What is a PokerTracker and why do you need one? Trackers in poker are responsible for building a database of information about the players you meet at the tables. You don’t have unlimited memory, but PokerTracker 4 does.
Tracking software is always paired with a heads-up display (HUD) so that you can view data at the tables. It used to be a fringe tool, reserved only for the most tech-savvy users with powerful computers. Nowadays, HUDs and trackers are standard for serious poker players.
PokerTracker 4 is most useful at the table, but it helps with post-session analysis too. Players can generate reports to find leaks and successes from individual sessions or their entire history.
Our PokerTracker 4 review has all of the main features, plus the instructions for starting a free 15-day trial.
PokerTracker 4 Main Features
There are several tracker programs on the market and PokerTracker is (and has always been) one of the leaders.
PT4 is the software sequel to Poker Tracker 3 (PT3 is no longer updated by the developers).
It collects and analyzes statistics from every player you meet at the tables, but that’s just a short summary. Let’s take a detailed look at each main feature of PokerTracker 4, and afterward, we’ll explain the free trial.
The PokerTracker 4 Heads-Up Display (HUD)
A poker HUD is one of the first steps to becoming a more aware and strategic player. It’s likely that many of your opponents already use one.
The PokerTracker 4 HUD empowers you with useful information, such as:
- VPIP: How often a player puts money into the pot voluntarily
- AF: The aggression factor measures passive vs aggressive actions (check vs bet)
- PFR: How often a player makes a preflop raise
- 3-BET: How often a player 3-bets
- 4-BET+: How often a player 4-bets, 5-bets, 6-bets, etc.
- ATS: How often a player attempts to steal the pot preflop
- and more
These stats (and many more) will be shown just below a player’s avatar and color-coded for simplicity.
Take notes manually or automatically. You can write your own notes for players and divide them by betting round, but PokerTracker 4 also records notes on your behalf. This can be really helpful for analysis and also informative during hands.
The vectorized HUD automatically sizes itself because the PokerTracker 4 developers make it match your poker software’s size. The graphics are simple, so your hardware shouldn’t be stressed or have trouble rendering.
Advanced pop-ups show you information that’s relevant to particular streets too. You can examine how players adjust during different betting rounds by clicking on the HUD and opening the pop-ups.
Choose the data you want to see. The HUD is fully customizable, so you can decide which statistics you want to appear beside your opponents.
PokerTracker 4 works with fast-fold poker formats! In the past, many HUDs were able to run on formats like Zoom at PokerStars. Now the software is fully compatible with these fast-folding games, which is great because players need it more than ever here. Since you move from table to table, it can be harder to remember details about players without a heads-up display.
PokerStars is one of the best sites to play fast-fold poker; but not just because of the well-developed software. Stars is one of the busiest poker sites in the world, that’s great news for Zoom players who use a HUD. The more players are in the Zoom pool, the more advantage you gain over players who aren’t using HUDs.
PokerStars also has a rake structure that usually beats other poker sites. To learn more about their software, game selection, and bonuses, visit our full PokerStars review.
PokerTracker 4 also includes a 9-player ICM calculator for tournament poker players. When you know the direct dollar value of each chip, you’ll see the cost of your decisions and the equity you have in the tournament. There’s also a fully-functional ICM Quiz you can take to drill push/fold strategies.
Advanced Reporting System
The graphs and reports about your sessions are valuable, especially with custom filters. Instead of wondering what we could have done wrong, it’s best to just review the information directly with a post-session report.
PokerTracker 4 has a very comprehensive reporting system that can break down your play by almost every possible aspect.
You can filter your entire history by:
- Game details
- Hand details
- Session details
- Hand values
- Board texture
- Action and opportunities
If you want to continue using filters again and again, you can save them as presets to save time.
You can also view heat maps that show statistics for your entire player database, but that’s not all. PT4 users can check postflop ranges, player tendencies, and compare stats with your entire database. You can isolate statistics for winning players too and see what they are doing correctly.
Poker Tracker 4’s LeakTracker
Every leading poker tracking tool needs to have some kind of leak detection or reporting feature.
Players can see their mistakes clearly with PokerTracker 4’s built-in LeakTracker and even compare themselves to other players.
It can be a massive benefit to view a winning player’s actions in spots where you have leaks.
In this example, we see stats for a player's actions with 10-10, which is marked as TT in poker programs. The most recent 100 hands are selected and some statistics are shown beside the range chart. The aggression frequency (AFq) is 67.81% and the player went to showdown (WTSD) just under 30%. At showdown (WSD), they won holding 10-10 just under 50% of the time.
The PokerTracker 4 LeakTracker will highlight hands that go outside of the normal limits and also hands where there were losses or misplays.
Is There an Alternative to PokerTracker 4?
Yes, there is! Many players prefer a program called Holdem Manager 3 for player tracking and HUDs. The design of the heads-up display is slightly more advanced than others, with features like Graphical HUD and advanced pop-ups.
Overall, Holdem Manager 3 is a much more user-friendly program that carries a very similar price to PT4.
Here’s a free trial you can download for Holdem Manager 3.
PokerTracker 4 Price and Free Trial Instructions
If you want to download and test the software before you buy, start your 15-day free trial.
There are several packages to choose from, but it’s not as complex as it looks. The PokerTracker packages are all divided by format and stakes.
Holdem Small Stakes Up to $50 NL, $100 LIM & $22 buy-in. | $64 |
Holdem Full All stakes. | $99 |
Omaha Small Stakes Up to $50 NL, $100 LIM & $22 buy-in. | $64 |
Omaha Full All stakes. | $99 |
Holdem + Omaha Small Stakes Up to $50 NL, $100 LIM & $22 buy-in. | $99 |
Holdem + Omaha Full All Stakes. | $159 |
There are several add-ons for users with other licenses who want to change or upgrade.
Holdem Add-On Add Holdem Full to the current PT4 license. | $80 |
Holdem Small Stakes Add-On Add Holdem Small Stakes to the current PT4 license | $55 |
Omaha Add-On Add Omaha Full to the current PT4 license. | $80
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Omaha Small Stakes Add-On Add Omaha Small Stakes to the current PT4 license. | $55 |
Holdem Small Stakes to Full Upgrade Upgrade from Holdem Small Stakes to All Stakes. | $45 |
Omaha Small Stakes to Full Upgrade Upgrade from Omaha Small Stakes to All Stakes. | $45
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