Strategy software has actually been around for ages, but has recently made new advancements to help poker players with their online playing abilities.  The latest advancement in strategy software is a development that actually reads your cards as you play and helps you develop a winning strategy by providing logical and mathematical advice set to your playing style.

The main purpose of this type of strategy software is helping online poker players make educated decisions, quicker.  These programs have been designed to be used in conjunction with online casino software, in a separate window running side-by-side with the actual playing table.  The software programs use packet sniffing to virtually load every card you see at the poker table into the software.  Almost all features about these programs are automated these days.  You no longer have to manually select your hole card and board cards; the software does it all on the fly. The software will then display odds and offer advice and recommendations on each hand, depending upon the type of playing style you have set the software to use.

Using this type of software can benefit many different types of players in many different ways. 

For newer players, these programs are very good tools to help you better understand pot odds, betting patterns, pot commitment, playing styles, and much more.  Using these programs is almost like having a professional playing alongside you; you can easily advance your knowledge of the game in a short amount of time while gaining quality playing time experience.

If you’re a veteran or a more experienced player, you can still find great ways to use strategy software.  Playing online can often require extremely quick thinking before timing out at a table.  If you find yourself not having enough time to calculate pot odds and make logical decisions, these programs will help you tremendously.  No matter how talented a player might be, this type of software can be beneficial

With the increasing popularity of packet sniffing programs like these, the common question of cheating arises.  In no way is using any of these programs a method for cheating at online poker.  The existence of online poker cheating software is a myth that has been around ever since online poker first made its appearance on the scene years and years ago.  You will not get in trouble at any online casino for using this type of software.  In fact, lots of casinos promote strategy software themselves as a tool to help their players to learn and win.

When it comes to choosing a particular type of software, there are a large variety of choices.  The most popular strategy software for online Texas Hold’em cash games that incorporate packet sniffing and virtual card loading include Texas Calculatem, Calculatem Pro, and Genius.  If you’re looking for software that is more focused on tournament play, you might want to consider Sit & Go Shark.