Poker Room Management Software Programs
One key to hosting a successful poker tournament or cash game is to use poker room management software. Rather than micromanaging the various aspects of the game, you can delegate a lot of it via a computer program. These aspects include:
- Changes in the blind levels
- Balancing tables
- Configuring payouts
Using poker room management software gives you time for more important things, like playing poker.
Poker Room Software Checklist
Most
poker room management software is more-or-less the same, but some software
offers better features or more customization options. Here is a checklist of
features to look for:
- Auto Hot Keys: Using a mouse is ALWAYS slower than using auto hot keys. Most management software packages offer auto hot keys, but some only offer hot keys for one or two actions, such as "play" and "pause." The best programs allow you to fully customize the hot keys, allowing every action to be accessible by keyboard alone.
- Advertising/Banners: Some management programs include the option of displaying text or banner advertising. This can be a potential source of income, because you can advertise your business or website. Another option is to charge others a fee to display their ads. If you don't have a business ad to display, these spaces can be used to highlight the next poker tournament.
- Broadcasting: If you are holding the same tournament in two different rooms, then you might want to find software that allows you to broadcast the tournament screen to another computer. Finding software that allows you to do this will help you avoid having to spend extra on several software licenses.
The Best Poker Cardroom Management Software
The main function of poker cardroom management software is the tournament clock display. The additional bells and whistles depend on how much you're willing to spend. Most of this kind of software comes with a 30 day trial period. Take advantage of it to put the software through its paces before making your final purchase decision.
These are the best poker room software programs on the market as of March, 2010, and all prices are current as of March, 2010.
Poker Clock - Poker-Clock.com
Poker Clock offers two different versions of their software, both of which are free to use. The first version requires a download, and it offers the most options, including:
- Create and save lists of players
- Save structures and player stats
- Post stats online
The other version of Poker Clock is a no-download version that's accessible from your Internet browser. The no-download version doesn't have any of the features that allow you to save stats or lists.
The Tournament Director - TheTournamentDirector.net
The Tournament Director has the most extensive backend of all the poker tournament management programs on the market. It allows you to customize just about everything, including your hot keys. Other features include:
- All the navigation is tabbed which makes everything easy to navigate.
- You can customize your layouts including fonts and colors.
- Your options are limitless in terms of what you want to display. You can display average chip stacks, chip leaders, the prize pool, timer, levels or entries/bust-outs. A seating chart can also be displayed.
TheTournamentDirector.net has a trial period of 30 days. It can be purchased for $34.99 in English, French, Swedish and Norwegian languages.
Poker Magic - PokerBrush.net
Poker Magic is the one piece of poker room software that seems to accommodate cash games as well. The option that stands out the most here is their "brush list." This is another way of saying "waiting list." But what's nice about it is the ability to list players for several games or tournaments. Once they sit down at a table, their name is automatically removed from the other lists. They also offer:
- Spots for advertising
- Stat Reports. These can be filtered down to a day or timeframe.
The stat reports option includes a filter which displays which tables are busiest and when. If you run a poker room as your business, this feature is indispensible. You'll use it to make decisions to cut or increase your costs such as increasing the amount of staff you have at a given time or adding/eliminating the most or least popular tables.
Poker Magic supports up to 45 tables.
You can purchase Poker Magic for $99.95.
Poker Clock - PokerClock.net
Poker Clock has two different versions of their software. The standard version is $39.95 and the professional version is $79.95. The key difference between the two is the ability to advertise on the display. A few other unique features include:
- The ability to broadcast to another computer
- Chop calculator. The chop calculator will chip the remaining prize pool evenly or according to effective chip stacks.
- Several audio and game structure downloads available free from the site
- Customizable hot keys
Poker Clock can be used on a trial basis for the first 14 days.
Poker Tournament Manager - PokerTournamentManager.com
Poker Tournament Manager is another extensive poker management program with an intuitive interface. Every option is clearly labeled, and the "tournament assistant" helps you choose a tournament structure based on the number of players and the desired timeframe for the tournament. A few of Poker Tournament Manager's other features include:
- Customizable backgrounds and sounds
- The ability to put bounties on players and offer other prizes (in deluxe only)
- Upload tournament results to the internet
- Display custom pictures, messages or display rules
- Alerts when the tables need balancing, players have been busted or when levels are complete
- Printable checklist for tournament "to-dos"
Two different versions of Poker Tournament Manager are available: the standard edition and the deluxe edition. You can order the software as a download only, or as a download and cd-rom combo. Prices range from $49.95 to $88.95.
Poker Timer - PokerTimer.com
Poker Timer has a free version and a "pro" version. The free version takes five minutes to launch, which you can avoid by making a donation. I'd rather keep my money and wait the five minutes.
The only difference between the free version of Poker Timer and the pro version is the ability to change the colors of the interface. So if you decide to use this software, go with the free version. Don't waste $30 on the pro version.
Poker Timer is a browser based solution, so you need a live Internet connection to use the software. The software is user friendly and the instructions and interface are easy to read.
If you've got five minutes to spare to get the free version, go for it. But don't spend $30 on this one.