The State of Poker Software with Niall FitzGerald (dubfitz)

PokerSoftware is pleased to interview Niall "dubfitz" FitzGerald.  After spending significant with this aspiring Irish poker star while visiting Ireland earlier this year, I was curious about how poker software helps with his game and the learning process.  Read on to find out what he recommends and what's in his Heads-Up Display.

PokerSoftware: What poker software are you using now and what have you used before?

Niall FitzGerald: I am currently using Holdem Manager 2.  In the past, I have used Holdem Manager 1, Table Ninja, SitNGo Wizard, and PokerStove.

PokerSoftware: What do you get out of your current poker software?

Niall FitzGerald: During my games, I use Holdem Manager 2 for player analysis via the HUD.  After my sessions, I use the tournament summaries mostly imported from PokerStars and reports to track my overall long-term profits and losses.  When studying, I use the built-in hand history replayer to analyze tournaments I have played and swap hand histories with friends for discussion.

PokerSoftware: Do you think the pricing of most poker software is fair? Do you prefer poker software that is priced at a one-time fee or a monthly subscription?

Niall FitzGerald: I think the pricing on the software mentioned before is fair.  However, considering the number of bugs with the new version of Holdem Manager 2 in recent months, I feel that the price has not reflected the quality of the program compared to previous versions.  I prefer to pay a one-time fee and know that I own the software rather than have a subscription.  I find the pricing for training sites to be overly expensive for the small-stakes player.

PokerSoftware: Do you use a poker controller or any program that has hotkeys?

Niall FitzGerald: I use a programmable mouse combined with the hotkey utility on PokerStars.  This has done away with the need to use a hotkey program like TableNinja for most functions.

PokerSoftware: What information do you find useful in your HUD and how do you best exploit your opponents with it?

Niall FitzGerald: I play mainly low-stakes, large field MTTs.  In the early stages, I use the HUD to track which opponents are limping too often, how they respond to continuation bets and isolation raises, and their overall VPIP and PFR.  When multi-tabling, these stats are invaluable to quickly evaluate a player's overall strategy or lack thereof and respond accordingly.

As tournaments progress and I start to accumulate a larger sample size of hands against an opponent, I can see his positional awareness, street-by-street aggression, 3betting tendencies, and how often they steal.  These are important for later in the tournament when I increase my aggression and try to find the easier spots at the table to accumulate chips.

PokerSoftware: Is there anything you would like to see out of future releases of poker software that isn't available today?

Niall FitzGerald: I need to do more work with Holdem Manager before I could advise if anything else is needed.  For the level I’m playing at, it covers everything I need.

PokerSoftware: Have you had a chance to play mobile poker on PokerStars?  Do you feel like you're at a disadvantage when you do not use your poker software while on mobile?

Niall FitzGerald: I have not used a mobile application yet.  However, I would definitely be reluctant to play more than two tables on a mobile device without tracking software.

Feel free to post any questions for Niall.