Knowing when to bet, raise, call and fold are paramount to becoming a successful poker player both online and in the live poker rooms. Predicting what your opponent is going to do before he does it can turn a losing player into a winning one, and a winning player into a shark. When you play online poker you can sit with hundreds of players in a single session and keeping notes and tells on all of them is impossible… until now. Holdem Manager (HEM) or similar programs such as PokerTracker 3 can take the hand histories from your previous games, extract the important information and leaves you detailed analysis so you can pick out who are the fish and who to stay away from.
By using hand histories stashed in a database Hold’em Manager provides you with the key information that will help you boost your poker game You can browse your own stats for leaks in your game, check to see what games your doing well in, and to see where your money is coming and going. All of this information is stored away in your computer, but easy access and information is only a click away on your poker table with the use of the Heads Up Display, or the HUD.
Obviously clicking around digging up this player’s stats and that player’s stats would be nearly impossible as you navigate the virtual pitfalls of the online poker scene so Hold’em Manager makes it easy to access anything you need to know about your opponents in seconds. With real time updated statistics on all the aspects of your opponent’s game HEM puts you in control of all your tables at a moments glace. Whether your opponent is raising pre-flop a high percentage of the time, or leading into you after being raised, at a moments glance you can see what is a profitable play against them. With totally customizable layouts multi-tabling has never been easier.
Another program similar to HEM is Poker Tracker 3 which varies really only in its ability to analyse and database Omaha hands as well (featured in an add on purchase). The general consensus is PT3 over HEM for this simple reason, although HEM software is considered the best in the biz and seems more stable then its competition.
Overall the program offers a ton of benefits beyond just the VPIP (voluntarily put money in poker) and PR (preflop raise) stats within the hand, but expands to nearly 300 key statistics about your opponents game, and although what may appear overwhelming to your beginning player at first, with lots of guides, tutorials and training videos available on net, HEM and PT3 will make great additions to your weapons arsenal, and quickly make you a better poker player