Using Professional Online Poker Tools & Software

The best investment is in the tools of one's own trade.

– Benjamin Franklin

Previously, we discussed the importance of analyzing your gameplay to develop a poker strategy focused on maximizing profits through targeted exploitation. We also introduced professional tools like hand history software, equity calculators, and advanced solvers.

Now, we’ll focus on navigating the challenges poker software presents, from under-used to overuse, and help you identify the essential poker tools professionals rely on.

Let’s go!

Online poker tools are software programs that help players improve their game by analyzing hands and calculating probabilities.

If you are new to online poker, you may wonder if such programs are needed, and let us tell you with a metaphor: If you showed up at a Formula 1 race on an e-bike, you’d certainly complete a few laps. The issue is that everyone else in their racers will beat you. Similarly, you can win at poker without help from software, but it simply isn’t practical.

An equity calculator lets you compare the odds or equities of entire hand ranges, not just individual hands. As an aspiring poker pro, you already understand the importance of comparing ranges-after all, when defending the big blind against a button raise, you know the opponent will probably CBet with many hand combinations, not just one.

Building on equity calculators, we have "flop analyzers." These advanced tools go beyond standard equity calculators, offering features and insights that take your analysis to the next level.

“Flop/Range analyzers” offer further statistics and range breakdowns. They show how often a range will form specific hand categories, helping you visualize both nut advantage and range advantage more clearly.

Additionally, you get an understanding of how future streets are likely to help or hurt each range. Properly used, these programs make the bulk of off-table analysis needed to beat micro stakes at a decent clip.

Top of the line strategy and insight comes from all-out poker solvers. These programs provide approximations of unexploitable strategies while also revealing the most profitable ways to exploit opponents' deviations from them.

You can also use solvers to calculate the EV or expected value of particular decisions. In this way, these powerful poker tools give us a glimpse of GTO strategies as well as simplified and powerful counters to unbalanced strategies.

Moving on, the next form of poker tools has nothing to do with strategy and everything to do with holding us accountable. Database software stores all the hands we play and allows us to filter through them by any parameter imaginable.

On top of that, they typically come with HUDs. Those are heads up displays that keep vital statistics on your opponents. These stats help categorize players as regs or fish fairly quickly which helps us make better decisions when multitabling.

Moving right along, the next poker tool helps the professional poker player get as many hands per hour as possible. These programs cut out much of the mechanical labor of online play and make it possible to focus just on strategy.

Without this software, necessary processes like arranging your online poker tables the way you like them, calculating bet sizes, pot odds, and keeping track of hand actions happen automatically. For all your desk jockeys, think of it as running macros on a spreadsheet.

Sure, you can do a bunch of stuff by hand, but short-cuts can tremendously increase productivity, and when it comes to poker, playing more tables with the same focus as on fewer can increase hourly rates significantly.

If you don’t know where to start, this are the must-have choices:

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• Replace equity calculators with tools like Flopzilla or PokerCruncher.
• These programs calculate equities and offer additional features.
• Watch YouTube tutorials to learn how they work and choose the one that suits you best.
• Both are affordable and excellent for getting started.

• Top choices include PokerTracker 4, Hold'Em Manager 3, and Drive HUD 2.
• Hand2Note is great for advanced player pool analysis.
• For micro-stakes players, PT4, HM 3, or Drive HUD work particularly well.

• Try our software for free just by downloading Jurojin, it will be easy for you to test our user-friendly features.
• These tools streamline gameplay with shortcuts and reduce mental workload.

Every professional poker player uses some form of software. However, solvers are not recommended for beginners at micro-stakes, as they can overwhelm newcomers and aren't necessary at this level, where highly skilled players are rare. Simpler tools are more effective for developing skills and strategy.

Micro-stakes don’t offer enough profit for a living, so top players aren't typically found here. As mentioned in our strategy chapter, beginners should focus on exploiting weaker players, as most winnings come from them.

Range analyzers may be the most advanced tool needed at micro-stakes, but solvers become essential at $200NL and higher, where tougher competition and GTO defense are necessary for consistent success.

In conclusion, poker tools, from basic equity calculators to advanced solvers, are key to gaining an edge. Equity calculators and range analyzers help build strategy, while solvers refine it with GTO strategies.

Database and multitabling software improve performance and efficiency. For beginners at micro-stakes, simpler tools are sufficient, and many programs offer free trials to help you find what works best.

Mastering these tools can lead to success, turning poker into a profitable hobby if not all out career!

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The following links are recommended resources related to this section’s theme. Don’t stay in doubt--dive in! 🔔

• Solvers: You may want to check PioSOLVER & ICMIZER.
• Database Software: Learn how Jurojin works with Hand2Note.
• Multitabling: Learn more about multitabling in poker.
• Discord Community: Join the coolest poker community, don’t be shy! Use it to ask questions and interact with other poker enthusiasts and professionals.