Convince me to get Pokertracker

[wegs the wegs]

I know that 99% of the regulars on these forums use pokertracker for their game and live by it. I have been playing for almost a year now and have not had any desire to use it. I just do not like the concept about it. Having a computer track your own personal stats is ok in my book, but the tracking of others is where I start having problems with. I have always found the fun and enjoyment of observing the styles of others at the table and making my judgements from my own perspective. I adjust my game as I see fit and play off of the feel of these assessments. Unless I am misunderstanding pokertracker, having the numbers and stats by every player removes a huge portion of the game of poker. Am I wrong in thinking this?

For those that do have it, do you feel that it takes away from your live game skills? If I did get the software I would not want to become dependent on the stats being there. I feel it would really stunt my live game play. Again, am I totally wrong in thinking this?

I am not saying that pokertracker is unethical or that people shouldn't use it. I am simply asking if my opinions on it are completely misguided. I play NL rings and MTTs. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[housenuts]

do it! do it!

[gila]

Get Poker Tracker or die!

[Vern]

PT is a waste, don't get it. Oh and sit directly to my right while not using it. Thanks.

Vern

[wegs the wegs]

Thanks guys I appreciate the wisdom.

All I am asking for is a serious answer. Too much too ask? Please?

[OrianasDaad]

If you want someone to convince you to get PT, then you are going to get it anyway.

It's free for 1,000 hands. Try before you buy. If you don't like it, don't buy.

I sometimes like to go without PT and PV. I find myself too often relying on the numbers than on good judgement.

[bwana devil]

what limits do you play? if you play .50/1 it's not worth it. if you play 3/6 there's no reason not to have it. if you play somewhere in between then you need to consider it more.

one hand won at a 3/6 because of PT will pay for it. it will take forever for it to pay for itself at the lower levels though.

[theredwave]

He plays NL ring and MTTs. I can't really offer any advice seeing as I mainly play limit, but I'd assume for NL ring play it would still be rather helpful to use with PV or GT+ as it makes it a little easier to keep track of how players are acting.

[Reef]

[ QUOTE ]
what's your screenname? so that I can put it in my PT notes that you don't use PT

[/ QUOTE ]

[Dan Mezick]

If you want to look before you leap into PT, this product is perfect for that:

www.pokertrackerguide.com (http://www.pokertrackerguide.com)

$20 bucks and 3 hours to find out why in very definitive terms. Well worth the money.

[Dangergirl]

Why should we convince you to get it. It's not our loss if you don't purchase it.

[BradleyT]

Do you play poker to win money?

[BradleyT]

[ QUOTE ]
Why should we convince you to get it. It's not our loss if you don't purchase it.

[/ QUOTE ]

nh

[Bacchus]

Rather than berate the OP, how about focusing on the advantages of PT and addressing his original question of whether your skills diminish over time by relying on PT.

To answer the question, I think it definitely depends on what limits you play and for how long. Someone who plays at the lower limits, as another poster mentioned, will not see the benefit as quickly as if you're at higher limits. Also, it's probably not worth it if you only play a few hours per week. HTH.

[wegs the wegs]

Thank you Bacchus.

Yes I play to win money. It is not the only reason I play, but it is the obvious goal. I play .50/1 and 1/2 NL on UB.
Roughly 2-3 hours a day. I use Pokercharts to keep track of all my records. It seems to be enough for me for now.

By the way you guys can be real assholes sometimes.

[Vern]

[ QUOTE ]
By the way you guys can be real assholes sometimes.

[/ QUOTE ]
My intent was not to annoy you, it was an attempt to use humor to make the point that PT is one of the very best pieces of software I have ever purchased and extremely useful to online play.

I think that is all the others were trying to say/do as well. For my part, I am sorry my attempt at humor was ill received.

Vern

[AliasMrJones]

[ QUOTE ]
By the way you guys can be real assholes sometimes.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you want to get a good answer, you have to ask a good question...

"Convince me that I should buy pokertracker."

Why should we? We have no stake in whether you make money or not nor whether you become a better poker player. IMHO, when you post something like the above, you get what's coming to you.

How about a post asking specifically about what things people find useful playing the kinds of games you do? Of course, you could do a search for the gazillions of discussions about pokertracker here. Or, you could even look at the forums on the PT site itself. Then again, since you don't seem to believe the voluminous postings in all the usual places about the value of pokertracker, what could we possibly say that would push you over the edge to buy it anyway?

[Dangergirl]

Good post, Mr. Jones.

[ArthurD]

Agreed. Do yourself a favor and buy it or don't. Don't waste your time or ours. Not trying to flame, but you know whether or not you're buying it. Just do whichever you planned on.

-Arthur

[gambool]

[ QUOTE ]
... I have always found the fun and enjoyment of observing the styles of others at the table and making my judgements from my own perspective. I adjust my game as I see fit and play off of the feel of these assessments.

[/ QUOTE ]

Its pretty easy to remember faces in B+M play, but online theres so many players, and only a username to identify them. I can get to know a player pretty well after a while, but if I play against them a week later, I would rarely remember them from their screen name alone.

[kevyk]

I believe that PokerTracker has helped my overall game immensely, including live.

One thing PokerTracker practically forces you to do is make opponent-dependant decisions all the time. It is quite easy to fall into the trap of playing ABC poker all the time, especially online.

Playing live after using PokerTracker is "taking off the training wheels," in a sense. A thinking player who has been using PokerTracker will know the value of the data it gathers and seek to gather the same information live. Contrast this to the majority of bad players, who simply sit down and play on auto-pilot.

I am a big fan of this software; it is invaluable for bookkeeping, spotting leaks in one's game, and as a training tool.

[LALDAAS]

I love this software, Yes it has improved my personal game for all the above reasons.

One of my favorite features is the Playback. Its on thing to read through the text of a HH but it is another thing to replay and watch your game.

And hey you just played a totally awsome hand but noone was around to see your play. You yell in to the other room to your roomate "yo! watch how this hand played out!"

[excession]

It moved me up from 2BB/100 to 20B/100 (and I mean consistently over 40k+ hands)

Without it I was scrambling around in the dark - suddenly I understood how the game really works (at least at low stakes NL).

I have had one losing week since GT+ came out in October (and it was less than $100). Otherwise I've made at least $100 (best week about $450) each week on the 25c/50c NL tables.


And I play part-time (about 10 hrs/week).

Information = money in Poker. Why on earth would you not want that information?

[excession]

hmm..not sure I'd tell someone to spend $20 for a manual to software he hasn't bought yet


the free guide is pretty effusive and convincing too:

http://www.bet-the-pot.com/poker-tracker-part-one-page31.html