....and today I bit the bullet, officially switching over from PT3 to HEM. Let me explain.
First, I need to say that there is/was nothing wrong with PT3. It's a solid utility package that can do all of what most poker players need in a tracking software program. It scrapes, tracks, analyzes, and displays data in a relatively easy to understand interface. The PT3 HUD is also fine, with easy to program stats, and a relatively simple user interface. Overall, PT3 is a good, solid program for the casual player.
But.... I'm not a "casual amateur" player anymore. If I had to label myself, I'd call myself a serious amateur. I'm also addicted to poker statistics, charts, and leak-finding. I routinely spend a couple hours a week just going back over hand histories, looking at my stats, and trying to plug small (and sometimes big) leaks in my game. While PT3 works for most of these needs, it falls short in a few areas, especially when it comes to things like analyzing positional stats with respect to the minutiae of 3- and 4-betting, cold-calling OOP, and the like.
For data-geeks like me, I think HEM offers just enough additional statistical analysis tools and filters to make it worthwhile to switch over. Yes, it cost me a few bucks, but so far I'm pretty happy with the switch. I'm still finding my way around in the program, but already I've discovered a number of pre-programmed filters and custom reports that look to be useful. There are also a few HUD stats in HEM that PT3 hasn't yet included in their software, such as number of big blinds in the opps' stack. Poker Tracker just recently added "M" to their available stats, but HEM has had this for years. It kind of feels like PT3 is always a step behind HEM in this area.
I also like the overall GUI and look/feel of the program. I've always struggled a bit with the layout and organization of PT3. For some reason, I'm more comfortable with the "ergonomics" of the HEM layout. Yes, I'm still learning my way around, but thus far it all seems more intuitive than the PT3 interface.
Another benefit that helped push me over the edge was the hand replayer. It sounds silly, but I just plain like the look of the replayer in HEM better than the one in PT3. You can fine-tune your HUD in real time in the HEM replayer, too, which is something that PT3 can't quite yet do very well. In HEM, if you reposition your HUD stats, they get saved that way on the real table screens, and vice versa. The stats also lock to the player locations in a more stable manner, and there are a ton of little tweaks possible to get the HUD *just right*. WYSIWYG, as they say. Further, the replayer window is re-sizable. This makes it much more amenable to producing high-quality camtasia-type screencast videos of interesting hands, which is something I'm starting to do more and more as part of the poker training materials I'm (slowly) putting together. The PT3 replayer is a one-size-fits-all product, and it's essentially impossible to get a good screen capture of a replay (at least with the software I have and use).
Finally, there are a number of third-part application packages that can be added to HEM (for additional fees, of course) that look interesting. The latest version of LeakBuster, for instance, is getting pretty good reviews in the forums. Yes, there is a version of LeakBuster that works with PT3 data, but I've read it's sort of a kludgey arrangement. In contrast, the HEM-version of LeakBuster works directly within HEM, and adds some additional features that are missing in the PT3 version.
All-in-all I'm confident with the decision so far. I will report back, however, if I find any problems or issues.
All-in for now...
-Bug
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