PA Online Poker Players: Do WSOP or PokerStars allow HUDs? (1 Viewer)

dmoney

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PA Online poker players: Do WSOP or PokerStars allow HUDs?

If yes, do you use one?
 
P* definitely allows HUDS (or at least they did about a year ago). I don't use one, so that is one reason I no longer play there.

Playing without a HUD when everyone else is using one (and knows how to use it) is like lighting money on fire.

There are sites that purchase player statistics from P* and then sell that info to HUD users, so you don't even have to have played against another player for them to know your betting characteristics. P* claims that they don't allow the use of such databases, but they sell them to the vendors anyway.
 
I'm still very new to playing poker and have been playing on pokerstars with play money. It's fun but not very realistic I think.

I'm a software guy and am looking for software to get to help me practice and learn. To show you what a newbie I am, I didn't know what a HUD was (in the world of Poker) until I saw your thread.

I've been thinking there should be something that can help me train my brain without spending too much time actually in casinos. Playing online looks like the fastest way to get lots of experience in a short time.

Looks like PokerTracker is a popular HUD. I'm considering trying it out with pokerstars just to see how crazy the players are.

I have much to learn!

I looked at AdvancedPokerTraining.com as a possible resource, but not sure it's worth it. I used a little free app they have for the ipad called "Whats the nuts?" and while it's a really simple little app, it's been helpful for me to see how having the nuts can change as you go along. Helps me analyze what other people might have. Frankly I think most of the players in free pokerstars are so random, you can't pin them down to any certain ranges. They'll go all in pre-flop just to see what happens.

Eventually I'll need to find a low stakes game and start playing for real. I think something like PokerTracker might be useful in learning for me.

Happy to hear anybody's input as to what software one should have on hand when playing online games and if anybody has preference for practicing without really being at the table.
 
I'm still very new to playing poker and have been playing on pokerstars with play money. It's fun but not very realistic I think.

I'm a software guy and am looking for software to get to help me practice and learn. To show you what a newbie I am, I didn't know what a HUD was (in the world of Poker) until I saw your thread.

I've been thinking there should be something that can help me train my brain without spending too much time actually in casinos. Playing online looks like the fastest way to get lots of experience in a short time.

Looks like PokerTracker is a popular HUD. I'm considering trying it out with pokerstars just to see how crazy the players are.

I have much to learn!

I looked at AdvancedPokerTraining.com as a possible resource, but not sure it's worth it. I used a little free app they have for the ipad called "Whats the nuts?" and while it's a really simple little app, it's been helpful for me to see how having the nuts can change as you go along. Helps me analyze what other people might have. Frankly I think most of the players in free pokerstars are so random, you can't pin them down to any certain ranges. They'll go all in pre-flop just to see what happens.

Eventually I'll need to find a low stakes game and start playing for real. I think something like PokerTracker might be useful in learning for me.

Happy to hear anybody's input as to what software one should have on hand when playing online games and if anybody has preference for practicing without really being at the table.
Free P* is good for learning the basics (hand values, betting order, etc.) but isn't even close to reality for how most people might play with real money. Expect players to chase long shot draws or hold onto bottom pair to the bitter end. It isn't money, so bluffing is pointless (consequence-free poker). Play Money Cash games there are really stupid. Play Money Tournaments are marginally less stupid. Real money games (Cash especially, but Tournaments as well) are shark infested waters.

Strangely enough, you can actually purchase more play money at P*, so that you can pretend to be a high roller, or pretend that others think that you earned your big stack the hard way. Kind of like a penis extender for the not so well endowed.

As far as buying a HUD, unless you are planning to get into the rough and tumble world of real money online poker, I would tell you to save your money. Hold'em Manager and Poker Tracker are the big players in the field, but they are mostly for analyzing other player's betting patterns. I suppose that you could use it to track your own habits and percentages, and that is what they say to use it for on their websites, but reality is that most use it to track other players, not themselves. Both are almost useless for live poker.

PokerStove is a free tool for analyzing hands against other hands pre-flop, or with cards on the board at each street. Limited to calculating hand equity against other known hands (post-game analysis), but still useful.

Flopzilla isn't free ($25) , but I think that it has a 7 day free trial. You can analyze against ranges (not just specific holdings) pre-flop and post flop. Haven't used it other than for the free trial, so can't vouch for its usefulness.

PokerStrategy Equilab is a free tool for analyzing hands. Allows you to select starting hands based on position, plus many other tools. Haven't used it much, but looks to be of some value.

There are some GTO (Game Theory Optimal) calculators out there (Poker Snowie, etc.) but I suggest getting a handle on the concept of equity and ranges before diving into those waters.

Note that in a live real-world poker, none of these programs can be used in real time at the table. They are useful for replaying hands afterwards and finding out where you made mistakes, or for planning out strategies for different card combinations in various positions before the game.

Best way to learn (IMO) is to read books for tips on strategy and play real poker to gain experience. Learn about opening ranges, position, gap theory, hand equity, poker math (pot odds, hand odds, EV, etc.). Set yourself a bankroll (how much are you willing to lose in the first year or two while you learn?), and find some live games at the stakes that won't bust your bankroll (plan on losing 40-50 buy ins over a year or two, be happy when you only lose 20-30). Tournaments are a great way to learn (IMO), as the maximum loss is capped at the cost of the buy in (and maybe a single rebuy per game), so you know exactly how much your night will cost.

Best of luck!
 
Lots of great info! Thanks very much for your insights.

right now, the concept of pot odds is not real clear to me, so understanding hand equity is sort of my next thing to try to learn.

Pokerstars free play is fairly easy to stay even in. Just have to wait out the crazy play and play tught and I seem to be treading water.

I watched both Phil Ivey and daniel‘s master class. Those were good to watch. I’ll go back and watch again after more time actually playing some real games.

Thanks again for the time To respond!
 

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