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- How to “Run” a Poker Player
- SharkScope
- Poker Rankings
- Poker Pro Labs
- Programs for Evaluating Poker Players
- Holdem Manager 3
- Poker Tracker 4
- Hand2Note
- An Example of Using a Poker Player Statistics Site
- Frequently Asked Questions about “Running” a Poker Player
- What to do if you don’t have access to some sections of the statistics?
- Can player hide information about him on Sharkscope?
- How to show/hide your own statistics?
How to “run” a poker player? This term refers to collecting game statistics that will show the opponent’s playing style. Manually collecting data from millions of poker players is an undertaking that is doomed to failure. Therefore, online services and programs that automatically accumulate the necessary information come to the rescue.
What to consider? You need to collect statistics on a player not only to beat him once. The information obtained is valuable knowledge for playing poker in general. After all, there is nothing better than learning from other people’s experience.
How to “Run” a Poker Player
Every person who starts playing poker regularly at some point figures out that knowing the style of play of opponents gives a certain advantage. Information can be gathered gradually, studying the tactics and behavior of the opponent, and simply write down the information received.
However, this approach is ineffective and has a number of significant drawbacks:
- Constant recording of game events distracts from the game itself, for which there is simply not enough time. After all, you have to track all the moves of other poker players. And if there are more than five people at the table, then the whole process will look like constant record-keeping;
- The collected information will gain value if it is analyzed, otherwise the information will not bring any benefit;
- In online poker, the pool of players changes quite quickly. Therefore, you will have to update the records made earlier pretty much non-stop.
So, how to “run” a poker player? Obviously, a fairly simple but routine work needs to be somehow automated. For this, specialized sites have been created that contain poker statistics. Using these services, you can find all the information you need by the nickname of your opponents.
The information that has been collected on such sites for several years will be available almost instantly. Moreover, it is stored in a structured form and is suitable for further analysis. These platforms are very useful for beginners, but experienced players often use them too. Below we will tell you in more detail about the most popular online resources among poker players.
SharkScope
This is the most popular service for game statistics. It contains the most detailed information about tournament players. Subscription is paid. Users are offered several subscription plans to choose from.
Naturally, the more you pay, the more information you get access to. A free trial subscription is also provided, but it has significant restrictions, including on the number of requests.
The price range of subscription plans is between $6–26 per month. For experienced players, there is also a premium subscription. You will have to pay $99 for it. Owners of this plan have access to HUD, mistake analyzer, history of played hands, and information about players, presented in the form of convenient and informative graphs.
In addition to access to statistics, poker players can improve their skills with the help of free coaching applications. You can also improve your skills with the help of a paid 20-hour course, during which real professionals will tell you all the intricacies of the game. As a bonus, a guide to playing Sit`n`Go tournaments is offered.
Most poker rooms (Winamax, iPoker, PokerStars, etc.) support SharkScope. Each user after installing the client on their computer gets access to the database of this wonderful resource.
Poker Rankings
Many regulars have appreciated this platform. In their opinion, it is here that the largest library of hands is collected. However, much less attention is paid to players’ statistics. That is, you can not get the information you are interested in for all opponents.
However, the information contained in the database will help you adjust your game tactics. Poker Rankings is an indispensable tool for beginners who find it difficult to analyze the actions of opponents and develop an individual style. This does not mean that there is nothing useful for experienced poker players.
Note that the site assigns a rating to each poker room with which it is somehow connected. Users can find the necessary information on more than 150 top players who prefer the following rooms on the main page of the site: PokerStars, PartyPoker, FullTilt Poker and Carbon Poker. The database stores information about all hands for the last 120 days. If your opponent is on the list, it means that you are playing a game with a high-level poker player.
Visitors of the online service have access to the statistics of the Ongame network players. Moreover, the history has been saved since 2006. The only exception is the Carbon Poker room, for which information has been collected since 2011.
Poker Pro Labs
If you want to learn in detail how to “run” a poker player using statistics, you must definitely sign up for this site. The gist of the resource is the collecting information specifically on tournaments. Flexible settings allow you to make a thorough analysis of player behavior. Users can use the tool for free or sign up for a paid subscription. Accordingly, the available functionality depends on this choice.
The platform will be useful for players of various levels. Beginners can limit themselves to using the pot odds calculator. Professionals have appreciated the capabilities of the TOP Shark Pro program, which contains a whole range of necessary tools. To use it, you need to register on Poker Pro Labs.
Those who are taking their first steps in the world of poker are advised to try their hand in the free test mode.
The resource allows you to analyze the first 10 thousand hands free of charge. In addition, all registered poker players have the opportunity to interact with Poker Calculator Pro for 90 days.
Poker Pro Labs has a flexible system of paid subscriptions. Almost 90% of the software is conditionally free. However, you will have to pay a lot of money for the right to use the full functionality. Installing, for example, Tournament Shark gives a poker player access to statistics on more than 30 million users who took part in 900 million tournaments. You can use filters by different parameters to find the necessary information. This gigantic database is stored in cloud storage.
A monthly subscription costs $12.99, a six-month subscription costs $39.99, and a yearly subscription costs $54.99. Using it for two years costs $79.99.
Programs for Evaluating Poker Players
Online services are certainly very important for analyzing the behavior of cash and tournament players, but some users do not really like the flexibility of the settings. It is not always possible to find what interests you right now quickly. Or there is no way to create a custom HUD. It is also sometimes difficult to determine the tactics of a specific opponent in a game. All these functions are available in trackers – special applications for collecting and displaying statistical data on players on the screen. Experienced poker players opt for this type of software.
Holdem Manager 3
The first release of Holdem Manager came out in 2007. After the update, the software became the leader among its analogues. The developers are constantly improving their product. Now novice users can quickly understand the functionality with the help of updated report formats.
The program helps to increase the chance of winning in cash and MTT both during the session and when developing a strategy out of the tables:
- A customizable HUD for each opponent is displayed directly on the table.
- There are additional pop-up windows containing more information. You can add as many stats as you want.
- Reports made using flexible filters allow you to perform a detailed analysis of the game. It is possible to view any situations, including by positions.
- A history of played hands is available, which can be evaluated in the hand replayer.
- A convenient function for creating text, color and statistical notes on players.
You can use HM3 for three months free. After studying and evaluating the capabilities, the poker player is offered a set of subscription plans.
| Subscription plan | Yearly price |
| Hold’em up to $0.25/$050 | $60 |
| Hold’em and Omaha up to $0.25/$50 | $100 |
| Hold’em any stakes | $100 |
| Hold’em and Omaha any stakes | $160 |
For the duration of the subscription, technical support is available.
Poker Tracker 4
A popular analogue of the previous program with similar functionality. The stable version for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X appeared on May 19, 2014. Main options:
- HUD.
- Pop-up windows for displaying more statistical data.
- Reports with flexible filters.
- Hand Replayer.
- Notes.
This application may seem complicated to beginners. The software also belongs to the shareware category. The cost of the program depends on the type of game and the selected subscription plan.
| Subscription plan | Yearly price |
| Hold’em up to $0.25/$050 | $64.99 |
| Hold’em any stakes | $99.99 |
| Omaha up to $0.25/$50 | $64.99 |
| Omaha any stakes | $99.99 |
| Hold’em and Omaha up to $0.25/$50 | $99.99 |
| Hold’em and Omaha any stakes | $159.99 |
Hand2Note
The program has many HUD settings and additional pop-up windows that display a set of selected stats. It is great for analyzing almost any game situations and behavioral reactions of opponents. Main feature of Hand2Note is the high speed of data processing. The program has a function for studying statistics and player pool ranges according to pre-set criteria. In addition, for each stat, you can view hands, spectrums and the latest similar hands.
The basic version of Hand2Note with HUD and additional windows is free. However, in order get access to all the tools, it is required to purchase a paid subscription.
| Subscription plan | Yearly price |
| Basic | Free |
| Edge | $19.9 |
| Pro | $49 |
The latest version has only one drawback – an insufficient set of statistical reports. The developers announced a fix for the shortcoming in the next update.
An Example of Using a Poker Player Statistics Site
We will show how to “run” a poker player, including by nickname, using the example of the SharkScope site. The platform accumulates data from all major rooms. The user receives information in a handy form. Note that private or anonymous games are not subject to analysis.
With the help of SharkScope, a poker player can track:
- Profit.
- ROI.
- Tournament history.
- Current tournaments of the user.
Information on a specific opponent will be available if you enter his nickname in the search engine on the main page. The gray field displays the game rooms in which this player appeared.
You can set a search for opponents by advanced parameters: poker room, tournament date, buy-in, rebuy, etc.
After entering the opponent’s nickname, a brief reference will be displayed at the top, containing his main characteristics: average and total income, ROI, stakes. In addition, a menu will be formed, the tabs of which contain detailed information. Main sections:
- Graphs. Visual images of all the player’s results.
- Tournaments. Here the opponent’s activity in different types of MTT are displayed.
- Rivals. Indicators by which you can find out the tactics and strategy of other players.
- Favorite games. List of the types of poker in which the opponent spends the most time.
- Statistics. A detailed presentation of the opponent’s characteristics by many parameters, including such important ones as average ROI, the usual number of tournaments per day, the percentage of getting in the money, the rake paid by the player during his career, etc.
- Leaderboard. The rating of the most achieving poker players for the year.
- Achievements. Information about memorable awards received by players for any successes is gathered. For example, a large win, a consistent ITM hits over a certain period of time, a victory in a tournament, etc.
The player also has access to a detailed graph representing the dynamics of profits. By changing the output settings, users can track other indicators: finishing positions, dates of wins/losses, final results for the reporting period, etc.
One of the tabs with the most concentrated information is the “Statistics” section. Here you can analyze such important parameters as the total and average ROI, the number of tournaments per day, ITM, hand history, etc.
In order to find out the best way to “run” a poker player, you need to understand the meaning of all the indicators. Let’s give a brief description of some of them:
- Count. Total number of tournaments.
- Average buy-in. Stakes the player plays the most. Moreover, the term applies to both cash tables and tournaments.
- ROI. Profitability indicator in tournament disciplines (MTT, Sit and Go).
- ITM%. Percentage representation of how often players gets in the money.
- Turbo rate. How often player in question participates in fast tournament formats.
- Game level. The poker player’s rank in the range of 0–100% illustrates the skill. It is formed depending on the values of various statistical indicators. If a person has more than 70%, then most likely he is a regular.
- Minimum bankroll. The minimum amount of money required to overcome the worst downswing.
- Average game length. MTT duration in seconds.
- Number of wins. Average percentage of wins in games.
- PTLB. Rating in the PokerStars leaderboard.
- Self-sufficiency. The total number of profitable days.
In the free version, the number of queries is limited. If you purchase a paid subscription, the limit is no more.
Frequently Asked Questions about “Running” a Poker Player
What to do if you don’t have access to some sections of the statistics?
When a player sees “Select in…” instead of digital indicators in the “Statistics” table, this means that the opponent has hidden the output of his characteristics. Many poker players prefer privacy. Unfortunately, in this situation, it is not possible to de-anonymize an opponent without his consent.
Can player hide information about him on Sharkscope?
This happens, but extremely rarely. Most likely, the opponent you are interested in has never played for real money before, or you entered his nickname incorrectly in the search field.
How to show/hide your own statistics?
A poker player has the right to make his stats public. To do this, you need to check the “On/off public statistics option” item in the “Settings” menu.
In this section, you can select a specific room, write and confirm your email address, and then wait for a response from the portal’s support service.
Almost all poker rooms allow the use of additional software in the game, blocking those players who use applications considered forbidden. It is extremely difficult to play successfully without the help of specialized software, since in order to make the right decision in a short period of time, you need to process and analyze a huge amount of information.
