What's in Your HUD with James Bills (Bizbills)

I am pleased to have the opportunity to pick the mind of one of Australia’s top online tournament players, James “Bizbills” Bills.  He has over $1.5 million in online tournament cashes and has been ranked as high 16th worldwide on PocketFives, where he is known as Supanova99.  He also has had recent success in the live arena, finishing in sixth place in an ANZPT Main Event in August for almost $60,000.

PokerSoftware: What poker software are you currently using?

James Bills: I am currently using Holdem Manager 2, although I am thinking of switching to something else soon given the fact that I am having numerous problems getting the Full Tilt Poker Heads-Up Display to work.

PokerSoftware: How is your HUD configured?

James Bills: I have four lines of statistics in my HUD:

· Top line - Voluntarily Put in Pot % (VPIP), Pre-Flop Raise % (PFR), Open Limp %
· Second line - Small Blind Steal %, Big Blind Call vs. Small Blind %, Big Blind 3bet vs. Small Blind %
· Third line - 3bet in Position %, 3bet Out of Position %, 4bet %, Call 3bet %, Fold to 3bet %
· Bottom line - Flop Continuation Bet Success %, Post-Flop Aggression Factor

PokerSoftware: Your HUD seems to be very thorough and thought out.  Are there any statistics you feel can be misleading at times?

James Bills: I can’t really think of too many stats that I find misleading.  I guess one thing is that some stats such as PFR become misleading with the changing blind levels.  In general, I use my HUD for additional information when multi-tabling.  When I play fewer tables, I don’t even really use my HUD too much because I like to concentrate on game flow, timing tells, and any other player nuances that can be picked up from observation.

PokerSoftware: Are there any stats you feel are underrated by most HUD users?

James Bills: There aren’t too many that I think are underrated, but I think it is absolutely crucial to have Fold to 3bet % in your HUD if you don't have it already.

PokerSoftware: Have you experienced mobile poker? If so, what are your thoughts?

James Bills: I sure have experienced mobile poker.  I am a rare breed whereby I occasionally like to mix things up when I’m playing online.  I try not to let grinding affect my day-to-day activities too much.  For example, I was recently in Melbourne for the ANZPT and decided that I wanted to take a shower while still grinding.  I checked out the bathroom and, sure enough, there was a perfect little ledge to perch my laptop on.  I grabbed a towel and put it next to the laptop.  It worked well (note this can only really be accomplished with a maximum of two tables).  I used to drive around playing on my laptop if it was an absolute emergency.

Having the ability to play on your mobile phone has certainly been great for me given the fact that I don’t need to cart my laptop everywhere when I need to drive or go somewhere.  Recently this year, I was 2/5 in the $162 Nightly $50K.  I had to leave my house and switch the game to my mobile because something important came up that I couldn’t avoid.  I ended up winning the tournament while driving from five-handed play onward.  Obviously, I never do this unless I am forced to, but yeah, mobile poker is a lifesaver for me.

PokerSoftware: How does your poker experience differ when you do not use software?

James Bills: Sometimes I don’t feel like loading up my HUD.  For example, when I only have Full Tilt tables left in my session, I won’t even bother with my HUD since I can’t get it to work.  When I am playing four tables or more, I will definitely load it up; however, the fewer tables I have up, the more I want to avoid using the HUD.  I feel like I play better without it, as occasionally I will have a "feel" read, but my stats show information that contradicts my read.  I go with my gut and, more often than not, I’m right.

PokerSoftware: How do you feel about the pricing of poker software?

James Bills: I think that the pricing of poker software is more than fair.  In my opinion, it is actually worth a whole lot more than what we pay.  When mass multi-tabling, I actually can’t imagine playing without it.

PokerSoftware: Is there any software you plan on trying soon or any poker software you would like to see on the market that isn't already there?

James Bills: As I mentioned previously, my Holdem Manager 2 HUD isn’t working for FTP, so I’m thinking of possibly going back to Holdem Manager 1 or trying PokerTracker.

For those interested in poker coaching from James “Bizbills” Bills, you can contact him at billsy87 on Skype, Supanova99 on PocketFives, James Bills on Facebook, or @BizBillsJB on Twitter.