There has always been the debate about whether or not the use of software whilst playing poker to help you improve your game is fair. Numerous online players currently use poker software to help analyse their game and improve their decision-making skills at the table. None of this software is by any means illegal, but still a significant number of players that refrain from using it, as they believe that it will give them an unfair advantage over the other players at the table.
There are many forms of poker software available that you can use to help you improve your online poker game. The most popular being odds calculators and hand trackers. The odds calculators will usually attach to the side of the table window and read what hand you have, what cards come out on the flop and the betting that takes place. The calculator will then use all of this information to advise you on how to play your cards at each stage of the hand. The hand analysers however will record the information on every hand you play, and then provide statistics on this information in the form of helpful tables and graphs.
The hand trackers will also track information about the way your opponents play their hands, so you can gain information about their style of play and use it to your advantage the next time you sit down at the table with them. The players that use the software argue that the information is available to everyone, and it shouldn’t be a problem to take advantage of this and use programs to help record this information for future reference. Therefore it makes sense to try and obtain as much information as possible if it is legal to do so.
Non-software users combat that argument with the statement that poker is a game of skill, and that you should only be using your own ability when it comes to playing the game. If you are unable to store information in your head then that’s just something that you have to deal with, or train yourself to do in the future. You won’t have a computer next to you to help you make decisions when you are playing in a live game, so why should you be allowed one in online play?
In my opinion I think that it is fair to use software, as it is freely available to everyone. I do believe that it is better to form your own opinion on your opponents style of play, but the information is there if you look hard enough, and software just helps you to find and collect this information. Where do we draw the line between using a pen and paper to write down and work out stats from your opponent’s play instead of using a piece of software to help? The software’s sole intention is to help you improve your game and not to help you cheat, which is a very important point to remember in this debate.
