I am a noob to online poker for the most part and have heard poker programs mention quite a bit. What do they do? Are they essential? Do they really help all that much?
Your question is too general for us to be any help.
I suggest you just have a look around the software forum and see what software interests you (starting with HEM and PT3 would be a good place to look).
HEM/PT3 are definitely the most important pieces of software. They will track the hands you play and provide a HUD that gives stats on other players directly on the table.
For the most part, everything else is just niceties. Aids that make mutlitabling a bit easier. I wouldn't consider there to be that much essential software and it's really up to you how deep you want to go.
