Best of the web you bet!
February 16, 2008 11:05 AM   Subscribe

Poker hand simulator. Get a feel for the odds before you bet the farm.
posted by Brian B. (30 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
That's fairly unexciting, given the clunkiness of the interface.
posted by delmoi at 11:08 AM on February 16, 2008


That's fairly unexciting, given the clunkiness of the interface.

Indeed, but I was feeling depressed today. Oh, and don't forget that "10" is "T" instead. It is also open source, so an enterprising type can perhaps use it to make a new application.
posted by Brian B. at 11:12 AM on February 16, 2008 [1 favorite]


I would also suggest PokerStove as an alternative poker odds calculator. There are a ton of these calculators out there, but to my knowledge, PokerStove is the more widely adopted software for this function. It is also free.
posted by mosk at 11:24 AM on February 16, 2008


mosk beat me to it. Pokerstove is the one that the serious poker analysts over on 2+2 use. Not sure if it does as many games as the link posted by Brian B though, I think Pokerstove may be limited to Hold'em.

I'm surprised that we never got the Brandi Hawbaker story posted to the blue. I struggled and struggled over the idea of posting it, but I knew it would be flagged up the wazoo. Brandi vs. Captain Tom/Newhizzle/pimprexel/Sklansky was definitely the best of my web though.

Someday I will fly!
posted by PeterMcDermott at 11:35 AM on February 16, 2008


You poke her hand. You brung her.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:38 AM on February 16, 2008


I'm surprised that we never got the Brandi Hawbaker story posted to the blue.

Well, I hadn't heard it. I haven't played poker since that stupid-ass new law, which blocked party poker and neteller :( Where do Americans play poker these days online?
posted by delmoi at 11:39 AM on February 16, 2008


Nice timing. I've just lost 3 SNGs on the run, on the bubble. I'm supposed to be the Third Best Poker Player in Llangrannog.
posted by ceiriog at 11:39 AM on February 16, 2008


The odds calculator at Card Player has a nice interface.
posted by ceiriog at 11:42 AM on February 16, 2008 [1 favorite]


Delmoi: Stars or Full Tilt.
posted by reishus at 11:43 AM on February 16, 2008


I second the Card Player interface, it calculates Omaha stats.

I am checking out Poker Stove.
posted by Duncan at 11:50 AM on February 16, 2008


Same thing as this.
posted by basicchannel at 11:57 AM on February 16, 2008


Also, for reviewing past hands you should use this. For looking-up how good someone is at tournament play you should use this (doesn't work in Safari). Lastly, to analyze your play historically you should use this or this. Don't forget your Heads-Up Display, either (so's you can get a quantifiable look at someone's play style and bet accordingly).

After messing with all these tools, you should join in the coversation over here.
posted by basicchannel at 12:03 PM on February 16, 2008 [2 favorites]


basicchannel: your tournament play link goes to this thread.
posted by Infinite Jest at 12:22 PM on February 16, 2008


Well, I hadn't heard it.

Brandi Hawbaker
posted by PeterMcDermott at 12:34 PM on February 16, 2008


Is there anything out there that shows the odds as you're playing a game? That kind of playing with training wheels seems more likely to stick in my head than reviewing 'em after the fact.

Thanks for the post, Brian B., and for all the good links in this thread.
posted by ibmcginty at 12:59 PM on February 16, 2008


Oops. Here is the tournament player look-up.
posted by basicchannel at 1:04 PM on February 16, 2008


It is also open source

Royal straight flush, here I come!
posted by StickyCarpet at 1:27 PM on February 16, 2008


Thanks basicchannel. No support for Absolute, I see: you don't happen to know a similar site that works with Absolute? (My Google-fu is failing me).
posted by Infinite Jest at 2:43 PM on February 16, 2008


Scratch that, I found one: thepokerDB. It's accurate for my tournament stats, though seems to be missing my SnG stats.
posted by Infinite Jest at 2:49 PM on February 16, 2008


PokerTracker. This program exists because nobody has bothered to write a better one. It's full of statistics that don't converge usefully until you have about a half-million+ hands. Unfortunately, that's the same point where it gets painfully slow.

That said, at least it records your results for you, which is kind of nice, so long as you never played mixed games, or triple draw.

PokerAce. This program overlays some numbers of your choosing onto the screen. It encourages players to stop paying attention or thinking, and instead to just look at some basic looseness and aggression factors and make default plays.

I encourage everybody to tell their opponents to use this software, as it seems like it contributes to what I refer to as "2+2 style" play. This is when a player uses default reactions in nearly all cases lining up with what the masses of the 2+2 forums would say to do, even when a more careful analysis would show that the situation wasn't standard.

Sharkscope. This website exists primarily so untalented jerks can taunt slightly worse players with their results. At higher limits it's used by railbirds to make fun of fish who have more money than they do.

Honestly, if you can't tell if somebody is playing good or bad, you're bad at poker. As such, it's pretty much moot.

PokerHand. This website is used as a concise way to show your friends that you are an expert player. Just paste the hand history, then gloat or cry to your friends as appropriate.

2+2. A website that used to host some really great, in-depth poker discussion. Today it is basically a place for life-free online pros to waste their days, arranging 10k fights, yo. The real discussions now happen elsewhere.

Twodimes: The site everybody always uses to get odds. The site linked here is just another version of twodimes. Also, it's probably a self-link.

Honestly though, if you learn how to count outs, read a few good books and play some hands, you should do fine.
posted by mosch at 3:06 PM on February 16, 2008 [3 favorites]


SNG Power Tools: If you play a lot of SNGs (or play enough MTTs to need some serious final table strategy), this will help you figure out that you're not pushing all-in nearly often enough.
posted by mosch at 3:11 PM on February 16, 2008


Twodimes: The site everybody always uses to get odds. The site linked here is just another version of twodimes.

If they are the same, they are both from the same open source program. It's all explained on the site, perhaps in a dozen languages, and taking the effort to name its source.

Also, it's probably a self-link.

It's not a self-link, and now I know you are probably a lousy poker player, and a lazy researcher. The copyright notice lists TPMC media interests as owner, which a search reveals is owned by Terry Peng. I am not Terry Peng, nor do I know anyone named Peng, nor have I any connection to TPMC media interests.
posted by Brian B. at 4:57 PM on February 16, 2008


This is best of the web?

Poker hand simulators are an entire genre and this one isn't all that great. PokerStove is at least four years old and it's hard to beat. Poker Calculator is alright if you play something besides holdem.

I think Eastbay stopped maintaining PowerTools over a year ago, but SnGs aren't my thing.

Nice hand you posted there mosch. What was ROUNDERS76 thinking on the river? That guy is a 2+2 legend.

Olé!
posted by BigSky at 6:04 PM on February 16, 2008


This is best of the web?

Poker hand simulators are an entire genre and this one isn't all that great. PokerStove is at least four years old and it's hard to beat. Poker Calculator is alright if you play something besides holdem.

Well, according to mosch, everyone uses it (albeit at twodimes). PokerStove seems fine too, but it's a download for hold'em only. PokerStove also recommends the same simulator used by pokertips and twodimes on their FAQ for those wanting the sourcecode to a simulator. Quote:

Q10. Is source code for PokerStove available?

No. If you are looking for source code, I would recommend going to the pokersource project at sourceforge.net. It is excellent code and runs the back end of the Twodimes.net poker page. The code is available under the GNU General Public Licensee (GPL).


FYI, the pokertips link in the FPP comes up first when using the search term "simulator" and presents itself in many languages, and features richer content, more information, and offers forums about poker, and it also has a pot odds calculator.
posted by Brian B. at 6:37 PM on February 16, 2008



It's not a self-link, and now I know you are probably a lousy poker player, and a lazy researcher.


Uncalled for, and also hilarious. Though I'm down $12k today, so hey, maybe you're right!
posted by mosch at 7:27 PM on February 16, 2008


I think Eastbay stopped maintaining PowerTools over a year ago, but SnGs aren't my thing.

Ah, I didn't know he gave up on it, but I've never really wanted more features. I couldn't give a crap about SNGs really (I burned out on them after I played 1k $55+5s in a month back in 2003.) I still load up SNGPT now and then to analyze some MTT final table situations after the fact, though.

After all, final tables are basically the only spot where it's possible for a good poker player to make a four+ digit mistake without realizing it.
posted by mosch at 7:34 PM on February 16, 2008


Nice hand you posted there mosch. What was ROUNDERS76 thinking on the river? That guy is a 2+2 legend.

Uhh... the money ran out on the turn ;-)

I was actually trying to find one of the hands I played in the big, pre-ban, cryptologic PLO games but I gave up because I couldn't remember what my crypto screen names were. It was routine for players in that game to go any number of buyins pre-flop with dry aces, among a gazillion other bits of amazing.

Man, now I'm sad. The high-limit games at crypto might well have been the best-kept secret of online poker. They made partypoker players seem cheap and cautious.
posted by mosch at 8:38 PM on February 16, 2008


mosch,

You are right, of course. Still, what was ROUNDERS76 thinking on the turn? He's playing El Diablo for Christ's sake. He might want something a little better than overpair before calling ElD's CR all-in. The man is a 2+2 legend!

P.S. twoplustwo is a .com not .org. Heh heh. Also thanks for the 10k fight link. With the exception of the legislation forum, I stopped hanging out there after the Port Security Act. I recognized young hov's face (who could forget a kisser like that?), but I hadn't read the acceptance. Young 20 year olds rarely disappoint.

P.P.S. I never played Crypto, but I remember Schneids making a similar comment a couple of years ago.
posted by BigSky at 5:50 AM on February 17, 2008


It's still financial suicide, you're right. I mean, El Diablo isn't going to CR AI with TPTK or something similarly dumb, so he's either winning, or he mis-clicked. And El Diablo is pretty good at clicking.

As for Crypto, I didn't know Schneids made a similar comment, but *wow*, those games were amazing. When I first started playing there I put it to variance, but when you sustain an "unsustainable" winrate for 2 years, playing 1k+ hands/day... well.... eventually you assume that you found the best games on the internet :-)

Honestly, it was almost like playing in a casino, the players were that bad and rich. It was funny, too. I'd routinely see players like Schneids, Diablo, Stoxtrader, etc. around, yet somehow the base of 2+2 never quite figured out that they were missing a feeding frenzy. Instead they'd bitch that the client software was ugly, and I'd smile.
posted by mosch at 3:00 PM on February 17, 2008


Good overview by mosch, but he forgot Holdem Manager, which is like PokerTracker and PokerAce HUD on steroids.
posted by NekulturnY at 1:41 AM on February 18, 2008


« Older Hoosier Daddy Sampson to Dakich   |   Game over man!!! (Maybe) Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments