PokerStove: Software Review

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PokerStove is a free app for calculating equity in Texas Holdem. 

Its simple interface is intuitive, and there are enough features for a comprehensive calculation of all the probabilities required for a successful game.

The software will show you how well your hole cards stand against your opponent's range. And that makes this simple program truly invaluable. 

Once you have mastered the basics, you will know how to use expensive HUDs and real-time EV calculations.

Exploring PokerStove Functionality

Every player, who relies not just on luck, always employs poker math fundamentals and the theory of probabilities to calculate potential winnings. The discussed app can simultaneously store information about ten players, thus enabling probability analysis on both full and short-handed tables.

The software interface operates based on data provided by the user: pocket, community and mucked cards. One can also indicate their opponents’ cards/ranges for more precise results. Depending on the accuracy and amount of information inputted, the program generates the Expected Value and helps determine the likelihood of winning under various scenarios.

Example

Suppose you have a queen of spades and a queen of clubs. You raise and the opponent from your left side shoves. You know that this is a pretty tight player who does this only with JJ + or AK +. By entering your cards and variants of your opponent's hand into Poker Stove, you will find that your chance of winning is 47% if you decide to call. Even if you are unable to identify your rival's holding, you can simply request the tool to calculate the situation for the top 5% of hands, and it will automatically calculate such starters.

There are both desktop and mobile versions of this equity calculator.

It is very convenient to use a mobile app, especially when you play on a computer and want to calculate your equity concurrently. Of course, not in every hand but only in particularly essential moments (e.g. heads-up, where you have a monster and your adversary goes all-in, etc.). You won't have any problems running third-party poker software on your computer. What's more, its mobility allows you to use it even offline.

Everything is pretty simple – you indicate users’ cards and board, and then you receive equity for all participants for every street.

Where to Download the Tool

Unfortunately, the developer’s official website is no longer operational. Most versions that you may find on the Internet will result in the following error:

We have good news: free PokerStove download is available on our website. We’ve managed to find a working version of the software being discussed. Note, however, Equilab and Flopzilla have much broader functionality.

How to Use the App on Android

Everything is very simple: you choose a card and indicate its suit; do the same operations for each player. Then click on the orange big button to see the results.

​In a line, the suit is indicated not as an image, but as a letter ("s" – spades ♠, "d" – diamonds ♦, "c" – clubs ♣, "h" – hearts ♥). However, you select it as a picture at the bottom. You can also indicate suited cards (button “s” below the button of “diamonds”) or offsuit ones (button "o" below the button of "clubs").

During the game, you need to constantly keep the program's window open and enter data as and when the cards are dealt. Careful monitoring of the game will ensure the correct entry of data for calculation. When the time comes to fight against any of the players, you will already be prepared for a duel. By simulating various situations in your free time, you will have a clearer idea of which hands will be more profitable in certain cases.

Formerly, you could install Poker Stove on a smartphone or tablet from Play Market, but recently it has been removed from the app store. Instead, you can find a lot of other poker calculators there. But if you are looking for this application, you can download it on your Android device (an installation package is in the WinRar archive).

How to Run the Program on PC

Step 1

First, you need to configure the tool launch as administrator. To do this, right-click on the software shortcut, select "Properties" – "Shortcut" – "Additionally", and set a tick "Run as administrator".

Step 2

​If you start it not through the shortcut but through the .exe file, click “Properties” with the right mouse button and select the “Compatibility” tab. Set a tick on the “Run this program as an administrator” item there.

Important notice!

Failure to install the tool with "Run as Administrator" privileges may result in unstable performance, errors, and other issues.

Instructions on How to Utilize Poker Stove

There is a list of players (Player 1, Player 2, etc.) in the application lobby.

Step 1

To select the cards of user 1, click on the inscription “Player 1”. You will see a new window with two tabs. In the first tab, you can specify your or your opponent’s cards if you know them for some reason. In the "Preflop" tab, you can set a supposed hand range of the individual which they have entered the game with. At the bottom right, you can also select the combo of suits you want to exclude. To do this, click on the combinations you don't need.

Step 2

Click on the “RD” (random) button next to the "Player X" label to provide statistics for a random hand for that player.

Step 3

Once you're done, click "Evaluate" to evaluate equity for each participant.

In the "Dead Cards" section, you can specify mucked cards which became known for some reason (e.g., if the player has mucked the cards face-up).

Calculation Modes

This software has two modes for calculating equity: "Enumerate All" and "Monte Carlo".

• Enumerate All mode is a standard method for the calculation of your probabilities. When using this mode, you will get the computation of all possible hands. However, if there are many players in hand, it will take you more time to get calculations when using hand ranges. In this case, you can apply "Monte Carlo" mode for complicated simulations.
• Monte Carlo calculates random situations and displays winning odds. It may compute a huge number of various scenarios in a matter of seconds. Therefore, if you want to get accurate calculations, give more time to the program.

Software Advantages & Benefits

The calculator helps you to quickly determine your chances of winning with specific pocket cards. For a beginner, this is a great opportunity to understand which starters have the most potential and how their value changes depending on the number of people at the table.

It is also useful when parsing your own game to identify leaks. By calculating probabilities for hands played, you can see whether you acted correctly or entered the action with cards having a low chance of victory.

• Comprehensible interface.
• Free version.
• Ability to calculate chances in the game at full and short tables (up to 10 players).
• Modelling of any situation.
• Instant and accurate calculation of your winning chances.

As for the players' opinion concerning the software, they are satisfied with this program and recommend using it in the game. Greg Walker, a professional player, believes that ​«if you only ever download one poker program, it should be PokerStove».