ReadMe for Col's PokerApp v3.0
------------------------------

Hi, and thanks for purchasing Col's PokerApp v3.0.  This is still very much an
ongoing project, with new algorithms and features being introduced to the software
with every new edition.

Col's PokerApp uses highly optimised statistical simulations in order to generate
accurate probabilities for guidance to expert and novice players alike.  Simply
by entering the cards that you have been dealt, you can see at a glance the 
probabilities for winning or losing, and the expected gain (or loss) for playing
on with the current table situation.

Most of the interface is straightforward, with a few exceptions:

Introduction screen
-------------------

Col's PokerApp opens with an introduction screen asking you to choose between
three different accuracies of setup calculations.  When Col's PokerApp starts
up, it generates a large number of precalculated statistics for use in the
main calculations.  The more detailed these calculations, the better the
predictions, though in most cases the difference will be small.  Also, the more
detailed calculations take considerably longer to process.  This feature allows
owners of older hardware to use Col's PokerApp with its full functionality with 
extremely little loss in accuracy, and it also means that you need never download
enormous data files.

You will also notice, when using the software, that most of the main statistical
calculations work in an iterative mode.  That is, that they start off more approximate
and then become increasingly accurate and stable over time.  When the result seems
to have reached a consensus, the calculations will cease.  Again, this allows owners
of slower machines to obtain accurate results without having to wait until the end
of lengthy and time-consuming calculations.

Player Board
------------

The player board, located to the bottom left corner of the main screen, shows the
statistics of the *opponent* players at the table.  Each icon will show either a
smiley face with a dollar sign (meaning that they are still in the game), or a
smiley face with a red cross (meaning that they have folded).  You can toggle a
player's state by clicking on the icon.

Players can be deleted or added using the right mouse button menu. Clicking R-button
over a player icon allows you to change that player's name, aggression and level
of bluffing, or to delete them.  Clicking elsewhere allows you to add a new player.

Aggression and bluffing are new features to Col's PokerApp v3.0.  You can set either
of these values between zero and ten (from lowest to highest).  Aggressive players
are more likely to play weaker hands, and bluffing players are more likely to play
very poor hands confidently.  These parameters are taken into account in the
statistical calculations, as you can discover by altering the values and examining
the effect on the gain score. In order to use this feature, you have to engage
"Opponent Modelling", by selecting the check-box immediately below the gain-score
display, to the bottom-right corner of the main window.

Other Advice
------------

That's pretty much all you need to know about the controls for the PokerApp.  All the rest
of the functionality is straightforward.  Cards are selected from the separate card
selection window, and can be deselected by clicking them as they appear in the main window.
This is done with the left mouse button in both cases. The statistical simulation is always
running in the background, and reacts in real time to changes you make in the card selection,
or the opponent characteristics.  Location of the opponent icons has no effect in the
simulation, and is purely for your own convenience. I suggest you place the players in
locations which reflect their positions at the table, so that they will be easier to
deal with as the game progresses.

Col's PokerApp is a highly accurate poker statistics generation package, but of course 
there's never any substitute to experience.  After all, you need to assess the individual
bluffing and aggression characteristics of your opponents, and you can also include
the knowledge you gain from your previous history playing the same opponents.

--------------------
Bugs and Suggestions
--------------------

Col's PokerApp is still under development, and I'm always keen to hear new suggestions or
bug reports from version 3.0 or any of the earlier versions.  Please email them to me
at colin@frayn.net.  I might not be able to respond to every query, but I will definitely
investigate all bug reports.  Please be specific and, where possible, give me an exact
series of commands to replicate the problem.

Many thanks for your support, and I wish you best of luck with your poker playing, whether
for fun or for profit. I'd be delighted to hear of any success stories you have using
Col's PokerApp, so please email them to me at the above address.

-----------
Legal Stuff
-----------

Col's PokerApp is provided without warranty, and for entertainment only. The author
accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any loss caused by following the advice generated
by the software. Gambling is illegal in some countries and regions - please check your
local laws before participating in any gambling activity.  The author provides no guarantee
of the accuracy of this software, nor of any conclusions drawn from the statistical
results presented by it.

All rights reserved (c) Colin Frayn 2006-2007.

