We live in the age of technology. There's an app for everything these days and the tech plays a prevalent role in all walks of life. Poker is no different. As soon as the games transitioned from the live casinos to online servers, pieces of software capable of supplementing player's experience started showing up.
Nowadays, poker enthusiasts can choose from a large selection of trackers, educational tools, and programs that make the grinding more convenient. In this article, we're going to review software that you can start using right now without paying a cent! While some programs included below might have a paid version we'll focus only on the functionality that's available to users without the need of paying anything. Some of the tools reviewed below aren't strictly made for poker, but can greatly enhance your poker experience and help you become better at the game.
Nowadays, poker enthusiasts can choose from a large selection of trackers, educational tools, and programs that make the grinding more convenient. In this article, we're going to review software that you can start using right now without paying a cent! While some programs included below might have a paid version we'll focus only on the functionality that's available to users without the need of paying anything. Some of the tools reviewed below aren't strictly made for poker, but can greatly enhance your poker experience and help you become better at the game.
FreePokerDB
Overview
When we think about poker software, tracking programs immediately come to mind. Unfortunately for players that are just starting out, small stakes versions of PokerTracker and HoldemManager both cost 60$ which is often more than the size of a beginners entire bankroll.
FreePokerDB is an open source software that could be a potential alternative to those two powerhouses mentioned before. Could be but it most likely won't be for the vast majority of players. Using FreePokerDB will require a certain level of knowledge since the installation process isn't really straightforward. There are no shortcuts for things that PT4 and HM2 would do for you (like installing MySQL or creating a database). Also, since there's no big development team behind this open source project, bugs and incompatibility issues caused by poker client updates aren't addressed nearly as quickly as they are in the case of commercial trackers.
If you enjoy tinkering with software, you have the time for research and patience for potential mistakes you'll find that FreePokerDB is perfectly functional. It has a HUD, you can import hands, look at your results graph etc. It even supports some less popular poker formats like Stud and Draw games, but it's far less polished than the paid alternatives and most players will be better of using both 30-day trials of PT4 and HM2 before they earn enough money to buy the software they like the most. If you're fine with researching solutions for FreePokerDB problems or you're an avid Stud player this software might be exactly what you need.
FreePokerDB is an open source software that could be a potential alternative to those two powerhouses mentioned before. Could be but it most likely won't be for the vast majority of players. Using FreePokerDB will require a certain level of knowledge since the installation process isn't really straightforward. There are no shortcuts for things that PT4 and HM2 would do for you (like installing MySQL or creating a database). Also, since there's no big development team behind this open source project, bugs and incompatibility issues caused by poker client updates aren't addressed nearly as quickly as they are in the case of commercial trackers.
If you enjoy tinkering with software, you have the time for research and patience for potential mistakes you'll find that FreePokerDB is perfectly functional. It has a HUD, you can import hands, look at your results graph etc. It even supports some less popular poker formats like Stud and Draw games, but it's far less polished than the paid alternatives and most players will be better of using both 30-day trials of PT4 and HM2 before they earn enough money to buy the software they like the most. If you're fine with researching solutions for FreePokerDB problems or you're an avid Stud player this software might be exactly what you need.
Verdict
It's hard to give this software a single grade. FreePokerDB is a completely free, open source and developed mostly by one person, so it's hard to say bad things about the program that can actually offer you the functionality that's similar to commercial alternatives if you don't mind investing the time to meet the FreePokerDB halfway. For people willing to put in some work FreePokerDB is a solid 7 out of 10, but if you're expecting a smooth and user-friendly experience the rating get's closer to 4/10.
PokerVIP Table Mods
Overview
The visual quality of poker clients can be all over the place. From a great look and advanced customization options offered by PokerStars, to sometimes a bit bland and monotone graphics of certain other clients. Sometimes poker room will use a color scheme that's totally impractical and makes playing long sessions difficult on the eyes. Even if you enjoy the look of a certain table to begin with you can get bored of it after a couple of months of day to day grinding.
Graphical table mods can solve that issue. The PokerVIP store has a selection of free modifications for some of the most popular poker networks like Ipoker, Microgaming, and Party. The installation process is fairly simple and choosing a correct path to your poker client might be the only possible difficulty, but everything is explained on the store page and during the installation process.
Graphical table mods can solve that issue. The PokerVIP store has a selection of free modifications for some of the most popular poker networks like Ipoker, Microgaming, and Party. The installation process is fairly simple and choosing a correct path to your poker client might be the only possible difficulty, but everything is explained on the store page and during the installation process.
Verdict
PokerVIP Mods are our own creation so we won't give them a grade, but since they don't add any additional functionality and only change the look of your client, using them is simply a matter of preference.
Equilab
Overview
Odds and equity analysis are essential for every poker player. PokerStove used to be the most recognizable and readily available equilator out there, but at some point the official site of that program disappeared from the face of the internet and while it's still possible to download and use that program, the poker community switched to a superior alternative - Equilab.
Besides being a capable equilator with functionality similar to that of PokerStove (calculating the equity of a hand vs. hand or range vs. range given certain board textures etc.), Equilab has some interesting additional features. One of them is 'scenario analyser' which can help you understand how to play on certain turn and river cards based on your hand and villain's range.
Besides being a capable equilator with functionality similar to that of PokerStove (calculating the equity of a hand vs. hand or range vs. range given certain board textures etc.), Equilab has some interesting additional features. One of them is 'scenario analyser' which can help you understand how to play on certain turn and river cards based on your hand and villain's range.
There's also a feature called 'equity trainer' which asks you to estimate your equity vs. villains range in certain spots helping you make more accurate estimations when playing at an actual poker table.
Verdict
10/10. Equilab is an essential part of every poker player's arsenal.
ProPokerTools.com
Overview
ProPokerTools similar to the Equilab can run equity simulations for you and while the web interface is slightly less convenient than the one you're getting in desktop application ProPokerTools has some interesting features like the ability to show you a graph of your simulation. Additionally ProPokerTools supports simulations for more poker variants than just hold'em which might interest some players.
Calculating equity is not the most interesting features available on the website. ProPokerTools allows you to use a tool that's perhaps the most powerful out of all the tools that you can use for free. It's called Poker Query Language (PQL) and it allows you to ask virtually any question about poker you might think of. Do you want to know how often three non-paired lo cards make a lo in stud-8 by the fifth street? Maybe you're curious how often does the flop have no card higher than a nine? Or how often does our tight opponent have an overpair when we flop a pair with JT? Now you can get answers to all of those questions and more... provided that you're willing to actually learn the Poker Query Language.
Calculating equity is not the most interesting features available on the website. ProPokerTools allows you to use a tool that's perhaps the most powerful out of all the tools that you can use for free. It's called Poker Query Language (PQL) and it allows you to ask virtually any question about poker you might think of. Do you want to know how often three non-paired lo cards make a lo in stud-8 by the fifth street? Maybe you're curious how often does the flop have no card higher than a nine? Or how often does our tight opponent have an overpair when we flop a pair with JT? Now you can get answers to all of those questions and more... provided that you're willing to actually learn the Poker Query Language.
While this task will be fairly easy for someone familiar with computer programming it might seem intimidating for an average player.
Verdict
9/10. While the web interface is not the most convenient ProPokerTools can act like a perfectly capable equilator while also giving you access to a powerful tool that's Poker Query Language.
f.lux
Overview
f.lux is the first piece of software that wasn't made with poker in mind, but can be immensely helpful for every poker player out there. We're spending a lot of our time behind the computer screen and while the quality of our monitors is light years ahead of what it used to be in the past, our eyes aren't exactly made for long hours of online poker grinding during the night. That's where f.lux comes in.
This lightweight piece of software runs in the background and it makes the colours on your computer screen adapt to the time of day (which effectively results in the display getting progressively more 'yellow' as the day goes by).
This lightweight piece of software runs in the background and it makes the colours on your computer screen adapt to the time of day (which effectively results in the display getting progressively more 'yellow' as the day goes by).
This effect might look weird at first but it only takes you a couple of minutes to get used to it and it has the potential to increase your focus, preserve the health of your eyes and help you sleep better once you finish the session.
Verdict
9/10. While some people might find the yellow color shift strange and unpleasant most of us will be able to enjoy the amazing benefits of this small but ingenious piece of software.
CamStudio
Overview
Recording your poker sessions is a great idea. You can analyse the footage by yourself, with your study group or personal coach. You can also upload it somewhere and post for review in a strategy forum thread. Video review is among the best forms of poker coaching and every poker player should incorporate it into his or her routine.
While there are many programs capable of capturing your screen CamStudio is absolutely free, fairly popular and really easy to use. It's not exactly packed with features, but it's good at what it does and won't overwhelm new users. You might run into some small problems while using CamStudio but since the software is very popular finding a solution to your issue shouldn't be hard.
While there are many programs capable of capturing your screen CamStudio is absolutely free, fairly popular and really easy to use. It's not exactly packed with features, but it's good at what it does and won't overwhelm new users. You might run into some small problems while using CamStudio but since the software is very popular finding a solution to your issue shouldn't be hard.
Verdict
8/10. CamStudio is a simple and effective way of recording your poker session and as long as you're not expecting a ton of amazing features you should be satisfied with this program.
TeamViewer
Overview
Speaking of coaching techniques - sweat sessions has to be one of the most popular options. Watching someone else play and/or showing our own game to a coach or study group friend has the potential of exposing many mistakes and leaks that can only show up when we're under pressure. A sweat session is what allows many coaches to pay the bills since it's a form of poker education that's often requested by the clients.
TeamViewer is probably the most popular program in the world when it comes to screen sharing and while the full version is pretty pricey as long as you're not using it to make a living and you just want to show your session to a poker buddy, you can use the personal version free of charge. TeamViewer has many additional functions, but screen sharing is the most important one from a poker player's perspective.
TeamViewer is probably the most popular program in the world when it comes to screen sharing and while the full version is pretty pricey as long as you're not using it to make a living and you just want to show your session to a poker buddy, you can use the personal version free of charge. TeamViewer has many additional functions, but screen sharing is the most important one from a poker player's perspective.
Verdict
9/10. TeamViewer does what it's suppose to do and while the interface might be a bit confusing at first (especially as you get into some more advanced options) everyone should be able to enjoy the benefits that this piece of software can provide.
Prepare your wallet and stay tuned for the next week's blog post where you'll find more reviews of poker tools that can enhance your game and experience as long as you're willing to spend some money.
