What's in Your HUD with Bangoutnow

We sat down with Romanian online poker grinder Bangoutnow to get his thoughts on poker software.  Bangoutnow primarily plays multi-table tournaments and has $700,000 in tracked scores on PocketFives.com.  Here is what he had to say.
 
PokerSoftware:  What poker software do you use while playing and studying?
 
Bangoutnow:  I mainly use PokerTracker 4 while playing and studying, and more recently for hand history reviews as well.  Previously, I used Universal Replayer for hand history reviews. I have also started using HoldemResources as a study tool.
 
PokerSoftware:  Can you share with us how your HUD is set up?
 
Bangoutnow:  My HUD is set up with two lines.  The first shows the player's VPIP, PFR, 3bet, fold to 3bet, aggression factor, and finally the number of total hands I have played with that certain player. The second line in my HUD consists of the player's name, the stack size in big blinds, Cbet, fold to Cbet, and steal.
 
PokerSoftware:  How important is your HUD to your game?
 
Bangoutnow:  My HUD became fairly important to my game since it allows me to play more tables at a time efficiently and helps a lot in early and middle in-game decisions.  PokerTracker 4 also improves the quality of my reviews and game analysis.

I used to play before without HUD a lot and when multi-tabling. I often had difficulties making quick and optimal decisions. For example, when not using a HUD, I was going in blind when trying to determine what my 3bet range should be against a player I've didn't have any notes on, or whether to Cbet certain flops.  These things are pretty basic but very important and not taking the optimal line in these basic spots can affect your game deeply.
 
PokerSoftware:  What stats are most important to you?
 
Bangoutnow:  Every stat is important in some way.  However, the most important ones and most frequently used are VPIP, PFR, 3bet, and fold to 3bet.  These stats, even on a smaller sample of hands, can give you an idea about the player's general tendencies, whether he's on the passive or aggressive side, and you can adjust your ranges fairly quickly based on these numbers.

For example, if an opponent's VPIP is high and his fold to 3bet is also high, you should widen your 3bet range vs him and so on. When getting deeper in a tournament, you have to pay a lot of attention to the table because of table dynamics and ICM factors. Certain players' current state of mind and a lot of other little things come into play, and you have to take those into consideration also.
 
PokerSoftware:  How do you use PokerTracker 4 as a study tool?
 
Bangoutnow:  I use PT4 for reviewing hand histories, checking a lot of my own stats trying to find leaks, finding efficient strategies versus certain regulars that would be impossible in-game, and adding or cutting off tournaments from my schedule based on the conclusions made about how I am doing in them over certain periods. 
 
PokerSoftware:  Do you watch videos on any training sites?  If so, which ones and how much does it help you?
 
Bangoutnow:  I watch videos on Run It Once, mostly MTT reviews, but recently I watched videos about in0depth software use and cash game videos. I think even an MTT player can find a lot of useful information in cash game hand analysis that generally is not discussed and not focused on in MTT reviews.
 
PokerSoftware:  We understand you receive group coaching.  What software is used during that?
 
Bangoutnow:  I am part of a stable that provides group coaching.  The video is set up using TeamViewer and we utilize a Skype conference for audio.  During the actual coaching sessions, we use Hold'em Manager 2 or PokerTracker 4 along with HoldemResources.
 
PokerSoftware:  Have you played mobile poker?
 
Bangoutnow: I prefer grinding on my desktop, but there are situations when mobile poker is useful.  The number of tables are limited on a mobile device, but it's perfect when you want to play an exact tournament and don't want to grind.

The software provides mobility and when I happen to play one or two tables of cash games, it is easy to open and close whenever I want. I think it's a good thing mostly because it gives more time and opportunity for recreational players who maybe can't sit down and play for hours from home, but they can pop up a few tables on their mobile device.
 
Pokersoftware:  Do you think software is bad for the game?  Should some software be disallowed?
 
Bangoutnow:  I used to think that software will affect poker in a negative way, but I came to the conclusion that it's just the natural evolution of things given the online platform. While using any allowed software for poker, you are just working with or using information which is out there for everybody.

Everybody has access to these programs, so I don't think it benefits anybody in particular. And regarding the game, I think software use improved it and did more good to it than bad by taking it to a different level. There are also plenty of live games around, where anybody can play software-free.

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