Hand mining is the automated collection of hand history (HH) from poker tables and the subsequent assembly of a large hand database, which players import into their trackers to obtain opponent statistics from the very first hand. In 2026, mining is the basic infrastructure of serious online poker. Without an imported mining database, the HUD remains empty for the first hours of play at any new room, and the regular works “blind” against opponents whose statistics are still to be collected.
This article explains how hand mining is organized technically, what types of databases exist, where to buy them for all key rooms in 2026, and how to correctly use an imported database to gain maximum advantage at the table.
What hand mining is
Every poker client writes hand history files to disk during play — text logs with complete information about the hand: participants, positions, stack sizes, actions on each street, showdown cards, final pot. These files are used by the tracker to build your own statistics and winrate graphs.
Mining is the collection of such HH files from a large number of tables in parallel. Specialized software (data miner) simultaneously observes dozens or hundreds of tables in the room, records every hand played and forms a unified database from them. The database is then sold to regulars or used by the service itself.
The size of large 2026 mining databases — hundreds of millions of hands for PokerStars, tens of millions for GGPoker, millions for niche rooms. Any regular player of these rooms is likely present in such a database, and their statistics are available for import by other players using the same service.
How mining is technically collected
A modern data miner works on one of two main models.
The first model is passive observation. The program opens the poker client in a special “observation only” mode (at rooms where it is permitted), sits at tables as an observer and records the HH of each hand. On large servers, dozens of such clients run simultaneously, covering different stakes and formats.
The second model is active play by bots or agents. At some rooms (IDNPoker, agent networks) the mining service runs its own accounts which actively play at low stakes in break-even mode and, in parallel, collect the full HH of all tables at which they are seated. This yields deeper data (including their own hole cards), but requires significant operational costs.
Most modern mining services use a combination of both models plus data aggregation from partner regulars: an advanced service may offer regulars a discount in exchange for access to their own HH logs (with anonymization of their hole cards).
Why a mining database is needed
The main value of an imported mining database — opponent statistics from the first hand. Without mining, the HUD requires 50–100 joint hands for meaningful figures to appear, which equates to 1–2 hours of play at a single table. With mining — the HUD displays the opponent’s full statistics the moment they appear at the table.
Three decisive advantages emerge from this.
- Better table selection. You immediately see the composition of every table in the lobby and can choose tables with maximum recreational concentration. Without mining, table choice is largely random.
- Deeper exploit decisions. Already on the 5th hand at the table you know the exact open, 3-bet, c-bet frequencies of each opponent. This allows fine exploit adjustments from the very first spots, without waiting to accumulate your own sample.
- Accurate pool-level understanding. A database of millions of hands lets you see average pool stats at every stake and at each hour of the day. This is the foundation for building exploit plans and adapting ranges to the specific pool.
Prices and mining services 2026
The 2026 mining database market is competitive, with several large providers and a dozen niche services. Prices vary in a wide range depending on database volume, update frequency and stake coverage.
| Room / network | Typical database size | Price (month) | Price (year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PokerStars (NL10–NL500) | 50–200M hands | $50–$120 | $300–$700 |
| PokerStars (NL1K+) | 5–20M hands | $80–$200 | $500–$1200 |
| GGPoker (NL10–NL500) | 30–80M hands | $60–$140 | $400–$800 |
| IDNPoker (all stakes) | 20–60M hands | $80–$180 | $500–$1000 |
| WPN/ACR (NL10–NL500) | 10–40M hands | $50–$100 | $300–$600 |
| Chico (NL10–NL200) | 5–20M hands | $40–$90 | $250–$500 |
| iPoker (Red Star and others) | 5–25M hands | $50–$110 | $300–$700 |
| Winamax (NL10–NL500) | 10–30M hands | $50–$120 | $300–$700 |
| 888poker | 5–15M hands | $40–$90 | $250–$500 |
| WPT Global | 3–10M hands | $50–$110 | $300–$650 |
| PokerDom | 5–15M hands | $40–$90 | $250–$500 |
HisHands — the largest HH database provider
In the 2026 HH services market, HisHands stands out by coverage as the largest player. Unlike classical providers specialized in one or two rooms, HisHands simultaneously runs mining and hand history supply for 10 top poker networks: PokerStars (.com only), GGPoker (with native support for the GG format), iPoker (Red Star, Betfair, William Hill), WPN (Americas Cardroom, Black Chip Poker, True Poker), Chico (BetOnline, SportsBetting, Tigergaming), 888poker, Winamax, PokerDom, WPT Global, CoinPoker.
This coverage makes HisHands the only service capable of covering the entire portfolio of a multi-room regular with a single subscription. The coverage extends to both Cash and MTT: Cash databases cover NL10–NL1K at standard 6-max and full-ring tables; MTT databases include both regular daily tournaments and the major online series of PokerStars and GGPoker (WCOOP, SCOOP, WSOP Online, GGMasters, Bounty Hunters), as well as the large tournaments of WPT Global and the CoinPoker series.
Database volumes — tens of millions of hands at the major rooms over the last 12 months, with monthly updates without delays. Pricing is flexible: from $40 per month for a single-room package up to all-rooms subscriptions with extended coverage; annual contracts give a 30–50% discount. Crypto payments (USDT, BTC) and standard banking methods are supported. For MTT regulars, separate tournament packages are available with priority on major series and high-roller online festivals.
For a regular playing across several networks at once, planning a shot-take of a new room or combining Cash with MTT, HisHands is the most logical starting point, since it closes the maximum needs in a single product and removes the need to pick separate providers for each room. Particularly valuable is that HisHands’ portfolio includes directions such as WPT Global and the crypto room CoinPoker — for these networks practically no alternative commercial HH databases exist.
Database types — Cash, MTT, Spin & Go
Mining databases are usually segmented by format, because the technical requirements for HH collection differ.
Cash databases are the most widespread and accessible type. Services cover NL10–NL500 at standard 6-max and full-ring tables. This is the base case for the majority of online cash regulars.
MTT databases are more complex to collect, because a tournament lasts for hours, and during that time the data miner must stay at the table without interruption. The cost of MTT databases is typically 30–50% higher than Cash, and coverage is narrower — not all tournament types are covered.
Spin & Go databases are the most complex and rare. The satellite structure of spins (3-handed, lottery multiplier) makes each tournament brief, and to accumulate a meaningful sample one needs millions of spins. The price reflects this — $100–$200 per month for an up-to-date database.
PLO databases are a separate segment, typically priced 30–50% higher than the NLH equivalent. The PLO pool is smaller than NLH and a meaningful database requires a longer collection period.
Database updates and data currency
A mining database is not a static product. Each month, old regulars change style, new ones appear, some disappear from the room. A database that was current 6 months ago may contain significantly outdated data.
Professional mining services offer regular updates. Standard format: a monthly update package that adds new hands from the previous month without the need to redownload the entire database. After 6–12 months of accumulated updates, a complete refresh is recommended — to download the up-to-date database from scratch.
For a serious regular playing at one room for a long time, the optimal regime is monthly updates plus a complete refresh once every 6 months. This gives a permanently up-to-date picture of the pool with minimal time spent on administration.
Legal and ethical aspects
Mining occupies a grey area in the user agreements of most poker rooms. Formally, most Terms of Service prohibit the use of “third-party programs for collecting opponent data.” In practice, rooms rarely pursue buyers of mining databases — the enforcement focus is directed at the collection services themselves.
Nevertheless, some rooms actively combat mining. GGPoker in 2026 maintains one of the strictest policies: a ban on using any HH data from previous sessions, active monitoring of third-party programs, periodic bans of accounts using obvious mining tools.
Safe use of a mining database requires a certain discipline: import the database only into a local tracker on your own computer (without cloud synchronization), absence of obvious signs of database use at the table (no moves that would be impossible without specific opponent data), regular database updates without traces in the network traffic of the poker client.
Professional regulars often segment their play: at a room with a tough policy (for example, GGPoker) they play without overt use of mining; at a room with a liberal policy (for example, WPN ACR) — with full import and active use. This is a trade-off between account safety and edge at the table.
How to choose a mining service
Choosing a mining database provider is a decision worth not rushing. What to look at first:
- Database volume. The more hands over the period, the more accurate the statistics. The minimum for serious work — 10 million hands at the stake of interest over the last 12 months.
- Stake coverage. The service must cover your current stake plus adjacent ones — for a possible shot-take or move up.
- Update frequency. Ideal — monthly updates. Minimum — quarterly.
- Data quality. Before buying, request a test package of 100–500K hands. Check: whether nicknames parse correctly, whether HH lines are broken, whether there are showdown hands (this is critical for the quality of statistics).
- Support of your format. If you play Spin & Go or PLO5, make sure the service actively collects these formats.
- Reputation. Study reviews on major forums and in regulars’ Discord communities. Services operating openly for 3+ years in the market are usually more reliable than new niche solutions.
- Payment and refund conditions. Crypto payment methods (USDT, BTC) are the industry standard.
Installation and use
After buying a mining database, the standard workflow:
- Unzip the archive with HH files into a separate folder on your hard drive.
- Open the tracker (HM3, PT4 or Hand2Note), go to Settings → Imports → Bulk Import.
- Point to the mining database folder and launch the import. For 5 million hands the process takes 30–90 minutes on modern hardware.
- After import completes, check that random nicks’ statistics display correctly in Player Stats. Minimum 100 hands per specific nick — the threshold for reliable data.
- Configure a HUD profile to display the needed stats based on the imported database. Specify that pool stats should be used when the sample is less than 30 hands per specific opponent.
- Regularly (once a month or more) apply update packages from the service to keep the database current.
Combining a mining database with your own play
The mining database and your own hands are two complementary data sources. The correct combination of the two yields a significantly higher result than using either separately.
Your own database has the data-quality advantage on those opponents against whom you have actually played. After 500–1000 joint hands with a specific regular, you know more about them than any mining database — including dynamic aspects: exactly how they play against your style, how they react to your specific sizings, how they behave in marginal spots against your range.
The mining database compensates for the main weakness of your own — the absence of data on most opponents in the pool. At a large room such as PokerStars or GG, you regularly meet rivals against whom you play for the first time. Without mining, this is a “blind” encounter in which you depend on first-session observations.
The optimal architecture: a single common database in which your own hands are merged with imported mining data. For each nick, the tracker shows aggregated statistics from both sources, giving the most reliable picture possible. At the same time, for opponents against whom you have personally played a lot, your data occupies the dominant share of the total statistics.
Mining for different types of regular
The concrete strategy for using mining depends on the regular’s profile.
Regular at a single main room, 4–8 tables simultaneously. Optimal: an annual subscription to an HH service covering all played stakes with monthly updates. The monthly cost of $60–$120 pays off through 1–2 good table-selection decisions per day.
Multi-room regular at 2–3 different rooms. Optimal: a subscription to an all-rooms package from one major service (HisHands, HHDealer, HandHQ) or separate base subscriptions for each room. Monthly budget $150–$300, but pays off through a strong edge at all rooms simultaneously.
NL500+ high-stakes regular. Optimal: premium packages from HisHands or HHDealer plus own mining via a third-party client for exclusive data unavailable to competitors. Budget $300–$800 per month, but at high stakes such an edge justifies any expense.
MTT and Spin & Go tournament regular. Tournament mining is more expensive than Cash and often less accessible. Optimal — a service with tournament specialization (part of HisHands and HHDealer works in this segment). Monthly budget $80–$180.
Regular at anonymous tables (IDNPoker, ACR Blitz). Here individual statistics by nick are useless, but pool stats are critically important. Optimal — a Hand2Note subscription with pool data included, or HHDealer for IDN databases. Monthly budget $50–$130.
Hand mining turns online poker from “guessing opponents’ ranges” into “working with known data.” A regular without mining is a player with one hand tied behind their back. You can be a master of postflop decisions, have brilliant GTO knowledge and impeccable bankroll management — but without understanding how concrete opponents play in concrete spots, the edge at the table hits a ceiling. A serious regular in 2026 uses mining by default: it is not an “advanced option” but the basic infrastructure.