Jivaro HUD - The New MTT Super-Weapon?

20:08
21 Sep

Introducing the new and innovative poker HUD technology - JIVARO. This software has received critical acclaim from online poker celebrities including Randy 'Nanonoko' Lew, PokerStaples and Elky - all 3 of which are some of the most popular poker streamers on Twitch.

Why The Rave Reviews? We're here to check out what's causing such a stir, and to figure out if it really offers any key advantages for MTTs specifically.

If your main poker fix comes from MTTs (Multi-Table Tournaments) on PokerStars, you’re probably torn between 2 or 3 different HUDs on the market. This article will do a full Jivaro HUD review and look closely at what it offers in comparison to the opposition.

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Jivaro has just released their Premium Package, which builds upon the Basic Version which is available for free. The Icelandic designers claim that the software will...

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To begin with, the Jivaro crew has designed a Command Center, a beautifully simple overlay to the traditional PokerStars one.

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The Jivaro MTT Overlay - Key data right at your fingertips

It looks too good to be true, but let’s just quickly run through the details here to see if the HUD has everything you need for serious MTT play.

• Basic Info - Buy-in, Tournament Title, Entrants, Remaining Players and Places Paid. If you are multi-tabling MTTs, you’ll know which tournament you’re playing in instantly along with key information to help you make decisions.
• Prize Info - Next, 1st prize is shown and underneath that we see the lowest ‘In The Money’ prize followed by the number of players needed to bust out before we reach it. Not important in the picture above, but extremely useful when we get down towards the bubble across several tables.
• Don’t Be the Bubble Boy - Below that, we see what we have cashed so far ($0, but we’ll be hoping to improve that figure as we go along!) The position updates automatically - another useful feature - and on the right we see the top/average and low stacks left in the event.
• If you are playing multiple MTTs at once, all of these have their own personal Command Center which can be minimized/maximized by clicking on the X at the top right. This is a huge improvement on the multiple windows we need at the moment to view all of this info.

You may have noticed the small ‘card-shaped’ icons along the top of the Command Centre, and this brings me to one of my favorite features of Jivaro’s new product - the real-time ‘Street Awareness’ feature.

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Street Awareness - A New Feature to HUDs

Instead of having to look for the stats you need on each street, Jivaro automatically shows the relevant numbers as the hand progresses. It’s essentially a super-smart HUD, showing the numbers you need depending on the stage of each hand.

Gone are the days of adding every single conceivable statistic to your Hold’em Manager HUD and scanning like a mad man to find relevant data… Jivaro has solved this problem.

So for example, if I’m UTG pre-flop I don’t much care what the BB’s fold-to-steal % is.

However, if play is folded around to me on the cut-off or button then that changes dramatically – that’s a stat which I really need to know. Let’s see this in focus…

Again, when we’ve reached the turn, I don’t need to know about the pre-flop %. Jivaro knows that, so their system automatically changes to C-bet/Fold to C-bet and AF numbers. Like-wise for the turn.

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This is overall a very simple concept although a huge improvement – you simply don’t have multiple tables or numbers to sift through! Look at the picture below from when I opened up Hold’em Manager 2.

I don’t want to do HM2 a disservice – it has many great features and their stats displays are configurable – but I’d rather not have to deal with configuring it myself. Jivaro has already provided me with enough of the right information to help my game - this HUD truly feels like something out of iRobot. Artificial HUD intelligence!

One recurring thought I've had during this demo - My MTT decisions feel faster and more efficient.

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Color coded stat rings - New visual HUD feature

You may have noticed the colorful circular display which Jivaro has designed (beside each player at the table), but what does it mean? Well, it’s a genius little display of 3 essential stats you will need to know during MTTs.

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When you hover your mouse over the circle, the stats change to show VPIP, PFR and AFQ, move the mouse away and you’re back to whichever ‘street relevant’ stats you need. The color coding means that you don’t even NEED to use your mouse – which is perfect for multi-tabling, or concentrating on your actual play – something which traditional HUDs are often lambasted for.

The colors aren’t configurable (as of yet at least - check out the Jivaro Wishlist) but they are distinct enough to differentiate which you’re looking at, even at a glance. The display below explains how it works, but it is very intuitive and not difficult to master.

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As with the other new features, it’s a big improvement compared to what we see in other HUDs.

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Try before you Buy

If you’re unsure of the color-schemed stats (as I was at first being a bit color blind!) then simply try out the basic version absolutely free and you may very well be surprised at how easy it is to grasp.

Although other HUDs such as PT4 and HM2 offer free trials, you have to spend a massive amount of time working on them (at least I did) before they are of real use. By which time, of course, you’re almost committed to continuing with them. This is not the case with Jivaro, which is simplicity personified (see the picture below of the free version in action).

Additionally, Jivaro has a large board of professional members who serve as subject matter specialists. Essentially, it's being developed by the players for the players.

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Conclusion

Let’s wrap up with the verdict of our Jivaro HUD review.

• The Command Centre negates the need for any other tournament info; its integrated format covers everything and is not even remotely distracting.
• We can't deny it allows for insanely quick decision making, especially during MTTs. Intuitive Color coding, street awareness %’s and the cloud-based real-time tracking are truly innovative new features which give you exactly what you need/when you need it, and will let you concentrate on the tournament itself. For multi-tabling it’s a huge improvement.
• If you’re used to one of the old school HUDs such as PT3 or HEM then Jivaro will come as a shock. Jivaro lacks the depth of back-end databases and although it does save all of your hands to the cloud for future review, the extremely analytical mind may prefer other options.

• However, it should be noted that Jivaro can run at the same time as any other tracker out there. This is pretty cool.
• It is very simple, highly ingenious and a welcome addition to the HUD market, with particularly outstanding and intuitive uses for MTT and SNGs - Probably the reason why online poker celebrities such as Nanonoko and Elky are already massive advocates of the software.
• Price-wise, it’s $5.99 per month, and although it seems pricey compared to the $100 or so outright pricing of its competitors (HEM2, PT3), you will find new and improved features added all the time. So no need to wait for the next version if you’re not happy with something - add your own desired features and improvements to the ‘wishlist’ on Jivaro’s community forum and see them appear.

Try Jivaro Now - the Basic version is Free and Premium costs $5.99 per month.

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The top 3 features coming soon to Jivaro:

Cash Game Command Centre - Relevant command centre data for your cash game requirements.

Mac Eligibility - Apple users will be welcome.

Session Replays - To give similar functionality to HEM / PT3.