Top Five Software Stories of 2014

2014 was one of the biggest years in recent memory for poker software news.  Here is a look at our top five poker software stories of 2014. The biggest story of the year and also of the decade is the merger between the poker tracking and analysis powerhouses PokerTracker and Hold'em Manager.  The merger was announced in late August, creating waves throughout the poker community.
 
Reaction was mixed to this news by the poker community, with some feeling that the combined forces of the two companies will create innovation faster and bring poker players two better overall products.  Other poker players were concerned that this is bad for the consumer due to lack of serious competitions, potentially driving up prices and/or stifling innovation.
 
Based off the last six months, however, it appears both PokerTracker 4 and Hold'em Manager 2 have been releasing updates as often as they were pre-merger and there have been no changes in prices in either product.
 
The second biggest poker software story was Amaya Gaming purchasing the Rational Group, the parent company of PokerStars and Full Tilt.  In most other years, this would be the top poker software story, and to many poker players and those in the industry, it was.
 
When the purchase was announced in June, Amaya Gaming provided players assurances that their poker experience would not be changing under new ownership, but did promise a new online casino and sportsbook.  So far, most players in the world have seen a casino added to their Full Tilt and PokerStars clients and it is expected that a sportsbook will be added in early 2015 to PokerStars.
 
The third biggest poker software story of 2014 was the introduction of Leak Buster 4 commercially, first to Hold'em Manager 2 customers and later in the year to PokerTracker 4. The new software allows poker players to plug their leaks faster and more effectively than with the software provider's previous versions.  Some of the improvements that can be found in Leak Buster 4 include a dramatically improved interface, updated stat ranges, new stats, new filters, new videos, more in-depth analysis, and exportable coaching reports.
 
The fourth biggest story is the advancement of cloud-based poker tracking databases.  Cloud-based software solutions are important to those who do not want to use their computer resources for heavy computations.  This is no different in poker, where HM Cloud is on the cutting edge of this technology, allowing you to have access to your HUD regardless of what computer you may be on and without slowing your machine down.
 
In April 2014, HM Cloud announced it was going into Beta, followed by an announcement in June 2014 that said the program could be synced with Hold’em Manager 2.
 
The fifth biggest story of 2014 was the improvement of poker simulation software programs.   Advanced Poker Training improved its software by releasing a full MTT simulator in August, followed by a release of a full training plan in December.  This is on top of the site's many new Beat the Pro Challenge series.
 
The poker training site PokerSnowie improved its software by retooling its bet strength analysis in September before releasing a major artificial intelligence update in November based off valuable feedback from its members.

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