertracker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1328&highlight=

[Rudbaeck]

[ QUOTE ]
2GB is the limit for the pokertracker database. Pat is working on a new version using MySQL which will not have this limit. However, I find that after about 1GB, performance suffers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Large Access dbs are horrible. An equal sized MySQL db will be alot faster.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel.

1) Buy a 15krpm Ultra320 80-pins SCSI drive. You can find a 40gb for ~$200 or so. With an average access time of 3.9ms it's nearly twice as fast as the fastest IDE drives. It can also load about 960mbit/s.

2) Install PT on this drive, and never put anything else on it. Defrag often, compact database religiously.

Even a spare regular IDE drive solely used for PT is better than it sharing drive with the poker clients. You really don't want to read from the same drive you are writing to.

With a 1.5gb database you should still be able to import 8-12 tables worth of hand histories every minute without it using up more than a few seconds with a setup like this.

[Rah]

You are talking about diminishing marginal returns. Do you understand what the phrase "diminishing returns" means?