The Poker Toolkit

Web Based Poker Journals

There are many types of poker tracking applications and webpages out there. Regardless of which one you use, tracking your performance at the table is a must, especially online. The first time I met a professional poker player, he was carrying a ledger in which he would record each and every session in painstaking detail. I should have known then that meticulous record keeping is one of the things that separates the pros from the donks, but sadly I think it is a lesson many of us have to learn over and over again. Give a poker player a little bit of success, and he starts to think he can go off the system, perhaps have a beer while playing, play angry, play with limited time, and stop keeping records.

So which system is the best? To be clear, any poker tracking system will be useful inasmuch as it will help to reveal your various strengths and weaknesses. That being said, there are several differences among them that are worth noting. First is the decision whether to use an automatic software-type of system (an application such as PokerTracker or PokerOffice), or a manual entry, web-based type of service (PokerTracking.com, PokerDroid.com, etc.). If you like, you can even just set up a spreadsheet to keep track of some basic information.

The advantages of automated systems like PokerTracker and PokerOffice are obvious. They display more information about players in real time, show you more information about yourself in real time, and have more options for how to display the information (although PokerOffice has a slight learning curve). However, they also cost money, usually around $50 with a deposit to one of their affiliate poker rooms. So if you are looking for free, the best option is an automated online service.

#1 PokerTracking 9/10: The Good:
PokerTracking.com is amazing simple to use. Its interface makes recording information concerning your poker play a breeze. The overview page can display a variety of graphs, each of which will tell you something new and interesting about your poker play. Do you want to know which day of the week is statistically best for you to play? What hour of the day? PokerTracking can tell you, and a whole lot more. The fact that this powerful tracking website is available for free is just the icing on the cake.

The Bad:
Only one complaint. Unlike PokerDroid and CheckYourBets, there is no way to record your starting and ending times with a single click. You have to enter your start times and end times and calculate how long you were at the table. Not a deal breaker, but a minor annoyance.

Overall:
Try it for a month. You will be happy you did.
#2 CheckYourBets 8/10: The Good:
CheckYourBets combines many of the best aspects of PokerTracking and PokerDroid. Similar to PokerTracking, it has advanced graphing options, an aesthetic graphic interface, and statistics sorted by game type. Like the Droid, it allows you to record the start and end of your session with a single click. It also adds a new feature in the ability to share your statistics with your friends simply by adding their screen names to your "my account" page.

The Bad:
A drawback that seemed like a total blunder is the lack of opportunity to input new game types. If you regularly play a 9 seated sit n go, there is no way to record that on the website. With PokerDroid, you could simply program in a custom table. Here, however, you are relegated to choosing "Shorthand", which doesn't really describe your situation at all.

Overall:
If you like the ability to share your info with friends, try this service. Its graphs and interface are almost as good as PokerTracking. If you have no friends, go with PokerTracking.
#3 PokerDroid 7/10: The Good:
Until recently, I was a PokerTracking.com user exclusively. Recently though, I've decided to switch to employing PokerDroid as well. The biggest advantage that "the Droid" has over other systems is the ability to tell the service when your session is starting with a single click. PokerDroid then automatically inserts the starting time for you, and when your session is over, you simply tell the system how much you won and what position you got if playing in a tournament. Then, with just one more click, PokerDroid figures your ending time and records your session.

The Bad:
That said, one of my biggest complaints about the Droid is its lack of interesting information about your play. It has the staples - ROI, number of times in the money, average tournament place, and how hot or cold you're running. It doesn't tell you what your best games are, however, something PokerTracking does beautifully.

Overall:
For convenience and ease of use, this is a system that will record basic information about your poker play, and will help you keep track of your bankroll, especially if you use multiple accounts.

Software Reviews

Poker Edge Application: SCORE: 7/10

Poker Edge is just one of a number of programs that aim to help you discover the voting trends of your opponents. How much do they raise pre-flop? When they show down to the river how often do they win? Poker edge will let you know, with precision.

THE GOOD:
One of the best aspects of the program, and the reason it gets a 7 rating, is the fact that it comes pre-loaded with the statistics of just under 1 million online players, which means that you don't have to sit in front of the computer for hours grinding it out to get a representative indication of how all your opponents play.

Another feature is the program's ability to let you hide your own info from anyone else who might be using the program.

Finally, the program doesn't suffer from quite as many bugs as other programs out there. One problem that kept recurring with PokerAceHUD was that it had problems determining where you were sitting. Everyone's stats would be displayed on the screen, but yours might be over a player called "HotMama" when they should be in front of your "Born to River". PokerEdge does not suffer from this drawback, so it was instantly more appealing than using PokerAceHUD.

THE BAD:
That being said, PokerEdge is not without its drawbacks. One of them is the cost. For the $9.99 price level, you have to buy 12 months in advance. If you opt to buy only 3 months, which is the minimum offered, you pay a higher price, around $13. The same is true for the higher price tier.

The difference between the two price tiers is that the lower will only support small stakes ring games (up to a big blind of $.50). In order to have the full functionality of getting statistics for your opponents in tournaments and higher limit ring games, you need to purchase the more expensive software.

The sheer cost of the product is a serious drawback for amateurs and casual poker players. The higher priced tier can be as low as $19.95 per month, but only if you buy 12 months in advance (totaling $155). For that kind of bank, there are numerous other programs out there that you could buy permanent licenses to that could probably do close to as good a job.

OVERALL:
Functionally, this program is one of the best. It works, it displays the stats accurately, it comes preloaded with almost 1 million players, and it has great email instructions about how to maximize its use. Practically, however, it should only appeal to one type of player, the ring gamer playing at levels where the big blind is no greater than $.50. If you like sit n gos and tournaments, I'd pass.

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