PS Hand Watcher is an utility that monitors your hands of Texas Hold'em, reporting in a panel the value of your hand, as well as other data.

The freeware version of the program is a full-featured one and can be used indefinitely, with the only limitation that you can not log in more than two game tables at the same time.

The registered version supports up to a maximum of 24 panels open simultaneously. To register you must insert a password, that is sent after a donation of 3.50 euros.

The Panels:



1 Your highest card
2 Your lowest card
3 The Sklansky Group of your cards
4 The number of identical cards on the table
5 The straight-fifths of the cards on the table
6 The flush-fifths of the cards on the table
7 Your Hand Value + your straight-fifths + your flush-fifths

A sound can advise you if you have a hand of a certain value.



PS Hand Watcher reads the chat both in english and italian language. More languages will be added in the next weeks.

You can find more infos about the program at this address

You can post here any comment or suggestion.
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The program has been added at the #77 of the PokerStars allowed programs list

http://www.pokerstars.net/poker/room/terms/prohibited/

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Following a user's request has been hadded some "buzz" sounds for some "dangerous" events, such as a pair on the table, which involves the risk of Full House.



I remember to the forum readers that until two game tables the program is absolutely freeware.
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Added a set of new "Auto Sit In" features in the PokerStars utility PS Hand Watcher (enabled for registered users)

Players that in some tournaments (especially MTT freeroll, like for example the Skill League) play usually only good hands (Sklansky Group 4, 3 and 2) or excellent hands (Sklanski Group 1), particularly in the early stages of the tournament, could find useful the "Auto Sit In" options related to the Sklansky Groups. Instead of constantly follow the tournament to play only very few hands, you can put yourself in Sit Out and place the table in the background and then play on real money tables, or surf or chat: if you will receive hole cards of the selected groups the table will be placed automatically in the foreground and you will return automatically back into play.



The option "Instant auto Sit In", which also works in the cash tables, can be useful when, multitabling many tables, you are put forcedly in Sit Out on a table by the PokerStars software, and the table itself will no longer pop up in the foreground. If the option is selected the table will pop up and will be automatically pressed the "I'm back" button

I'm pretty sure PokerStars doesn't like the soft of this kind, have you asked them if it is legal?

The original thread is here, in commercial software: http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/16...tcher-1126399/

Was about to merge this in there, then noticed you got it added to "allowed programs".... In line with Max1mums post above, I'm almost certain this new features will move it swiftly to "banned programs" and I suggest you do not implement them in the software.

Wait people... the software DOESN'T PUT YOU AUTOMATICALLY IN THE HAND and doesn't suggest you to play the hand, but simply put you in sit-in from the sit-out in certain conditions... then ARE YOU that will have to decide if play or not play the hand and will have to manually act to play, If you will decide for yes.

The support was clear with me when I asked for the verification of the program: they don't permit software that decides for you IF PLAY OR NOT PLAY THE HAND and put you automatically IN THE HAND.

The new features of PSHW absolutely don't make this work..........
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Yeah I can see how it might be considered OK too. It is my opinion though that while this feature doesn't actually play hands, or indeed decide if you will play the hand - it comes very close to an "Auto folder", which is a type of certainly banned software on PS. I mean, all you have to do is fold & sit out - then you got yourself an auto-folder (admittedly only in tournaments where you won't be booted from the table for sitting out too long).

Yeah this is effectively an auto folder and should not be allowed imo

Sent to the PokerStars support:

Please turn the mail to the Game Security Team of PokerStars
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Hi, I am the author of PS Hand Watcher, a program that you have already
verified and inserted in the allowed program list at this address:
http://www.pokerstars.net/poker/room/terms/prohibited/

I have now inserted a set of new features in the program, and some users of
the 2+2 forum at this address:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/45.../#post30788485

think that these new features are non allowed from your rules.

The new features don't allow to play without human intervention, don't
reduces the requirement of a human playing and don't offers direct game play
advice on the appropriate action to take, simply put the tables from Sit Out
in Sit In, then players have to manually act and decide, so I think that
them are 100% allowed.

But for correctness I ask you CONFIRM if there are not problems in the new
features.

Ty for quick reply.

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I will post screenshot of the answer. Surely I don't want to make not allowed features.
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Auto folder: a program that see for you the cards, decides for you if them are no good to play and press automatically the Fold button.

PSHW don't makes nothing about this stuff. I rest in wait of the Team Security answer.

It suggests you to play the hand, because otherwise you would be sitout, so it's same like autofolder. But I really like the idea and creativity in this one. Hope they'll aprove it.

As I understand the OP, the program looks at your cards for you, determines the hands quality by looking if it belongs to a specific group of playable hands, if it does, the program toggles the sitting out so you sit in, the table will then automatically be brought to the front and you will be prompted to take action.

Effectively what your program does is take advantage of the fact that in tournaments you can sit out as long as you wish while you are still being dealt hands and your blinds are automatically posted for you. This feature for tournaments makes it possible to circumvent the rule against autofolders by taking advantage of the fact that when you sit out your hand is automatically folded.

Your program certainly makes a distinction between playable and non-playable hands and makes a decision as to whether or not and hand is worth playing. That seems to be the entire function of this particular function. It filters out all the bad hands so that you only have to make a decision about a small subset of all hands. The program makes a decision as to whether or not a hand is playable and allows all the hands that it deems not playable to be folded while allowing you to make a decision about the hands it considers playable. The purpose of the program seems to be to save you from making alot of tedious decisions that just take time and focus for no reason. It does this by making a decision between playable and not playable for you.

You have created a program that takes advantage of the pokerstars software such that it effectively becomes a part of your autofolder. That is your program determines if a hand is playable or not, if it isnt, your program allows the pokerstars software to fold your hand for you. If it is playable you are left with the decision as to whether or not you want to play your playable hand.

Just to make it clear, Im not trying to come after you or attack you. I just don't see that there is any real difference between leveraging the pokerstars software to do your folding for you and actually having your own software do it.

Sorry for the long winded post.

Mvh
Inga

So in your opinion is prohibited, without the use of any software, to put yourself in Sit Out and look at the table, writing a letter in a reduced Word window or simply staying with the hands in the hands, waithing for good hole cards to return in game???

So doing, as states, the PS software folds for you, and you have made a personal prohibited auto-folder without any software.

The only difference with PSHW is that it prompts you in case of good cards... but to partecipate at the hand remains a your choice and the actions to partecipate are a your manual job... there is NOTHING of automatic, as regard to the buttons press of the game hands, in the features.
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Ty Mate, I have worked lots of hours to make the code, me hope too.

I continue to see a difference between an auto-folder program and an auto-Sit In program. An auto folder press a button that appears DURING a game hand, an auto-Sit In press a button that appears OUT of the game hands.

But the last word, obviously, is of the Game Security Team.

The difference is in whos making the decisions. If your software is used, then the decision as to whether or not to play a hand is primarily made by your software, since it will make the decision to allow most hands to be folded (since the ranges in the groupings are very tight). When not using your software (but sitting out and observing the table) you are actively making the decision as to whether or not to play a hand. And you have to make this decision for every hand you are dealt. Obiously its true that in both cases its the PS software that actually does the folding.

Its strange to me that you cant see that there is a difference between making the decisions yourself and using a program to make decisions for you. The decision to "participate" will only be left for you when really good hands are dealt. And your program is making decisions for you since it decides which hands should be automatically folded and which hands should be left to you to decide what to do with. Using sklansky-groupings it will probably be the case that you will only have to make decisions for yourself for less than 20% of all the hands you are dealt. The rest of the hands your program will play for you.

Mvh
Inga

But PSHW don't makes decisions for me: it only pop ups the table in certain conditions, then it' s a MY decision if partecipate or not to the hand.

You shoud be right if the program would also analize position and opponent calls and raise,s and then press the Call or Raise buttons: in this case really it would make decisions for me.

Wrong.. the rest of the hands it DON'T PLAYS: is the PS software that folds because I have manually pressed the Sit Out check box... there is something of prohibited in this job? Am I allowed to put manually myself in Sit Out? I hope yes, or leave the check box.

Question: if instead of popup the table it only would emit an alert sound in case of good cards, it would be equally an autofolder??? If not (and I think the right answer is NOT), what's the difference with also to popup the table?

Second question: a program that don't press the Fold button but simply suggests you with sound or red label (like dozens of allowed program) to Fold is an autofolder??? I think Not. At this point why a specular program that suggests you to play but don't press the Call or Raise buttons (the specular buttons of the Fold button) after you have manually folded (that's allowed, I hope) is something like an autofolder?.

Maybe Im misunderstanding the function of the program then... Is it the case that the program filters out hands that are not in any of the defined groupings? That is, is the case that if a hand is not in one of the groups, you will never be asked to make a decision? If you have to make an active decision in every hand you are dealt I dont see what it is your program actually does, and if you dont have to make a decision in every hand you play (because your software has filtered them out) then your software is making decisions for you.

You seem to think that since your program forces you to make the decisions in the hands it deems playable, the program is not making any decisions, but it does. What you have to realise is that since the program determines which hands you need to act in and which you dont, the program is making decisions for you.

It is making the decision that all the hands that are not in a particular group should be folded. For all the hands not in a defined group the program is making the decision that the hand should be folded, not you. The fact that it is the PS software that does the actual folding doesnt matter since its your software that decides which hands should be automatically folded and which shouldnt be.

Mvh
Inga

It is rather obvious to me, the program that auto-folds some hands and does nothing on other hands is forbidden, the program that does nothing on some hands and brings you into play on other hands should be forbidden as well.

Whether the program emits a sound or causes the table to popup doesnt make any difference as far as im concerned. In both cases it saves you from having to make active decisions with the hands you are dealt.

In both cases the program makes decision for all the bad hands so you only have to make decisions with the good ones.

I dont know about the other programs, do they manage any of the folding for the player or is it just recommendations? If it manages any of the folding (thus saving you from making alot of decisions) it is effectively a type of auto folder.

A program that ranks your hand and tells you whether you have a good starting hand or not, and tells you whether a hand is playable in a certain position I think is fine, since its effectively a starting hands chart. The problem as I see it is when a program functions in such a way that it makes the actual decision of folding a hand for you, and as I understand it your program does.

THis is my view too, although Im a little more long winded..

Not true. Your assertion should be true if it would put me automatically into the hand, without my decision and so deciding for me.

But it only prompts the table, then it' s a my decision to partecipate to the hand, If I don't act I don' play.

So I think that, as the allowed programs that suggest you to fold if you have certain cards are NOT autofolders, a program that suggest you to return back in the game if you have certain cards is not a specular-like autofolder.

I am not in accord with you but I understand your reasons, I hope you can understand the mine.
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Please read also the above answer. PSHW does not brings you into play on other hands, it only, prompting the table, suggests you to play: it is NOT the same thing, exactly like a program that suggests you to fold without to press the Fold button is not an auto-folder, but simply a program that suggests you to fold, like dozens of allowed programs.
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Does your program toggle the sitting out, such that when you have cards in a group you automatically sit in and then have to make a decision and when your cards are not in a group you continue to sit out? That is, does your program decide when you sit in and when you sit out based on what cards you have? or do you have to decide yourself to sit in or out?

ezio2000, it does work like auto-folder as i see it, the program filters out some ranges for you automatically, the way it does shouldn't matter. Anyway the best thing is to ask PokerStars support.