What's in Your HUD with Bryan Paris (bparis)

We sat down with poker player and coach Bryan "bparis" Paris (pictured) to get his thoughts on poker software.  Paris is one of the top online multi-table tournament players of all-time.  He has amassed almost $8 million according to PocketFives.com, which places him in sixth place on the all-time money list.  Earlier this month, Paris won the $109 Sunday Rebuy on PokerStars for over $39,000.  Here is what he had to say:
 
PokerSoftware:  What poker software are you currently using while playing and for studying?
 
Bryan Paris:  I am currently using Holdem Manager 2 while playing and studying and a combination of HoldemResources and PokerStove as study tools.
 
PokerSoftware:  How are you using each piece of software?
 
Bryan Paris:  I use Holdem Manager 2 the most, as it is both my in-game HUD as well as my primary hand replayer. I use HoldemResources and PokerStove when analyzing hand histories to solve more complex spots.
 
PokerSoftware:  Tell us how HoldemResources helps you.
 
Bryan Paris:  I mostly use HoldemResources to determine push/fold ranges and calling ranges against less than 20 big blind shoves and to check to see how wide I can profitably re-jam against people's opens by position based on what I assume their opening range is.  If I have a big enough sample on a player, I can see they open X% from a certain position, so I can put that in and see what percentage of hands I can profitably re-jam with.
 
PokerSoftware:  We understand you use a basic HUD.  Can you share with us how it is set up?
 
Bryan Paris:  As you mentioned, I keep my HUD simple with just VPIP %, PFR %, 3-bet %, and c-bet % as my main stats.  That is all I have displayed continuously; however, I can click on my HUD and bring up a bunch of detailed stats with pop-ups.  I do not want too many stats in the main display, as I play a lot of tables.
 
PokerSoftware:  When are you using the pop-ups?
 
Bryan Paris:  I will look at the more detailed stats when I want to see by position.  For example, if I am thinking about light 3-betting someone or determining how to react to a 3-bet, I will check to see how frequently they take that action from that position with the pop-ups.  Also, for post-flop play, stats such as check-raise flop % are helpful if I have just been check-raised on flop.
 
PokerSoftware:  What are the most important stats in your HUD and why?
 
Bryan Paris:  I believe all of the stats I have in my HUD are the most important to focus on in-game, as you will have the biggest sample size for these fairly common situations, as opposed to some more obscure stat like check-raise turn %. Breaking these stats down by position is helpful as well, especially to know how often people steal from late position so you can construct your ranges from the blinds properly.
 
PokerSoftware:  Do you use any different software when coaching?
 
Bryan Paris:  In addition to the software I already mentioned, I use Skype and TeamViewer to communicate and visualize when I am coaching.
 
PokerSoftware:  What are your thoughts about poker software?  Is too much currently permitted by the major online poker sites?
 
Bryan Paris:  It's an unfortunate situation overall, as I do believe too much software is allowed, but it seems pretty difficult to enforce any sort of ban.  I think the games would stay softer for longer if there were some way to effectively outlaw the use of HUDs, but since there is not, you might as well maximize your equity from using one.
 
PokerSoftware:  Have you ever tried mobile poker?
 
Bryan Paris:  I've played on the PokerStars mobile app a good amount. It's convenient and functional, but I don't generally do it in big equity spots, as I like to have my whole Holdem Manager 2 setup wherever possible. It is nice to be able to play hyper-turbo tournaments while I'm out doing things, though.
 
PokerSoftware:  If someone is interested in being coached by you, how should they get in touch?
 
Bryan Paris:  You can either Tweet at me @bparispoker or check out my coaching website at bparispoker.com.  I'm remodeling the website this week, but should be up again soon.

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