Holdem Indicator
A new Standard in Poker Calculators
Special NOTE: Holdem Indicator Now on APPROVED list for POKER STARS
If you have ever read my review of Poker Indicator, you will know that I thought it had great potential, save for a few important draw backs that kept it from competing with the market leaders in this category. 
Holdem Indicator now succeeds Poker Indicator and not only that, has zoomed to the top of the class of empirical poker calculators market wide.
With a lot of new calculator software being introduced rapidly, I have tested virtually all of them only to find numerous programming quirks that had to be noted so that I knew which one would work with which site, and on which computer! Poker Indicator always worked smoothly and never suffered from over-programming. Holdem Indicator does just that as well, seamlessly flowing into every poker site I tried it on. New in this software is a mini view option that just squeaks under your site window if you just want the basic information in a handy spot. Why can't all poker calculators be this flawless?
When using Holdem Indicator you get the distinct notion that the software designers actually play poker and understand layout and design, as much as odds in the game itself. Especially valuable in this software is the odds display that shows two vital things - your odds of winning the pot, and your pot odds when a bet is put to you. If you have ever had trouble laying down hands, this feature alone will save you the cost of this calculator in one .25/.50 cent session at Full Tilt Poker. Seriously. You can change the odds display to percentage or ratio whatever your preference, but for poker ratio is the way to go as it easily compares your pot odds. When a bet is put to you, and one of these indicators is significantly larger than the other, take a closer look before your next move. For example if your pot odds are a decent 4 to 1, but your odds to win are 22 to 1, then your juicy pot odds don’t really matter, and you should muck.
There has also been a great design improvement in the visibility of your hole card display versus the flop. No need for color decks any more. This is as clear as graphics can be. And when you hole cards do show, they are accompanied by a convenient “out” window showing cards you will need to hit, and the familiar Sklansky hand rank system showing what groups your hole cards fall into further enforcing playing with cards of strength. Hey, there is a reason ten-deuce off suit is group 9.
Holdem Indicator is a reccomended Empirical Poker Calculator
Empirical means that this poker calculator can help you keep track of your opponents, even if you are not. You can actually monitor a table before you sit at it, or keep track of players while you sit out for a period. The opponent stats window will indicate a player's profile based on several calculations including VPIP, aggression, and show downs wins. After collecting 50 hands of data, Hold'em Indicator will assign a graphic image to you and your opponents. Some interesting icons include a time bomb, eagle, elephant, fish and yield sign. While the software is collecting this, it is also summing the table as a whole giving you a snap shot of the action.
Video of Holdem Indicator in Action
Using Your Poker Calculator to Spot a Pro at the Table.
You don’t necessarily need a poker calculator to do this but at the least, it sure can help you confirm or deny your suspicions about the quality of your opponent. You may have been attracted to your favorite poker website with the lure of numerous fish, but wherever they are, there too, are sharks. So it only follows that you need to know who they are. A poker calculator like Holdem Indicator will virtually tell you who they are by indicating how many hands they play, how many pre-flop raises they make, and how many hands they win at showdown – all this without ever having to know what they were holding.
The profiling grid of holdem indicator plainly shows how many hands each player at your table entered the pot whether raising, checking, or calling. Players under 30% for this measurement are to be taken carefully. If they happen to be under 20%, they have a solid, big card hand at the very least. So you know if your hole cards are mediocre, like AJos, KQs etc. lay them down to this player, because the chances are you are at least an underdog, and quite likely dominated.
Consistent pre-flop raising, especially in position is a solid indication you are dealing with a pro. Experienced players generally follow the assumption that aggressiveness, combined with solid post flop play will win a lot of pots whether you hit the flop or not. If you have a look at Hold’em Indicator's session stats, the PFR% column shows exactly the amount of raises divided by hands played. The higher this is, the more likely you are up against a pro that knows his odds are better playing heads-up. I usually find a percentage of 25% or more is indicative of professional play. It’s that low because you have to factor in the late position, pot odds calls. That in itself is another sign of professional play.
You know to be concerned about being heads up in a pot when your opponent has a hand win rate of 70%or more. You can see this rating on Hold’em Pirate in the session stats. This means your opponent is basically in with the goods. Save for being drawn out, if you go to the river with this opponent, you better not be bluffing or drawing as these game critical intersects will cost you chips or cash. A real pro will rarely go to the river without the best hand, or without an opportunity to take the pot from a weaker player.