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Poker software has developed phenomenally over the years to better enhance our playing experiences. We can now benefit from smooth-running, fast-response multi-table gaming, glitzy, all-singing, all-dancing 3D graphics and any number of statistical analysis packages to record our every move at the tables. However, in the words of Spiderman, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. There is a blurred line that exists between acceptable software and more shady software that promotes unfair play which is damaging to the industry as a whole. In this section of dantepoker.com, we take a look at the poker software available to players and how and where it can be used.

Feature of the week: Poker Calculators

One software feature that has become more popular in recent times is the poker calculator. While some software borders on the illegal i.e. shanky poker bots and so on, poker calculators are deemed a fair way to improve your game through calculation of hand probabilities either for your own hands or your opponent’s. Here are the three main poker calculators used today:

Mathematical or Poker Odds Calculator

There are poker odds calculators for most variants of poker such as Texas Hold’Em, Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo. These calculators simply allow you to calculate your odds of winning a hand at any given stage. This may be based on your cards pre-flop, post flop, after the turn or even at the final stage of betting on the river. You can analyse your hand post play to determine whether you made the correct decision to fold or to learn more about why you were beaten. This calculator software allows you to click on any card and learn the percentages of that card’s probability to deliver a winning result. If you are learning poker, this kind of calculator is good in helping you build awareness of good hands and best actions in-play. You’ll soon understand more about those tricky marginal hands that may well have proved your downfall in the past. The mathematical calculator will give you a suggestion as to whether to fold, bet or raise based on its calculations of your probability to win. What first appears to be a sixth sense demonstrated by pro players is actually all based in knowledge of card probabilities and is much more scientific than psychic!

Empirical Poker Calculators

Empirical poker calculators have similar functions to the mathematical calculator but they also monitor and record your opponent’s behaviour allowing you to make a judgement on them as a player and better predict their next move. Such information can be crucial if you have decided to bluff them out of the pot with a mediocre hand i.e. if the data collected from the calculator suggested to you that they weren’t bluffable, you might refrain from making such a bold move. Examples of empirical poker calculators are the Holdem Indicator and the Tournament Indicator, these being the most popular versions. This kind of software is the most recommended software in the poker tables and generally accepted in all rooms.

Operative Poker Calculators

The Operative Poker Calculator could perhaps be termed as the black sheep of the calculator stable. Use of operative calculators is frowned upon as not only do these calculators have similar functions to the mathematical and empirical calculators, they actually collect data from the tables in your poker room while you are not there. By spying on your opponents, the operative calculator delivers a complete player database from which you can access their raising habits, playing styles, hand history and more. While they give you impressive amounts of information, it is considered poor form to use this software in the poker rooms.

Generally, poker calculators can be useful in allowing you insight from which to improve your game and build a bank of educated experience in your own head. In an ideal world you would use this information to learn how to be a better player and once improved, have no further use for the software. However, if you do decide to persevere with poker calculator software, do make sure you understand your poker site’s stance on third party software. Sites like Poker Stars and Party Poker are hot on stamping out corrupt play and won’t hesitate to ban you from their site if you abuse their system.

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