Introducing PokerTracker Omaha Edition

If Texas Hold’em is the Cadillac of Poker, then according to Sammy Farha, Omaha is the Porsche.  Many players who entered into the poker boom around 2003 strictly play No Limit Hold’em, but now we're seeing a migration of players frustrated with games full of tight regulars exit their comfort zones and start playing Omaha.  Currently, there is really only one software program that tracks Omaha hands similar to what Hold’em Manager or PokerTracker 3 do for Hold’em.  That software program is somewhat outdated, but still perfectly functional: PokerTracker Omaha Edition.

Cost: $55

Currently, the plans from the folks at PokerTracker are to integrate the functions of the Omaha Edition into PokerTracker 3 and have it as an add-on function that would require an additional purchase.  Since that team has had its hands full with getting rid of the numerous bugs in PokerTracker 3, the odds of getting the Omaha package implemented anytime soon are remote.  The cost of the old program is a reasonable $55, which is standard among programs of this nature.

Features

If you have used PokerTracker 2, then using this program will be second nature to you.  Features include the ability to track ring games and tournaments on all of the major sites, log your starting hand statistics, and see your play and profitability.  It has all of the major bells and whistles that you would want out of a program, short of a Heads-Up Display (HUD), which doesn't exist at any level for Omaha tracking programs.

Installation

Installation is a snap if you already have PokerTracker 3 installed.  It will automatically find your PostgresSQL database and tap into it, creating its own database.  The documentation within the program shows you how to direct the program to auto-import your hand histories.  From there, just set up yourself in the "Preferences" tab and you're ready to play.

Using the Program

Using PokerTracker Omaha Edition is like traveling back in time to about two years ago when we were all using PokerTracker 2.  The layout and the archaic graphics are identical to that program, but its pure form function allows a user to jump right in to the stat tracking that this software program is purchased for.  There were no problems importing both tournament and ring game play into the program and imported hands were brought in quickly and efficiently. 



Clicking on the "ring" icon brings up the Ring Game Player Statistics for everyone in your database with your stats brought up by default.  From here, you can see just about any stat you can think of, with Game Level, Total Hands, Amount Won, and Total Rake being some of the main stat categories.  From there, you can navigate a ton of tabs that give you specific stats such as Session Notes, Game Notes, Position Stats, Miscellaneous Stats, and Game Time.

The program is extremely useful and, at the very least, is a method for tracking your wins and losses at the tables.  If a user clicks on the tournament icon, the Tournament Player Statistics show much of the same useful, in-depth statistics that assist in the learning process and track game play in Omaha.

Using PokerTracker Omaha Edition with PokerEV

As it stands natively, PokerTracker Omaha Edition does not output fun pretty graphs that many players use in order to brag about how well they are playing or how bad they are running.  In addition, the replayer that comes with PokerTracker Omaha Edition is somewhat outdated and lacks any sort of appeal graphically.  Enter PokerEV, a freeware program that works with PokerTracker Omaha Edition to help output those graphs and comes with a really nice replayer built in.

Upon loading PokerEV, simply click the Game Type (in our case, Omaha) and the button that corresponds to the date range you want it to look up hands from in the database. From there, you can make your pretty graphs like this one:



In addition, there are more statistics as well as a very helpful replayer to analyze your play.  This replayer is a bit more advanced than the one that comes standard with PokerTracker Omaha Edition and definitely would be useful for those of you who like to make training videos or replaying your hands to have people critique your play.



Using PokerEV alongside PokerTracker Omaha is a worthwhile and fun experience and allows those players who prefer Omaha to enjoy the type of tracking that is usually reserved for No Limit Texas Hold’em.

Final Analysis

If you're getting the Omaha bug like a lot of No Limit Hold’em players are right now, then investing in PokerTracker Omaha Edition is a worthwhile investment as you learn the game.  For you Omaha veterans out there, this program is a simple no-brainer if a lot of your play is done online.  The PokerTracker folks have no timetable for the PokerTracker 3 Omaha Upgrade. Given that scenario, it seems that your best bet is to use this somewhat outdated, but highly functional software program.