Quick Start Guide

PokerTracker 3 version 3.10
October 25, 2013
  • Overview

    Online poker sites write hand histories to your computer detailing every action in the hand. PokerTracker parses these hand histories and stores statistics and other hand information into a PostgreSQL database for later review.

    This guide is intended to help you quickly and easily install, setup, and configure PokerTracker and PostgreSQL. This guide will also provide you with some of the basic tools so that you can begin using PokerTracker to import hand histories, review imported hands, and view the head-up display (HUD) which displays statistics directly on top of the poker tables that you are playing on.

  • Before You Begin

    It is highly recommend that you create an account on the PokerTracker website. This will allow you to participate in forum discussions and get personalized help via the PokerTracker Support system. Registration for the website only takes a few minutes and will save you a lot of time when you need assistance. When you purchase PokerTracker 3, you will always be able to access your registration code quickly on the site via My Account -> Registration Codes.

    If you get stuck at any point or have questions while going through the steps provided in this guide; please contact us via the PokerTracker forums or the PokerTracker Support system and we will gladly be of assistance.

  • Upgrading from a Previous Version of PokerTracker
    • From PokerTracker 2

      PokerTracker 3 is a completely different application than PokerTracker v2. How PokerTracker 3 stores your statistics in the database has changed significantly since version 2. After installation, you can either re-import old hand histories that you have saved or you can use the automated conversion process documented in the Database Management & Maintenance Guide.

    • From PokerTracker 3

      If PokerTracker 3 is already installed on your computer then you can simply upgrade to the latest release found on the PokerTracker website and run the installation file. DO NOT uninstall PokerTracker 3 or PostgreSQL prior to upgrading as it is not necessary and can potentially cause problems. When upgrading, you must have PokerTracker 3 closed prior to running the upgrade installer.

  • Installation

    To Install PokerTracker 3:

    1. Download the latest release from the PokerTracker website.
    2. Once the download has completed, run the PT-Install file that was saved to your computer. (If you are upgrading from a previous version of PokerTracker 3 then PokerTracker and all of your poker sites must be closed prior to running the installation file)
    3. Read the license agreement. If you agree, click the I Agree to continue.
    4. Choose the location where you would like to install PokerTracker onto your computer then click Install. We recommend installing to the default location.
    5. PokerTracker 3 has been successfully installed onto your computer. Click Close to exit the installation.

    If this is the first time that you are installing PokerTracker 3 onto your computer then please proceed to Installing the PostgreSQL Database Server section in this guide. If PostgreSQL is already installed on your computer then you can skip ahead to Configuring PostgreSQL in PokerTracker 3.

    • Installing the PostgreSQL Database Server

      PokerTracker 3 stores imported hand histories and statistics into a database called PostgreSQL which must be installed on your computer for PokerTracker 3 to run. PostgreSQL is an open source database server. If interested in learning more about PostgreSQL, please visit their website at postgresql.org.

      When you run PokerTracker for the first time, if PostgreSQL is not installed on your computer, you will be prompted to install the PostgreSQL database server onto your computer. Click Yes to continue. The next step is to configure PostgreSQL settings.

      • Default PostgreSQL Settings

        We highly recommend using the default settings unless you are advanced and know exactly what you are doing. The default values are:

        Server: localhost
        Port: 5432
        Service User: postgres
        Service User Password: svcPASS83
        Database User: postgres
        Database User Password: dbpass

         

         

        IMPORTANT: If you change the default passwords, write them down and remember them. PokerTracker support cannot recover your PostgreSQL passwords therefore we recommend using the default passwords provided.

        To install PostgreSQL click Install and PokerTracker will proceed to install PostgreSQL on your computer.

    • Configuring PostgreSQL in PokerTracker 3

      Once PostgreSQL is installed on your computer, you will be prompted to enter the PostgreSQL server information so that PokerTracker can connect to the database. If PokerTracker 3 installed PostgreSQL for you then the default settings will be pre-populated. Click Connect and PokerTracker will connect to the database server. If this is your first database then please proceed to Creating Your First Database. If you previously created a database then skip ahead to Connecting to an Existing Database.

       

       

    • Creating Your First Database

      Once PokerTracker 3 is connected to the PostgreSQL database server, you will be prompted to create your first PokerTracker 3 database. In the Name field, enter the name that you would like to refer to the database as (or you can leave the default name provided). PokerTracker 3 will provide the default database settings for you. If you changed the default settings during PostgreSQL installation then you should enter them here. Click the Create button and PokerTracker 3 will create your first database. Please skip ahead to The Setup Wizard section of this guide.

       

       

    • Connecting to an Existing Database

      If you have an existing PokerTracker 3 database on your computer then you will need to connect to it. Click the Browse Databases link. Every existing PokerTracker 3 database on your computer will be listed. Select the database that you would like to connect to and click OK. (If no databases are listed then there are no existing PokerTracker 3 databases on your computer and you should go back to the Creating Your First Database section of this guide)

      This database already exists option should be checked if connecting to an existing database.

       

       

  • The Setup Wizard

    The setup wizard was designed to help you quickly and easily configure PokerTracker 3 with the poker site(s) that you play on. The setup wizard consists of four parts which we will go through one by one below. The setup wizard can be utilized at three different points in time:

    • To quickly and easily setup PokerTracker 3 the first time that you run the program
    • To add a new site later on after you have already been using PokerTracker 3
    • If you have not used PokerTracker 3 recently but have been playing. The setup wizard can be utilized to import all hands played since the last time that you used PokerTracker 3.

    If this is the first time that you are running PokerTracker 3 then the setup wizard will launch immediately. You can run the Setup Wizard at any time by clicking the File menu then Setup Wizard.

    • Step 1: Select Sites

      The first step of the setup wizard is to select the sites that you play on (or wish to add into PokerTracker 3). Check each site that you play on. Once all of the sites are selected proceed by clicking the Continue to Next Step button.

       

       

    • Step 2: Configure Hand Histories

      In step 2, you must configure the location where each poker site is saving hand histories to your local computer. PokerTracker 3 will attempt to auto-detect these hand history locations. If the hand history location for the site was auto-detected you will see a  next to the site name. If the hand history location was unable to be auto-detected then you will see a .

       

       

      If any site(s) has a  (such as Full Tilt in the above image) then we must first resolve the issue prior to continuing. There are two main reasons why PokerTracker 3 would not be able to auto-detect the sites hand history directory:

      1. The site that you are playing on is not currently saving hand histories to your computer. Click the  image next to the site name for site specific instructions on how to configure your poker site to save hand histories to your computer.
      2. If the poker site is saving hand histories to your computer then click Add Directory and browse to and select the exact location where the site is saving hand histories as configured in the poker site.

      Once each site has a  next to the site name then you can proceed to the next step by clicking the Continue to Next Step button.

    • Step 3: First Time Import

      Step three will list each site that was selected and configured during the previous two steps. If any existing hand histories have been detected it will list them next to the site. If no existing hand histories are found then click Continue to Next Step and proceed to Step 4: Finished.

       

       

      If existing hand histories are found, click the Import Now and Continue button and PokerTracker 3 will import your existing hand histories into your database. Once the existing hand histories are imported into PokerTracker 3, it will archive the hand history files to your Processed Files directory which by default is the Processed sub-directory under the main PokerTracker 3 directory.

      This process of archiving hand histories is VERY important. It keeps your active hand history directories clean from old hands so that new hands will be detected and imported in the future. If your hand history directories contain a lot of existing hand histories it more than likely will cause issues when you begin to use PokerTracker 3 and prevent the head-up display (HUD) from placing statistics on your tables. If at any point in time, you have a lot of existing hand histories, we recommend going back through the setup wizard (File -> Setup Wizard) which will import those hand histories and archive them to ensure PokerTracker 3 operates smoothly and efficiently.

    • Step 4: Finished

      Congratulations! PokerTracker 3 is now configured and ready for immediate use on the sites that were configured. Each site that was configured properly will have a  next to the site name. If any sites have a  beside their name then that site was not configured properly. In this case, you should click the Start the Setup Wizard Over link and go back and fix the incorrectly configured site(s).

      Once each site listed has  next to the site name then click the Begin Using PokerTracker button and you are ready to begin using PokerTracker 3. Please proceed to the next section in this guide titled Begin Using PokerTracker 3.

       

       

  • Begin Using PokerTracker 3

    Once PokerTracker 3 is configured with PostgreSQL and each poker site that you play on, you are ready to begin the fun part -- using the program!

    • Auto Import: Hand Histories & Head-Up Display (HUD)

      Each time that you begin playing poker, start PokerTracker 3 and navigate to the Import -> Auto Import tab. The site(s) currently configured with PokerTracker 3 will have a checkmark listed next to the site name under the Auto column. To begin, click the Begin Auto Import button.

       

       

      As hands are completed they will be imported into PokerTracker 3 in real-time. Once the first hand on each new table is imported, the head-up display (HUD) will display statistics of each player directly on the poker sites table. With each new hand, PokerTracker 3 will automatically update the stats on the table so that you always have accurate, real-time information.

      Under the Import Statistics section, it will list the number of Hands that have been imported since you started the auto-import process. Do not be alarmed by the Duplicates field which simply means that the hand was previously imported into PokerTracker 3 and has been skipped. If there are any warnings or Errors they will be listed. Further information about the warning or error can be found in the Import Status window.

      Once you are done playing, click the Stop Auto-Import button which was previously the Begin Auto-Import button. If the auto-import is not running then the button is titled Begin Auto-Import. If the auto-import is running then the button will be titled Stop Auto-Import.

    • Review: Statistics and Hands

      After hand histories have been imported into PokerTracker 3, you can view you and your opponents' stats via either the Texas Holdem or Omaha tabs depending on which portion of PokerTracker 3 that you are using and which games you wish to review. Under both the Texas Holdem and Omaha tabs there are two sub-tabs labeled Cash Games (Ring Games) and Tournaments. Select the appropriate tab for the type of game that you wish to review.

       

      On the left-hand side of the screen is a list of players that you currently have hands against. Select the player name that you wish to view statistics. The right-hand side of the window lists the currently selected player’s summary and statistics. There are numerous ways to review a player’s statistics and they are broken down into different sections. Each section has a tab which you can click. We will not get into the details of each tab in this guide and for the most part they are self explanatory.

       

      If new hands have been imported into your database since the last time that you opened statistics window then you must refresh the statistics for the newly imported hands stats to display. On the top-right hand side of the window click the Refresh button and the stats will be updated to reflect the latest statistics.

       

    • Settings: Your Screen Name
      PokerTracker 3 can be configured for your poker site account so that your screen name is selected in the player list by default. You MUST import a hand history that you played before you can select your screen name or your name will not be available.

      Under the Texas Holdem or Omaha tabs and either the Cash Games or Tournaments sub-tab, on the top right-hand side, click the Settings button as illustrated in the picture to the right.

       

      After clicking the Settings button, the Settings window will open. Under the General tab in the Screen Name section, click the Search… button.

       

       

      This will open a Find Player window. A list of players available in your database will populate. Once the list of players has finished populating, begin typing your screen name into the Search field. Once your screen name is entered/selected click the OK button.

      Various other settings can be configured in the Settings window. Click the Apply button to save the settings. The next time that you open the statistics window, your name will be selected by default and your statistics will then be displayed.

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