- What is Heads-Up Display
- How to install Poker Tracker 4?
- Setting Up PokerTracker 4 — A Comprehensive Guide for Players
- 7 Steps to Set Up PT4
- Step 1 — Welcome
- Step 2 — Select Currency
- Step 3 — Configure Poker Room
- Step 4 — Choose Appearance
- Final Steps — 5 to 7
- Importing Hand History Mining into PokerTracker 4
According to many poker pros, if they had only one program to help analyze and improve their game, it would be Heads-Up Display (commonly known as HUD). Poker Tracker 4 is both a HUD and a tracker, meaning it tracks your poker hands played on various poker sites and allows you to analyze them later.
The HUD displays the data gathered by the tracker straight to the playing tables, so you can make the best decisions for each hand based on information about your opponents. So, Poker Tracker is a database and a tool that displays a HUD in real time during a game. In this article, we will help you to properly setup and install the software on your computer.
What is Heads-Up Display
In short, the HUD will appear on your tables as shown on the following screenshot:
Here we see a minimalistic HUD with a small amount of information (although you can pick any number of stats to display). IIn the top-left part of the HUD you can see a note icon, you can click on it to put down some notes on a player.
Then we have the player’s name, number of big blinds (BB), number of hands (in red), VPIP (the percentage of time the player voluntarily put money in preflop), PR or PFR, which is the percentage of preflop raises, and finally AFq, which is the frequency of postflop aggression. You can click on the stat to get more detailed information. Here’s an example:
PokerTracker 4 software works equally well on both MacOS and Windows PCs, and since it is constantly being improved by a whole team, it is stable and regularly updated. In addition, you can try PokerTracker 4 for free for 30 days to get to know the software better.
How to install Poker Tracker 4?
To make sure you don’t have any troubles installing and setting up the software, we’ll provide step-by-step instructions below. Let’s start with the first step, namely installation:
- Visit the official Poker Tracker 4 website using your favorite browser.
- On the home page, click the “Download” button to download a 30-day free trial version of the program. In the new window, if you have a MacBook or iMac, click “Show MacOS Versions”.
- Once you’ve managed to download PokerTracker, open the installation file and accept the terms by clicking “I Agree”. Then, by default, the program will be installed on drive C in the Program Files folder.
- Usually the whole downloading and installation process takes less than a minute.. Once the installation is complete, you can click the “Finish” button to launch Poker Tracker 4.
If you’re just starting up with poker trackers and HUDs, we will walk you through the whole process of installation and use of the software.
Setting Up PokerTracker 4 — A Comprehensive Guide for Players
Once you’ve downloaded and installed the software, it’s time to set up the program. On your first run, you’ll see the “PT4 License Activation” window. Here’s how to set PT4 up:
You can activate a free 30-day trial license. PokerTracker 4 offers three types of licenses: Hold’em-only, Omaha-only, or a combo of both Hold’em + Omaha. For the trial license, you’ll have to pick between the first two options, depending on your game preference. In this guide, we’ll go with the Hold’em version.
Next, you’ll see the PostgreSQL server connection window. Leave the default settings and click the “Connect” button.
If this is your first time installing the software, you’ll be prompted to create a database to store your hand histories. You can leave the default setting.
Finally, you click the “Connect” button. If everything works fine, you’ll get a message saying “PostgreSQL database PT4 DB successfully installed.” After that, the program will ask to optimize the database in accordance to your computer’s specs. This process is automatic—just agree and click “Yes.”
It’s worth noting that while PokerTracker runs on all types of hard drives, using a Solid State Drive (SSD) is recommended to speed up the program (especially if you end up with a massive database over time). The faster your hard drive, the smoother PT4 will run. And the larger your database grows, the more results you can achieve using PT4.
7 Steps to Set Up PT4
Finally, we’ve reached the 7 steps to setting up PokerTracker 4. Let’s break it down in detail:
Step 1 — Welcome
When you launch the program, you’ll be greeted with initial recommendations for players.
Step 2 — Select Currency
Depending on your poker room, the currency might vary. Scroll through the menu to select the currency you use while playing. After making your selection, click “Next.”
Step 3 — Configure Poker Room
If you already have poker rooms installed on your computer, PokerTracker 4 should recognize them. If not, set “YES” for the rooms where you plan to use the software. You can also install poker room software after setting up PT4 without any issues. Once you’ve selected all the active rooms, click “Next.”
At this point, PokerTracker will want to configure each poker room installed on your computer individually. In most cases, PT4 will automatically detect the path.
The next step is choosing your preferred seat. This is necessary for accurate player stats. PokerTracker 4 will display player stats based on their position at the table. However, if you’ve selected an option in your poker room to always sit in seat 6, for example, you need to inform PT4 of this. Otherwise, it will display your stats incorrectly.
Repeat these steps for all poker rooms installed on your PC. After this, the setup wizard will scan your computer for previously played hand history files. Click “Next” to confirm your actions.
Step 4 — Choose Appearance
This is more about your personal preferences. The program offers several styles to choose from, choose the one you like best.
Final Steps — 5 to 7
Now, it’s time to configure the hand replayer in PokerTracker 4. By selecting your favorite seat, PT4 will place you in your preferred seat regardless of where you were actually sitting during the hand. This makes it easier to review hands since you’ll always be in the same position at the table.
The penultimate step is importing existing databases. If you had other software installed (like Hold’em Manager), PT4 can import those databases.
If everything has gone smoothly in the previous steps, you should see this pop-up window.
This indicates that everything is set up correctly and PT4 is ready to go. Click “Finish” to complete the setup.
PT4 Pricing
There are 6 types of PT4 licenses: Hold’em, Omaha, and Hold’em + Omaha. Each of these offers a full license or a small stakes version, which is cheaper. The Small Stakes package allows you to play cash games with blinds up to $0.25/$0.50 and tournaments with buy-ins up to $15. Here are the prices for each PT license:
– Hold’em Small Stakes: $59.99
– Hold’em All Stakes: $99.99
– Omaha Small Stakes: $59.99
– Omaha All Stakes: $99.99
– Hold’em & Omaha Small Stakes: $99.99
– Hold’em & Omaha All Stakes: $159.99
Licenses are lifetime and include all future software updates.
The Hold’em version works with Limit, Pot-Limit, or No-Limit Hold’em. The Omaha version also supports Hi-Lo.
With a PT4 license, you can install the software on two different computers. However, you cannot sell part of your license to a friend or acquaintance to split the cost. One license is intended for one player/IP address.
Importing Hand History Mining into PokerTracker 4
Now that we’ve covered the installation and setup of the tracker, let’s move on to the equally important process of purchasing hand history mining for PokerTracker 4. Here’s a step-by-step guide to importing hand histories into PT4:
Step 1: Unzipping the Hand Histories
1. Download the hand history file to your computer.
2. Unzip the hand history file to any folder on your PC.
3. Ensure all hand history files are extracted from all archives and are in one folder.
Step 2: Import Hand Histories into PokerTracker 4
1. Open PokerTracker 4.
2. Go to the Play Poker tab.
3. Click the Get Hands From Disk button.
Step 3: Specify the Path to the Folder with Hand Histories
1. In the window that opens, select Select Directory.
2. Specify the path to the folder where you unzipped the downloaded hand histories.
Step 4: Importing Hands
1. Once you specify the path to the folder with hand histories, the import process will begin.
2. Monitor the import progress in the bottom left corner of the PokerTracker 4 window.
3. Wait until all hands are imported into your database.
4. This completes the hand history import process.
If you need a ready-made hand history database, you can buy hand histories for the required poker room through our manager. To contact him, write on Skype or Telegram. We’re waiting for you!