Stay Alert with Ghoster

When deciding if I should use an AutoHotKey (AHK) script, I always ask myself one question: "Will it potentially help me increase my expected value on my poker sessions?"  If the answer is yes, then I use it.  When playing eight or more tables at a time, you have to process information very quickly. This requires a great deal of concentration, but you can be easily distracted.  For example, we have all had those times when we are involved in a hand and out of the corner of our eye we see our big blind get raised and we have pocket aces.  Immediately, we have just been distracted from the hand that we were first involved in.  

This type of distraction can cause us to give away money we wouldn't have otherwise or miss a value bet all because our judgment was impaired by a distraction.  Over time, these types of leaks add up and will have a significant impact on your profitability.  The good news is that by using a tool called Ghoster, you can keep your concentration focused only on the table requiring immediate action.  Let's take a look at how it works.

Ghoster v1.2 is a free, open source program that takes a very simple concept and applies it to online poker.  Ghoster simply dims all of your poker tables except the one requiring action.  All of your tables are still viewable and never disappear, but they dim down so that only the active table remains at its normal brightness.  It's as simple as that! Here is a sneak peek:

Here is how you get started using this program: Unlike all of the other scripts we have looked at in the past, you do not have to have AutoHotKey downloaded on your computer for this tool to work.  The script has been converted into an executable file (.exe), so all you have to do is download the program and install it just as you would any other program. To get started:  

1) Go to http://www.donationcoder.com/Software/Skrommel/#Ghoster
2) Scroll down until you see Ghoster v1.2
3) Download and install the program

Once you download and run the program, you will have an icon in your system tool tray.  To close it, just right-click the icon.

This program can also double as an attention alarm in the poker room, but without the sound.  Being alerted when attention is required is great, but hearing the "ding" from the poker rooms can get a bit annoying.  Simply seeing the table brighten that needs attention serves the same purpose and you don't have to endure the "ding" a thousand times a night.     

This is a program that is really easy to use and can be a great tool to give you an extra edge at the tables.  After all, concentration is a very important part of being a great poker player and Ghoster will help keep you focused.  As always, if you have questions, problems, or any other concerns, please make a post in the forums and we will be there to help.  Discuss Ghoster with us today in the AHK Forum on PokerSoftware.com.