What are hand histories?
Hand histories are simply a play by play log of a poker hand played from beginning to end. It includes all know cards, betting actions, and outcome. The online poker sites generate these hand histories as a proof log of the hand which took place, both for their internal record as well as the record of the players involved.
Why would I want a lot of hand histories?
Consider hand histories as data points of intelligence. Each data point on its own doesn’t provide a lot of useful information, but the aggregated sum of thousands or millions of these data points forms very powerful trends and statistics that help you better analyze your own game and that of your opponent.
How do I utilize all the hand histories?
Most serious online poker players import the hands into a poker tracking software, like PokerTracker, Hold’em Manager, or Poker Office. Such software take the imported hand histories, process and analyzes them, then outputs a lot of very interesting key stats and reports on the players involved. You can then use these stats to both learn how to improve your game, as well as to help you with game time decisions.