Guide to In-Game Poker Odds Calculators

Many of my casual or non-poker playing friends know I have played poker online and live for many years. I often get the question, "I understand the rules to the game, but what would be the next step if I want to take poker seriously?" I always recommend that any poker player who wants to take the game seriously first learn the fundamentals, and huge part is understanding the math behind the games. While it is typically casual players who ask these questions, I also recommend that experienced players brush up on the fundamentals of their poker game of choice.

One of the best ways to learn the math behind the game is to do so using an in-game poker odds calculator. These third party software tools attach to online poker tables and give you odds and help you understand how strong or weak your hand is. There are many different companies offering this software, so hopefully this guide will help those trying to find out which one might be best for them.

The Indicator programs are excellent tools: Holdem Indicator, Stud Indicator, Omaha Indicator, Tournament Indicator, and a specialized software for Mac poker players called iHoldem Indicator. The software not only tells you what your pot odds and estimated win odds are, but also the odds of you improving your hand. Besides this, the software will provide your starting hand strength based off the Skalansky Group, which is super important as when you are first starting out; you tend to want to play every hand and this helps any player not become a fish at the table.

The software also gives you the ability to grow by offering a basic HUD, which helps you understand the tendencies of your opponents. While the HUD is not nearly as advanced as those you will find in Holdem Manager or PokerTracker, it does the trick in giving you basic information to understand how fishy or aggressive your opponents are.

I personally use Stud Indicator and am surprised at how often the odds calculator even helps me as an experienced player. The software also provides a hand replayer and works on almost every major site. Unlike some of the other programs out there, Stud Indicator comes with a fixed price instead of a monthly cost, which is great for those who do not want to worry about monthly payments.

Magic Holdem is an excellent choice for those who want to improve their Hold'em fundamentals. The poker odds calculator tells you how strong your hand is and what the odds are of improving it are. The software also has a personal poker coach, which is extremely useful for providing insight before, during, and after play.

Before play, you can review weaknesses so you can keep them in mind while playing. While playing, the software provides you insight on your hand based off your holdings, the board, and how many opponents are left. After playing, you can review your last session to see where you might have made some mistakes.

Like Holdem Indicator, Magic Holdem provides a basic HUD that summarizes your opponents' stats for you to potentially exploit. Unlike Holdem Indicator, the software provides a statistical recap on your own play before and after playing. The software works with almost every major site and is available on a monthly cost basis. This type of model is good for those who aren't sure they are going to play poker in the long-run and want to test the waters.

Holdem Wizard 2 is an interesting odds calculator that not only provides your hand strength and potential outs, but also tries to predict what cards will be on the board based off your pre-flop holdings. While the RNG on poker sites is random, the creators of the software believe that based off your pre-flop holdings and your playing history, it can provide the potential odds that you might pair up

I was skeptical about this. However, when I tested out this software, I was surprised about how often the predictor was correct in its assumptions. This software is only compatible at the moment on PokerStars, Unibet, Paradise Poker, and bwin. It offers a one-month trial for those who aren't sure if this is the right software for them. You can also purchase a lifetime license.

Without having a strong basis to build upon, players often do not understand why they make the moves they do and potentially cost themselves money in the long-run. I hope this guide to in-game poker odds calculators helps you make the right choice.

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