Introduction to the software
In the opinion of many poker pros, if you had only one piece of software to own to help you improve your game, it would be a Heads-Up Display (commonly known as a HUD). Poker Tracker 4 is both a HUD and a tracker, which means that it records your poker hands played at different poker sites and allows you to study them later. The HUD option of the software then displays the information collected by the software directly on the table so that you can make the best decisions for each hand based on the accurate information you have about your opponents. PT4 is therefore a database and tool that displays a real-time HUD during your online poker games
The HUD will be displayed on your poker table as follows:
Here we have a minimal HUD with only a few pieces of information, but you will be able to display as many statistics as you like. On the HUD above, we first have (top left) the notes tab that you can click on to see the player's notes. Then we have the player's name, his number of big blinds (BB), in red we have the number of hands collected on each player, his VPIP (the percentage of time the player has voluntarily invested preflop money), the PR or PFR, that is to say his preflop raise percentage and finally the AFq, that is to say his postflop aggression frequency. You can click on the statistics to get a more detailed panel of information. Here is an example
The Poker Tracker 4 software works as well on a Mac as on a PC with Windows and as there is a whole team working on this software all the time, it is very stable and regularly updated. It is also possible to use Poker Tracker 4 free for 30 days to discover the software. You can read later in this article how to enjoy PT4 for 1 month for free
If you are just starting out with HUDs, stay with us and we will guide you step by step to help you install and use Poker Tracker
How do I install and set up Poker Tracker 4?
1- Go to the official Poker Tracker 4 website by clicking here
2- On the home screen, click on the DOWNLOAD button to download the free 30-day trial version of the software
3- For the Windows version, click on DOWNLOAD. For the MacOS version click below
4- For this tutorial, we will show you how to install the Windows version of the software on a PC, but the installation on a MAC is very similar. Once the download is complete, open the file and please accept the conditions:
By default, the software will be installed here
To avoid any complications, it is strongly suggested to install Poker Tracker 4 in its default folder
Depending on your processor speed, the software should install in less than a minute. Once the installation is complete, you can click on "Finish" to launch Poker Tracker 4
Poker Tracker 4 Setup
We are now at the software setup stage. When you first launch it, you will see this screen appear:
This is where you will be able to activate your 30-day licence free of charge. There are 3 types of license with Poker Tracker 4. A Hold'em license exclusively, an Omaha license exclusively, or a Hold'em + Omaha license. For the trial licence, you will only be able to choose one of the first two, depending on your preferred variant. For this tutorial, we will choose the Hold'em version
Once this is done, you will see this window appear
Leave the default information and click "Connect". If you are unlucky and an error occurs, I know that some people have been successful in changing the default password "dbpass" to "postgrespass". Try this option if "dbpass" doesn't work
If this is a first time installation, you will be asked to create a database in which your hands will be stored. You will be able to leave the default information
You will finally be able to click on "Connect"
If everything works perfectly, you will get this message
Thereafter, the software will want to optimize the database according to the precise characteristics of your computer. You will be able to click "Yes"
It should be noted that Poker Tracker will work on all types of hard drives, but an electronic hard drive (SSD) is recommended to speed up the software (especially when you will have a huge database over time). The faster your hard drive, the easier it will be to navigate PT4. The larger your database will be, the better
We are now at the 7 steps of setting up Poker Tracker 4.
Let's start:
Step 2, choosing the currency. Depending on your poker room, the currency will not be the same. You will be able to scroll through the menu to choose the currency you use in your games
Once this is done, press "Next"
Step 3, poker room setup. If you have previously installed poker rooms on your computer, Poker Tracker 4 should recognize them. If not, you can set the rooms you plan to install to "YES". You will be able to install these poker rooms after the installation of PT4, there is no problem
Once all active rooms are selected, press "Next"
In step 3 of 7, Poker Tracker will want to configure each poker room installed on your computer individually. For example, here I am asked in which folder the recorded poker hands are stored. In the majority of cases, Poker Tracker 4 will automatically detect the path
The next step is to choose your favourite seat.
The reason this is useful is to get the right stats for the right players. Poker Tracker 4 will display player stats according to their seat number. However, if for example you select the option in your poker room to always sit on seat number 6, you will want to inform Poker Tracker 4, otherwise it will display your stats in the wrong place. Choose your favourite seat if you have one for all types of tables. When you multi-table, instead of sitting in random seats and having to look for each other every time, it will be easier for the eye to always see you sitting in the same place. This is why we have the option to choose your favourite seat
The above steps will need to be repeated for all your poker rooms installed on your computer.
Once completed, the setup wizard will want to scan your computer for files of previously played poker hands
Click 'Next' to accept.
Step 4 of 7, here it's more aesthetic than practical, you can choose the look of Poker Tracker 4. It's up to you to see your preferences
Step 5 of 7. Now choose your favourite seat to replay from Poker Tracker 4. By choosing a favorite seat, regardless of the actual seat you were sitting on during the hand, Poker Tracker will position you on your favorite seat. When you see several hands again, it makes it easier to know you are always on the same seat
Importing pre-existing databases. If you had other software installed on your computer (Hold'em Manager for example), Poker Tracker 4 will be able to import the databases already created
If everything went well in the previous steps, you should get this pop-up.
This is a sign that everything has been done, that everything is ready and that you can run PT4 successfully. Click on "Finish" to finish
The main features of Poker Tracker 4
Poker Tracker 4, as we said, is a great tool for all online poker players. The software is far too extensive to cover it all in this short article, but let's give some interesting features anyway
Tracker
By "tracker" we mean its ability to record the hands you play to analyse your play later. You will be able to find out how many sessions you played during the month, for example, how many sessions you won, how many sessions you lost, whether you played aggressively, passively, etc. You will be able to know the players against whom you make a lot of money, the players against whom you lose the most money, review the big pots you won or lost, etc.
You will also get a report on your tournaments, not just your cash games.
Over time, you will be able to find out what works well and what doesn't work for you. By looking at these statistics, we can make discoveries that will help us better orient ourselves. Are we more successful in cash games or tournaments? And if we are more successful in tournaments, for example, which variant works best for us? Hyper turbo, turbo or regular? SitNgos or regular tournaments? Etc. With time, we will have a mine of very precious information
Replayer
The Replayer allows you to review a hand you have played. During your sessions, it will be easy for you to mark some hands in the heat of the action and review them later. You can then review them with a friend to discuss them later. This is a great way to improve as a poker player
The Filters
PT4 gives you the ability to filter your database to find specific types of hands. For example, you suspect losing a lot of money in the 3bets pots out of position? With the filters, you will be able to get an overall picture of your performance in all the 3bets in your database in which you were out of position. Once the filter is created, you can save it for future use
You will be able to know if you are making or losing money in X or Y situation. You will also be able to review all the hands played in your replayer to analyse your actions in detail. Another great tool to improve your game. It's not enough to know that you are losing, you need to know where you are losing money. You can then work precisely on one aspect of your game
Automatic note-taking
Some software will charge you extra for the automatic note-taking option, but not PT4. The software already has an option to automatically take notes on your opponents. The more hands you have on an opponent, the more accurate and complete the notes will be. Let's see how these notes are displayed, even with a small sample:
It will also be possible to add your own notes to merge them with the automatic notes
LeakTracker
Poker Tracker 4 also includes a "Leak Tracker", that is, a tool to help you find your weaknesses.
You will be able to compare your stats to the optimal stats suggested by Poker Tracker 4. The goal is to have statistics that are similar to those of the biggest winners in your pool of players. This will tell you if you are playing too few or too many hands, if you bet too little or too much, and so on. Again, some software will charge you for this extra option, but here it is included free of charge with the Poker Tracker 4 license
A very comprehensive HUD editor
Poker Tracker 4 will allow you to configure your HUD yourself, i.e. the exact information you want to see displayed on the table. Are you more the minimalist style that wants 3-4 basic information about all your opponents or are you more of the comprehensive and accurate type and want to see the maximum amount of statistics displayed next to each player
The HUD editor is intuitive and easy to use. You will be able to use colour codes, different font types, several text sizes, etc. The list of available statistics is impressive. We have everything from the classic VPIP (Volontary Put Money Into Pot) to the sharpest percentage of cbet out of position in 4-bets pots
And if ever the statistic of your dreams is not available, you will always have the possibility to create it yourself with the statistics editor
Here, you will need more knowledge to create a note, but still know that the option is available
We could go on listing the various options in PT4 for more pages and pages, but let's just say that these are some of the key features that quickly came to mind
Frequently asked questions about pokertracker 4
Here are the answers to several questions you might have regarding Poker Tracker 4.
Which poker rooms are compatible with Poker Tracker 4?
Here is a non-exhaustive list of poker rooms compatible with PT4:
- 888Poker
- GTECH G2 Network
- iPoker Network
- Merge Network
- MPN (MicroGaming)
- People's Poker Network
- PokerStars.COM, .EU, .IT, .FR, .UK, .SE, .BE, .BG, .EE, .ES, .DK & autres
- Revolution Gaming Network
- Winamax.FR
- Winning Poker Network
PokerTracker is compatible with almost all rooms that accept HUDs. In addition, ongoing efforts are being made by the PT4 team to expand the list of compatible sites
What is the purchase price of PT4?
There are 6 types of licenses for PT4. Hold'em only. Omaha only. Hold'em + Omaha. And each of these 3 options gives us the possibility to buy a full license (for all limits) or a "small limits" version, the less expensive one. The "Small Stakes" license allows us to play cash games up to $0.25/$0.50 blinds and tournaments up to $15 buy-ins. Here are the prices for each of these licences in US dollars
- Hold’em Small Stakes : 59,99$
- Hold’em Poker Tracker (version complète et sans limite) : 99,99$
- Hold’em & Omaha Small Stakes : 99,99$
- Hold’em & Omaha PokerTracker : 159,99$
- Omaha Small Stakes : 59,99$
- Omaha Poker Tracker : 99,99$
The licenses are good for life and include all future software updates
The Hold'em version works equally well with Limit, Pot-Limit or No-Limit Hold'em. The Omaha version also works with the Omaha Hi-Lo also called Omaha-8-or-better
What payment methods are accepted to purchase PT4?
Like a picture is worth 1000 words
Is Poker Tracker 4 legal?
Poker Tracker 4 is legal at all supported poker rooms listed above. In general, if the HUD works on the poker room you are playing at, then you can use PT4 without any worries. Poker rooms that prohibit HUDs like Run It Once for example will cause the software not to work properly when you open it. So you don't have to worry. If you have any doubts, you can always send an email to the poker room you are playing at to ask them directly
Speaking of legality, the only thing that is illegal that comes to mind would be to hack Poker Tracker 4. There are probably pirated versions of the software, but since PT4 is constantly being updated and each new update requires a new pirated version of the software (PT4 updates regularly to keep up with regular poker room updates), it would be extremely time consuming and tedious to always have a cracked version of the software. It would certainly be a time-consuming process. If you are interested in Poker Tracker 4, save time, energy and hassle and buy yourself an official license of the software. In addition to the many benefits of a legal license, you will also avoid viruses and malware and always have the most up-to-date version quickly and hassle-free
Poker Tracker 4 is also compatible with Table Tracker, TableNinja II and NoteCaddy. Their support is very responsive and often you will have the answer to your question within 24 hours. You can also consult their discussion forums
There are several alternatives to Poker Tracker 4, but with its relatively low one-time cost (some similar software only offers monthly subscriptions), stability, numerous options, efficient support and constant updates, there is no doubt that it is one of the preferred options for many online poker players. Having worked with many pros, I can tell you that the majority of them use PT4 all the time
Does a PT4 license give me the right to install the software on my 2 computers?
Yes. With a PT4 licence, you can install the software on 2 different computers. However, you cannot sell part of your license to a friend to share the cost of the license. A license is good for 1 person only and not 2 people who would use one of the two licenses each on their own. Buying software like PT4 is probably the most profitable investment you can make as a poker player