What is a poker hand history, and where do you find it?

Your room's software already keeps a log of everything you play. It writes it to your disk, in plain text, without you asking, and most players never open those files. They are what makes a poker tracker possible.

This page says where to find them, what they contain, and why they disappear if you do nothing.

Where does your room's software write the hand history?

In a folder created on your computer by the software itself, almost always named "hand history" or something close. The exact path changes from one room to another, but the principle does not: a local folder, text files the room creates and fills in on its own as the hands go by, and nothing leaving your machine.

To read the exact path, open the lobby and look for the "Tools" menu or the software's settings: that is where you find the history switch, the destination folder and, at several rooms, a hand viewer. On Windows the folder usually sits under your documents or in a hidden directory of your user profile.

You often do not need to go there: most trackers look up the default locations of the rooms they recognise themselves, and only ask you for the path if they find nothing.

How do you switch hand history writing on?

In the software's settings, often under a heading like "save hand history". It is the first thing to check, because it is sometimes off by default, and while it is off there is no trace of what you play. No software can read a history that was never written.

What does a hand history file contain?

The story of each hand, in the order it was played: who was seated and with what stack, who bet how much and on which street, the board, the cards shown at showdown, who took the pot and how much rake was taken.

Alongside them, many rooms write tournament summary files, separate from the hand history: buy-in, entry fee, finishing place and payout. Those are what allow an exact tournament result to be pieced back together, which the hands alone do not always give.

Can you read a hand history without software?

Yes, it is text, and a single hand reads back with nothing at all, which is enough when you want to analyse one specific spot.

It is beyond that that it breaks down: nobody reads three thousand hands by hand to count how often they open on the button. The file is made to be read by a machine, and all the stat calculation starts there.

Why are hand history files deleted?

Most room software tidies up on its own, often after a few weeks, so as not to let a folder almost nobody uses grow. It is a default setting, not a fault, and it is rarely changed.

Can a tracker recover a history that has already been deleted?

Not on its own: a tracker reads files, it does not invent them. Several rooms, on the other hand, keep your hands on their servers and let you request a history again from the software or from support.

It is worth trying before giving up, bearing in mind that those requests are often capped by volume or by age. The safest route is still to install a tracker before you need one: not because it will serve you on day one, but because the hands you play this month will no longer be on your disk in six.

Frequently asked questions

Where do you find your poker room's hand history?

In a folder created by the software on your computer, almost always named "hand history". The exact path is shown in the software's settings and changes from one room to another.

What does a hand history file contain?

The story of each hand in order: who was seated and with what stack, who bet how much and on which street, the board, the cards shown at showdown, who took the pot and how much rake went out.

Why has my hand history disappeared?

Most room software deletes old files on its own, often after a few weeks. It is a default setting, not a fault.

Can a tracker recover a deleted hand history?

Not on its own, it reads files rather than reconstructing them. Several rooms do let you request a history again from the software or from support, with volume limits.

Can you read a hand history without software?

Yes, it is text, and a single hand reads back with no tool. The problem is volume: the file is made to be read by a machine.