How statistics will help improve your poker game

16-08-2020

Playing live poker is very different from playing online poker. Among the most remarkable differences, we can highlight that online you can play several tables simultaneously, while live you can spot a bluff or a signal by checking the reactions of your opponent and, usually, the online action runs around the clock while your favorite casino or poker game has a limited schedule.

However, there is another crucial distinction that many players don`t take advantage as they should: when you play online poker, your computer will save your hand history, which will turn into raw material for post-session reviews. This is a potent tool that no player should look down on.

Why is this so important? Imagine playing your "best game" in poker tournaments, but, unfortunately, you get knocked out of the prize area. You can then download your hand history and check your poker statistics to see what you`ve done wrong. You can also develop a new betting strategy or adjust what you think is necessary to fix it.

Although this isn`t a free pass to win the next tournament, improving your game by studying your game stats will undoubtedly help you in many ways:

Identify and fix your leaks

Perhaps the most obvious benefit. As poker is a game with a strong mathematical background, several trends in your game can be identified with the information hidden in your game history.

Do you let your opponents squeeze you? Or do you fold too much against a continuation bet? All of this and more can be identified by computing your hand history.

Some tools will even point out your leaks and advise on what to do to improve your game.

Keep in mind that you`ll need a good sample of hands to get the most out of your statistical analysis.

Know exactly how much you are winning

Do you know what rake is? Are you aware of the fees you pay in tournaments? How about the extra money taken out of the pot to fund a promotion prize pool? Your winnings at the poker table are the results of the money you won minus the fees you pay.

This isn`t a minor issue, as many players end up paying more rake than they won, but only notice after hours of play without seeing their cashier`s balance increase.

Your game statistics will include all of this data and will compute your net profit after all.

Check your opponents

Knowing your opponents is crucial in a game like a poker that relies not only on the cards you have but also on your actions. If the hand history provided by your poker room includes data on your opponents, it`s wise to take notes on them.

This is the equivalent of doing small talk at the tables to create a profile of the people seated in front of you.

Some poker rooms even allow you to have real-time statistics (Heads-Up Display or HUD) at the tables, which is much more powerful as you will have access to on-time information to make the best decisions and bet all your chips in the right spot.

As you can see, statistics will help you improve your game in one way or another, what you should keep in mind is that it is possible to run several analysis on your hand history, and you will be losing money by not taking advantage of this opportunity, which is exclusive to the online poker.