If you stripped away all tracking software, HUDs, and hotkeys from online poker poker clients overnight, who would survive the crash: the multi-tabling data nerds who rely entirely on statistics, or the natural-born exploiters who rely on timing tells and flow?
The Ultimate Software Debate: The HUD Dependent vs. The Pure Exploiter
Team Pure Exploiter, 100%.
If you took away HUDs overnight, the mass multi-tablers would be completely lost in the dark. Without a color-coded stat box telling them a player's exact 3-bet frequency or fold-to-cbet percentage, they'd actually have to watch the game. The "feel" players who are already used to paying attention to bet sizings, timing tells, and table dynamics on 2 to 4 tables would absolutely feast on the robots who suddenly can't auto-pilot their 12 tables anymore.
If you took away HUDs overnight, the mass multi-tablers would be completely lost in the dark. Without a color-coded stat box telling them a player's exact 3-bet frequency or fold-to-cbet percentage, they'd actually have to watch the game. The "feel" players who are already used to paying attention to bet sizings, timing tells, and table dynamics on 2 to 4 tables would absolutely feast on the robots who suddenly can't auto-pilot their 12 tables anymore.
Tracking software is not that important any more for high stakes poker. Its still a usefull tool, but the best players (both live and online) spend most of their study time working with solvers. There is a reason, why GTO Wizard can charge people like $100 for just one month of subscription, while the same money will buy you a life-time license for PT4. Then there is also a yearly maintenance fee of $50 or so, if you want to get the updates, but its still a vastly more affordable program, and there is a reason for this.