For a long time, I've been keen to start testing Holdem Manager. This weekend it became a necessity. Why? After a brief trip to Canada and the USA, I returned to find that Full Tilt had updated their software. Usually, no problem. However, this time significant changes had been made to prevent 'data mining' - that is, capturing information on other players while you're not actually sitting at the table.
Personally I didn't quite get the issue. I hadn't been able to datamine MTTs for a long time (I used to open 10 tables other than the one I was playing at, but a while ago I couldn't get any stats from those tables so gave up).
Up to this point I'd been using Poker Tracker 2 and PokerAce HUD for nearly three years with no troubles (other than those related to the complexity of getting the app running, updating it, exporting and importing databases... the usual).
This time was different. An email to PT support returned a single link to the PT forums with the ticket 'closed'. That link took me not to a solution but an 18-page thread (now 20 pages) where the PT legend Pat worked manfully on the problem. I installed all the patches, followed all the suggestions... still no luck, although a patch was available to get Poker Tracker 3 working within a day or so.
As for Poker Tracker Omaha and PokerAce Hud - I had to find links to those problems in the thread (although they are pretty easy to find in the forum navigation). The HUD problem thread revealed their still wasn't a fix... and the Omaha one didn't work either.
What also concerned me was that Pat appeared to be working on the PTHE problem on his own as the regular Poker Tracker guys no longer support v2.
So after a week of frustration I opted to upgrade - and bought and installed Holdem Manager, rather than PT3. The reason? Number one was that PT3 doesn't support Omaha, so not a like for like purchase. And despite the herculean efforts of Pat - who in my opinion should be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame - I think PT rather dropped the ball on this one. Surely they could have recognised that this was a major issue and that they were essentially hanging some of their long standing customers out to dry? Obviously not.
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