If you’ve put any significant effort into studying poker in the last five to ten years (which, since you’re reading this article, I’ll assume you have), then at some point you’ve probably used a piece of computer software to do it. Many players, myself included, will have entered into the game at a time when the use of software was so commonplace it may have seemed bewildering to begin with – “could this game really be so complex?”
Well, yes, it could, and it is. Poker is an unfathomably complex game, and trying to study it without using some kind of software to bridge the information gap is an immensely difficult task. Over the past ten years, all kinds of software tools have sprung up, allowing us to do everything from simple equity calculations, to complex GTO solutions.
Evolutions in software capability bring with them evolutions in strategy, and while many of the most useful software tools on the market have been available for some time – PokerTracker 4, Holdem Manager 2, CardRunnersEV and Flopzilla, to name a few – there are some new additions to the landscape available these days that players might want to look into if they’re searching for some new tools to add to their arsenal. Here’s a look at some of them.
Disclaimer: Neither I, nor TPE are affiliated with any of the companies who make these products. I’m suggesting them in my capacity as a coach, because I believe they’re very likely to be useful to players.
PokerRanger
PokerRanger is somewhere in between your standard equity calculator and a more complex EV calculator like CardRunnersEV. It’s a good tool for someone who isn’t quite experienced enough in game theory to use CREV effectively, since it allows you to run calculations for specific lines and bet sizings based on opponents’ response ranges – in this way, it can speed up the process of running a simple EV calculation quite significantly.
It also features a variety of functions that do appear in other pieces of software, such as the ability to gauge flop textures and measure equities as they evolve over future board cards, but one of its biggest advantages is the ability to access all of these functions in one place. It would be naive to suggest that PokerRanger is the only tool one will ever need, but it’s a very good option for someone looking for a multi-purpose software suite designed to cater to mid-level players.
The ‘Simple’ product line
Simple Postflop has been my GTO solver of choice for two years now, and recently the developers responsible for it have been branching out. Their range of software now includes a calculator for three-handed pots (to my knowledge, the first multi-way GTO calculator in existence), as well as a preflop Nash calculator, a GTO Trainer, and an Omaha GTO calculator. This set of tools should be sufficient for even highly advanced players to achieve significant leaps forward in the quality of their GTO understanding and execution.
It stands to reason that these tools may not be as useful to someone just starting out in the game – launching into GTO while playing low-stakes cash games or MTTs is simply not necessary, as well as being significantly less profitable than learning how to exploit your opponents’ mistakes in simple ways. However, if you want to progress beyond that point, GTO study is necessary, and if you want to do that effectively, you’ll need software that can help you.
Flop Falcon
Flop Falcon is, for all intents and purposes, a much more evolved version of Flopzilla. Instead of looking purely at how one individual hand hits a flop versus a range, Falcon runs range-versus-range calculations that allow for in-depth exploration of flop situations on a level way beyond Flopzilla’s capacity.
If you’re a novice player who’s still getting used to the idea of thinking in terms of ranges, working with a program like Falcon could be one of the best ways for you to reconfigure your mindset to take into account a broader conception of each specific situation. Understanding how to identify spots where you have a range advantage or disadvantage is a crucial part of mastering flop play, and a program like Falcon can help a low-stakes player get accustomed to this concept very quickly, given the commonalities we can observe in the ranges most often employed by low-stakes players.
ProPokerTools Odds Oracle
Odds Oracle is a little different to some of the other tools listed here, in that it doesn’t just cater to No-Limit Hold’em – far from it, in fact. Oracle can run range and equity calculations for any one of nine different poker games, from 6-card Omaha through to Razz or Stud Hi/Lo. To my knowledge, it’s the only program available that caters to these niche games.
As a result, if you’re a regular mixed-game player or simply looking to branch out away from NLHE, Oracle is a program you’ll probably need to become familiar with at some point. The complexity of ranges in some non-NLHE games can be extremely deep, however, and thus Oracle features useful shortcuts that allow you to fill in some information about a range while leaving the rest randomized. This makes it perfect for diving into new games and exploring their many nuances.
Choosing the right software for you
As I’ve hinted throughout this article, not all this software is for everyone. There are evolutions in strategic insight happening at all levels of the game, but that doesn’t mean we’re all ready to dive right into complex GTO analysis and range-building. Getting the most out of your software tools is primarily about recognizing the ones that fit best with your current understanding of the game.
If you’re still struggling to think in terms of hand vs range, Flopzilla will be a good starting point, before moving on to Flop Falcon and eventually CardRunnersEV. If you’re playing mostly short-stacked SNGs, you’ll want to forego bothering with postflop GTO study and spend some time with a preflop Nash calculator instead.
Making the right decisions as a poker player is about more than just calling or folding at the right times. It’s about guiding your own learning in a way that’s designed to continually push it forward, and using available software tools to your advantage is pivotal to the process. Very few players in today’s game – probably close to zero – have reached the highest levels without extensive mathematical, software-based study, so getting off on the right foot towards the beginning of your poker career is an important step to set you up for the future.