Poker tools are an essential part of being a succesful poker player. Sure you can get by and make money without them which is cool if you like leaving money on the table. But grinders are typically a little smarter than just being content with getting by, so we hope you see value in our recommended poker tools.
What Every True Grinder Needs In Their Poker Toolboxes
If you're not using a tracking/stats program today, then you've stumbled upon one of the best articles you'll ever read regarding poker tools. We're about to talk about one of the best investments you'll make in your poker-playing career. We're not talking about that time you bought five hookers (6 if you count the midget) for your buddies that night in Vegas. We're talking about software that can track not only your play but that of your opponents as well. Pretty damn powerful stuff when it's used properly (just like condoms!).
I'll Be In My Office If You Need Me
Most True Grinders use Poker Office to track their stats as well as their opponents. While other software applications on the market compete with Poker Office, 3 out 4 Grinders polled said they recommend this particular poker tool. For the price of a back rub with a happy ending, you can own this package and use the output to further refine your game. If you're serious about grinding it out at the poker table, this is your first purchase. Period. Learn More About Poker Office
While Poker Office is great for review and real time stats (with the screen overlay feature), there are other free tools available to help you raise your game.
Poker Table Ratings - Get The Inside Scoop On Your Opponents
PokerTableRatings.com lets you see advanced stats on any online poker player in an easy-to-use format. It gives you two ways to get an edge on your opponents: (1) Hand histories and (2) PTR Premium Features. You can buy hand histories and import them into Hold'em Manager or PokerTracker to turbo-charge your database. Both cash game and SNG hands are available from all the major poker sites. PTR Premium shows you incredible detail about a player's style, aggression, winrate and tons of other statistics. It also lets you find the softest tables and keep track of your favorite fish with a buddy list, which sends you instant alerts when they site down at a table. The alerts can be set up to be sent to your email or via SMS to your phone. Learn more about poker table ratings.
Whats Cookin
Poker Stove is another great tool that's 100% free. Essentially what Poker Stove allows you to do is analyze real world situations. In other words, most poker odds calculators assume that you know what your opponent is holding. However, even if you're able to put your opponent on a hand like pocket Kings, there's no way to know the suits (which increases or decreases their drawing odds based on the board). Poker Stove uses some sort of crazy, rocket-science type math to figure that all out for you. Another free must-try tool.
Can You Swim With The Sharks
If you're a SNG player then Shark Scope is another free must have tool. If you're sitting down at a new table and see a new player that you don't have notes or stats on, try entering their player name into Shark Scope. This web based tool will give you're their win/loss percentage and lifetime ROI at major sites. There's a free version that allows 5 free searches per day and paid options that allow many more. This information can more than pay for itself to know whether you have a rock or a fish seated to your left.
Summary
At the end of the day these poker tools are only as good as the system that they're a part of. Even the best power saw from Home Depot is worthless without a knowledgeable user who can make good cuts, etc. It's no different when using these poker tools. So take the time to learn how they can help you with your game. Implement them as a system for in-game stats as well as post-game review. You have to learn from your mistakes in poker and you WILL make many mistakes. Hopefully leveraging these types of tools will help you in your quest to become a True Grinder.
