Poker = Stick Shift ... Poker+PokerTracker = Automatic
I recently reinstalled pokertracker, was lazy and didn't have it for the last few months.
In the months i wasn't using it i found my game dipped but it slowely picked up (obviously i have nothing detailed to prove it), but in general i got better at paying attention and found i was seeing things i wasn't noticing before.
Reinstalling pokertracker i found i was making my decisions based on the information (likely misapplying it, who knows) from pokertracker. Now i no longer noticed if someone consistently stole from the cutoff, or if he would often laydown to big reraises. The information may well have been in pokertracker but it wasn't available on your finger tips and when using it thats the only information you focus on.
Made me realize that PokerTracker essentially does by its sheer usefullness reduce your attention on the game. You are less immersed and rely on the numbers, often even over your own instincts based on the attention you were giving when not using it.
I realized that pokertracker was zapping the enjoyment out of my game, i know half the forum will say, yah but not using it is a -ev move, but i think pokertracker can be a crutch and people should try playing with and without it ... to make sure pokertracker isn't causing them to make mistakes, but they feel pokertracker is validating those mistakes or misreads, or any varition of that.
In the months i wasn't using it i found my game dipped but it slowely picked up (obviously i have nothing detailed to prove it), but in general i got better at paying attention and found i was seeing things i wasn't noticing before.
Reinstalling pokertracker i found i was making my decisions based on the information (likely misapplying it, who knows) from pokertracker. Now i no longer noticed if someone consistently stole from the cutoff, or if he would often laydown to big reraises. The information may well have been in pokertracker but it wasn't available on your finger tips and when using it thats the only information you focus on.
Made me realize that PokerTracker essentially does by its sheer usefullness reduce your attention on the game. You are less immersed and rely on the numbers, often even over your own instincts based on the attention you were giving when not using it.
I realized that pokertracker was zapping the enjoyment out of my game, i know half the forum will say, yah but not using it is a -ev move, but i think pokertracker can be a crutch and people should try playing with and without it ... to make sure pokertracker isn't causing them to make mistakes, but they feel pokertracker is validating those mistakes or misreads, or any varition of that.
Comments
I much prefer sitting downafter a game and thinking about key hands and how I played them. I have a great memory and can recall key hands from years ago, possibly this is where hand histories come in useful for others with less recall. I have to keep poker fun to be successful and things like the above drain the fun from the game for me.