55% of Poker Players Always Use a HUD

I recently created a thread over at PocketFives to find out how many players use a HUD while playing online poker.  The choices were "Yes, always," "Only when I have enough tables going," "Very rarely," and "Never."
 
In total, 54 PocketFivers voted, with 55% voting for "Yes, always."  Since PocketFives is full of tournament players, I was surprised by the results, thinking this choice would be much higher.
 
New Jersey poster Dennis "Dlorican" Lopez was one of the 55% and commented in the thread, "I use HM2 mostly for analyzing my game away from the table, which I feel is important.  There are endless reports you can run that can help you improve your game as well as a hand replayer to help review your past sessions.  As far as using it in-game, it can help you exploit your opponents' tendencies and help you make better decisions and/or help you adjust accordingly."
 
PocketFiver "Mtlpokerking" agreed with "Dlorican," adding, "I use a HUD, but I keep it very simple, as I feel too much info can actually be a bad thing.  I do VPIP/3b/Hands followed by Steal/Fold to Steal, c-bet/Fold to c-bet, 3b/Fold to 3b, and Re-Steal/Fold to Re-Steal.  Most tough decisions generally come about in late position where there are more raise/3b/4b dynamics in play, so decisions become tougher and thus having some info on people's stats and frequencies in these situations is paramount."
 
Canadian poster "WhatWasThat" was one of the 13% who voted "Only when I have a bunch of tables going."  This poster commented, "I was so amazed after 6-8 years of online tournaments without and then switching to a HUD."

PocketFiver "vandenboss" added that HUDs can also protect you from yourself: "The HUD is a great tool for hand-reading.  Also a great tool for keeping an eye on the most dangerous player of them all: yourself."
 
Another 13% of PocketFivers voted "Rarely," while the remaining 19% voted "Never."  PocketFiver "TheVillageGrinder" pointed out that while he never uses a HUD as a tournament player, he would if he were a cash game regular: "I never use one.  There were times when I considered it, but I feel like its importance in MTTs is overrated."

Canadian poster "racer" agreed: "I have used one with mixed results, but am more comfortable decreasing the number of tables and increasing focus and being diligent with note-taking.  I think if I ever go back to cash, the HUD would be more beneficial."
 
While many of you are already using HUDs, the common perception that everyone is using one is definitely is not the case.  Tournament players can gain valuable information about themselves and their opponents using one.  So, if you aren't using one today, check out a number of HUDs in programs like PokerTracker 4, Holdem Manager 2, PokerTableStats, and Tournament Indicator.

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