Guide to HUD Stat Configurations and Definitions

For a player who is just getting started using a stat tracking program like Hold’em Manager or PokerTracker, one of the toughest things to figure out is the stats in the HUD. Which stats should be on the table and what do they really mean? While every game requires different stats and the debate over which stats are the most useful will go on forever, I have provided some basic configurations that I use which should work for most players in most games.

First, we’ll cover what each term means and how it is used. Below that, we have layouts for each game, which should provide a starting place for beginning players. I’m using Hold’em Manager for the purposes of this article because I happen to have used it today, but all of these stats apply to PokerTracker 3 as well.

Stat Definitions

VPIP (or VP$IP) – Voluntarily Put money In Pot
This is a measure of how often a player pays to see the flop. A check from the big blind does not count, but any time a player has to pay money to see the flop counts for this statistic. This is the basic measure of how loose or tight a player is and is used in almost every layout for every game. Solid player ranges for ten-handed tables usually run between 12% and 22%, while solid six-max players usually range from 16% to 30%.

Any player that is tighter than these ranges is just begging you to steal their blinds, but their preflop raises and reraises should be respected; they are only raising with very good hands. If you have an opponent with numbers that are much higher than the solid ranges, then you can reraise them frequently and their raises deserve very little respect.

PFR – PreFlop Raise
This tells you how often an opponent raises preflop. When comparing this to the VPIP figure, you can get a good idea of how aggressive or passive a player is preflop. Most experts agree that this number should between 50% and 75% of the VPIP for a solid player.

TAF – Total Aggression Factor
This stat is created by dividing the number of times a player bets and raises by the number of times they check or call. An aggression number below 1.0 is considered to be very passive, while anything over 2.0 is considered to be aggressive. You probably want to be in the aggressive category in almost any game.

BB/100
This stat is often used to describe success or failure over the long-term and it is the most accurate measure we have of how much of a skill advantage we have over our opponents. It differs wildly from one game to the next, with Fixed-Limit Hold’em players very happy with any number over one, while low-limit Pot Limit Omaha players can be as high as 20.

FB – Fold Big blind to steal
This is exactly as it sounds: how often a player folds their big blind to a late position raise. It’s very important in fixed-limit and shorthanded games, where blind stealing is crucial and you need to know who to pick on.

AS – Attempt to Steal
Also exactly as it sounds: how often an opponent has chosen to raise from late position when no one has entered the pot yet. This stat tells you how much respect you can have for a late position raise and also gives you an idea how often you can reraise from the blinds.

CC – Cold Call PreFlop
A measurement of how often a player calls a raise preflop without reraising. It gives you a good idea how strong of a hand they may have when they call your raise preflop.

RR (or 3bet) – ReRaise
A measurement of how often a player reraises a preflop raiser. If this number is high, then the opponent is probably “three betting light,” meaning you may want to raise into them a little less often, but sometimes reraise them all-in when they do bump up your preflop raise.

W$SD (or WSD) – Won Money at Show Down
A very useful measurement of how often a player won the pot when it went to a showdown. A number below 45% usually indicates a player who calls too often; you can use this to make value bets against them, but don’t waste your time bluffing them because they won’t fold. If this number is over 60%, then you are facing a very bluffable player, but if that first bluff attempt doesn’t work, you may want to give up on the hand because they probably have the winner.

CB – Continuation Bet
How often a player makes a continuation bet when they were the preflop aggressor.

FCB – Fold to a Continuation Bet
How often an opponent folds to a continuation bet.

HANDS
The number of total hands you have logged on a player. This is important to understand how accurate your stats on a player are and should be a part of every layout.

Stat Configurations

There are hundreds of stats available to you from the HUD configuration window, but using only the fairly simple list above, I have suggested layouts for various games. Once you get used to the stats, you should do some of your own research to learn how to use these programs to the fullest extent. They are much more powerful than most casual players realize.

Full Ring No-limit Hold’em

VPIP / PFR / TAF / W$SD / Hands

I only use one line in full ring games because there isn’t a lot of extra room on the table. If you can squeeze in two lines without the clutter driving you nuts, then you may want to use the six-max stats or add in CB or FCB.

Six-Max No Limit Hold’em

VPIP / PFR / FB / AS / FCB
TAF / W$SD / BB/100 / Hands

Full Ring Fixed Limit Hold’em

VPIP / PFR / TAF / W$SD / Hands

Six-Max Fixed Limit Hold’em

VPIP / PFR / FB / AS / CC
FCB / TAF / W$SD / BB/100 / Hands

Sit and Go Tournaments

VPIP / PFR / AS / FB / TAF / W$SD / Hands

Multi-Table Tournaments

VPIP / PFR / RR / FB / AS / W$SD / Hands

Those basic stats should get you started and once you see how useful they are, you can learn to use the program and decide which other stats you think will be important.