PokerTracker – A Guide to PokerTracker | Poker Tool
PokerTracker has been a leader in the poker tool industry for years. PokerTracker is a downloadable software tool which links from your computer to the internet poker room you are playing at, where it retrieves vital data and statistics about your opponents. For first-time PokerTracker users the software can be very daunting and confusing so here is a guide to help you understand the software better and use it to your advantage to crush online games.
VPIP (Voluntarily Put $ In Pot)
The VPIP data is the most important statistic when you are analysing opponents. It stands for voluntarily put dollars into the pot and gives you an idea of your opponents playing style, such as too tight, too loose etc. In the long run a high VPIP percentage of above 30% will indicate a losing player, however this is not to say that a winning player can’t have a higher percentage, it will simply depend on your opponents. So in general the VPIP statistic should be the first you check when you sit down at a table to get an idea of whether they are losing or winning players.
PFR (Pre-Flop Raising Percentage)
This statistic shows the percentage of time a player raises pre-flop therefore indicating how aggressive each opponent is. When entering a pot you should be raising to make your opponents fold weaker hands, while limping into the pot is a sign of weakness. The PFR percentage should be close to your VPIP percentage.
AF (Aggression Factor)
Again this is a very important statistic which indicates how aggressive each opponent is. This is measured by calculating the ratio of the number of raises and bets made by a player pre-flop compared to the number of calls. When players with low AF percentages enter the pot then you can be guaranteed they have a strong starting hand. Ideally you want to play against a player with a high VPIP percentage and a low AF percentage. This means the player is limping into pots a lot and they are easy to get paid off by if you have a strong hand. Players with high aggression factors are most likely bluffing a lot to pressure weaker players to fold – let’s face it they can’t always have the nuts!
WON $ AT SHOWDOWN
Although a few lucky pots can affect this statistic, in the long run if this figure is low it usually means the player is bluffing or else calling with weak hands against players with strong hands. A high figure will indicate a winning player who is only calling with the nuts.
CHECK-RAISE PERCENTAGE
Lots of players use the check-raise to put opponents off hands and make them fold so this statistic can be very useful to identify those players. Players who have a low check-raise percentage will usually hand a very strong hand because they do not do it too often. Players who have high check-raise percentages will be bluffing a lot however when they do have a strong hand they will usually shove all-in if they are re-raised.
STEALING THE BLINDS PERCENTAGE
Stealing the blinds is when a player raises from the button or cut-off. If this figure is low it usually indicates an inexperienced player who isn’t using their position to an advantage. A very high percentage will indicate opponents are raising with a wide range of hands to steal blinds, and strong players should look to 3-bet this player to make them fold.
Poker tools are an essential part of internet poker and you can be certain most successful players are using some kind of software. There are lots to choose from, but for cash games particularly PokerTracker is certainly the most popular.
Many players opt to use Hold’em Manager and Poker Office because they feel PokerTracker is too advanced. Of course you can beat low stakes poker games without poker software, but when games get more serious most players use software to gain statistics on their opponents. Players are basically forced to purchase online poker tools or else play at an internet poker room which doesn’t allow them to be used because it is now the norm in internet poker.
