Your first steps with Poker Tracker 4!

Here we have a minimal HUD with only a few information, but you can 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, i.e. his preflop raise percentage and finally the AFq, i.e. his post-flop aggression frequency. You can click on the statistics to get a more detailed panel of information. Here is an example

Poker Tracker 4 software works equally well on a Mac or a PC running Windows and as there is a whole team working on this software all the time, it is very stable and is regularly updated. It is also possible to use Poker Tracker 4 for 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 getting started with HUDs, stay with us and we will walk you through the process of installing and using Poker Tracker step by step

2- From the Home screen, click on the DOWNLOAD button to download the 30-day free trial version of the software

3- For the Windows version, click on the DOWNLOAD button. 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 that you install Poker Tracker 4 in its default folder

Depending on your CPU speed, the software should install in less than one minute. Once the installation is complete, you can click "Finish" to launch Poker Tracker 4

This is where you will be able to activate your 30-day license for free. 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 license, 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 "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 disks, but an electronic hard disk (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 bigger your database will be, the better

We are now at the 7 steps of setting up Poker Tracker 4.

Let's Get Started.

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 during your games

Once that's done, press 'Next.

Step three, 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 the active rooms are selected, press 'Next'.

At step 3 of 7, Poker Tracker will want to set up each poker room installed on your computer individually. For example, here I am asked in which folder the registered poker hands are stored. In the majority of cases, Poker Tracker 4 will automatically detect the path

The next step is to choose your favorite seat.

The reason this is useful is to get the right stats from 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 favorite 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 yourself sitting in the same place. That's why we have the option to choose your favourite seat

The above steps should 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 is 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 favorite seat to replay Poker Tracker 4. By choosing a favorite seat, regardless of which actual seat you were sitting on during the hand, Poker Tracker will position you in your favorite seat. When replaying multiple hands, it makes it easier to know you're always on the same seat

The penultimate step, 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 all went well in the previous steps, you should have this pop-up.

This is a sign that everything went well, that everything is ready and that you can start PT4 successfully. Click "Finish" to finish

By "tracker" we mean its ability to record the hands you play and analyze your play later. You will be able to find out how many sessions you played during the month, for example, how many sessions were winning, how many sessions were losing, whether you played aggressively, passively, etc. You will be able to know the players you make a lot of money against, the players you lose the most money against, review your big wins and losses, etc.

You'll also get a record of your tournaments, not just your cash games.

Over time, you'll be able to find out what works 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 is more successful for us? Hyper turbo, turbo or regular? SitNgos or regular tournaments? Etc. With time, we will have a mine of very precious information

Replayer allows you to review a hand you have played. During your sessions, it will be easy for you to mark certain 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

PT4 gives you the ability to filter your database to find specific types of hands. For example, do you suspect losing a lot of money in the 3bets pots out of position? With the filters, you will be able to get a global picture of your performance in all the 3bets pots 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 see 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 analyze your actions in detail. Another great tool to improve your game. It's not all about knowing that you are losing, you need to know where you are losing money. You can then work precisely on one aspect of your game

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.

You'll 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 it is included here at no charge with the Poker Tracker 4 license

The HUD editor is intuitive and easy to use. You will be able to use color coding, different font types, multiple 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 the statistic of your dreams is not available, you can always create it yourself with the statistic 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 different options in PT4 for more pages and pages, but let's just say these are some of the key features that came to mind quickly.

Since a picture is worth 1,000 words