How to Utilize Poker Software in Live Games

With the wealth of information it provides, poker software can greatly increase a player's skills at the tables. When you step to the live tables, however, that advantage is eliminated because there isn't a way to compile the information that many programs would automatically when you play online… Or is there? There are several methods that you can employ while playing poker in a live setting. Utilizing "poker software" in brick and mortar casinos gives a player an advantage in that they have some knowledge of the history of their opponents.

One way that players today can use technology at the live tables is in the form of digital voice recorders (DVRs). These devices, normally about the size of a cell phone, can record many voice files within their three hour data life spans. By using the DVR, a player can have an automatic recollection of certain hands and plays that an opponent has made. In addition, they have a history of the table or tables they have been playing at for input into a data storage base. Think of it like a toned-down version of PokerTracker.

Most everyone has seen Danish superstar Gus Hansen at the tables. While his play has been considered "maniacal" by most, what people don't normally see is what Gus does in between hands that leads him to make those plays. When he has a moment, Gus will step away from the table and speak into a DVR. When he does this, he is reliving hands for future analysis and/or putting information into it that conveys his opinion of his opponents. Through using the DVR, Gus has a history of his time at the tables.

There is the thought, "Well, what if you lose your DVR? If someone finds it, they could use that information against you." Gus gets around this by speaking in his native Danish; thus, if the DVR falls into the wrong hands, most of the information isn't going to be of much assistance without a translator at the ready! Online, players use certain security programs and password encryption in order to safeguard their databases.

Another method of developing a recorded history is using pen and paper. By simply jotting down situations at the tables, particular holdings of your opponents, or a record of your hands, you have created a database that can be put into a spreadsheet. This is advantageous because, at most live tables, players do not take notes on their opponents (at least not physically) and you can have a background on players when you go to battle.

This method has perhaps never been more emphasized on a greater stage than when former World Series of Poker Main Event Champion Greg Raymer was on his memorable run in 2004. In a big hand against professional player Mike Matusow, Raymer calmly wrote the situation down in a small notebook he carried with him. In doing this, he was most likely recording information on how Matusow played the hand and filing it away for future use. Matusow, meanwhile, was spouting off phrases that aren't appropriate for network television.

Carrying a large notebook to the tables may look a little odd. To be able to do this effectively, it must be small enough to be able to tuck in a shirt pocket or the back pocket of your pants. As with the DVR, you might lose it; this can be combated by writing the information down in a coded system that only you would understand and thus useless to anyone else.

The final way you can implement a system similar to using poker software at the tables is through simply using your brain and the brains of your peers. Many poker players have friends that they will talk through hands with and gain insight into different plays that could be used at the tables. This is much like what some software does that gives you a logical decision as to what your action should be (Poker Academy Pro comes to mind).

Sometimes you will learn a new approach to playing poker through talking to friends (you definitely have to have a good recollection of the hand and situation or the discussion is meaningless, though). The down side is that, yes, sometimes your friends will learn more about your playing style than you might get from them. This is easily combated, however, if you cannot be set into a certain pattern at the tables.

Are there others? I am sure the readers of Poker Software could come up with many and we'd like to hear about them. Until we hear more, however, using some of the methods discussed above can help you utilize poker software even when you're far away from your computer.

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