HUD

HUD is a special tool with which you get statistical information about the opponents. It is displayed at the game table in real time. Most often, HUD is used in poker software such as Holdem Manager or Poker Tracker.

What is poker HUD?

HUD stands for Heads Up Display.

Essentially, HUD is a tool for displaying statistics collected on players for the entire time of your play against them. That is, if you imagine that your brain works perfectly and it is able to remember all information at the table, and then process and calculate the opponents’ actions in percentage terms – you can become a HUD in real life and can successfully play offline tournaments.

HUD shows statistics for each player and the general stats of the table. Visually, HUD on the player is displayed in the form of a small table with numbers near the nickname.

Visualized format of HUD HM2 and HUD PT4 (hand replayer):

HUD consists of statistical indicators at the main display (it is seen in the picture) and pop-ups. You can also update information with notes.

HUD: what is it for and what does it show?

HUD can display many different statistical indicators. But if it displays all them at once, there won’t be sense from HAD – it will only clutter the space and confuse you even more. Very few indicators are used in the standard HUD. In the future, it is configured individually – you can choose the indicators that will be displayed in HUD and popup, as well as highlight them with different colors.

Standard HUD in Holdem Manager and Poker Tracker for cash

HUD in PokerTracker and Hold'em Manager includes the following indicators and values (by default):

Name – player’s nickname

Notes - icon for recording the notes.

Hands (Total Hands) - the number of hands according to which the stat is based on. In other words, this is the number of hands that you played with a particular player and which entered the base.

Stack Size - the size of stack in BB (it is in PT4, but not in HM3).

VPIP (VP, TOT VPIP) is an indicator that shows in percentage how often the player enters the pot on preflop (without blinds). The optimal indicator is 15-25% for 9-max or 20-29% for 6-max. If the indicator is lower – it means that the player is too tight, and if it is above – the player is loose.

PFR (PR, TOT PFR) is a percentage of how often the player raises on preflop (open raise, 3bet and all subsequent bets). The optimum ratio is 10-20% in 9-max and 16-24% for 6-max. The lower the indicator is, the narrower range of hands is played by the player. The higher indicator is, the wider range is.   

3Bet (3B, TOT 3bet) – the frequency of 3bet on preflop. Optimum – 6-10%.

Postflop Agression Factor is the main indicator of the player’s aggressiveness (there is in HM by default, but you need to configure it in PT). It is calculated by the formula (% bet +% raises) / % calls. The higher the value is, the more aggressively the poker player plays.

Flop CB (CB) – how often the player makes a cbet (continuation bet) on the flop (in HUD PT4 by default, but it is configured in HM2).

Fold vs Flop CB – how often the player folds to cbet (by default in PT4 HUD).

The most popular indicators in HUD

The main question asked by the beginners after loading Hold'em manager (or any other analogue of the program) is: “What stats should be in HUD?”

For cash players, the main stats in HUD Hold'em Manager, in addition to the ones set by default:

Big Blinds (an analogue of Stack Size in Poker Tracker), Flop Cbet (Flop CB in PT4), Flop Fold to CBet (Fold vs Flop CB in PT4), as well as TOT Fold to Steal, which shows how often your opponent folds the cards in response to a steal. The higher this indicator is, the more often you will be able to steal the blinds from this player.

The most important indicators of poker statistics on postflop are the following:

WTSD is an indicator that displays in percentage how often the player reaches showdown. The higher this indicator is, the less you need to bluff against the player.

W$SD is a percentage of player’s winnings after the showdown. This indicator demonstrates the person's ability to play on postflop. The higher the percentage is, the more often the player wins when it comes to showdown.

W$WSF is an indicator of how often the player wins a deal after seeing the cards on the flop.

The optimal values of preflop and postflop indicators in HUD (for 6-max):

Preflop statistics

​Postflop statistics

You should try to keep your indicators within the normal range and play as carefully as possible against the opponents with an average value.

Tips for HUD setting

The main rule you must adhere to is to display only those stats that you understand and which give you useful information on your opponent. Incomprehensible numbers that are not helpful only clutter the space and confuse the player. You need to understand how each indicator is formulated and how to use it correctly.

For example, if you see that you are sitting in a position against the player who has high Fold vs Flop CB, you can boldly make a bluff bet against him, since you know that there is a high probability that he will fold.

If you doubt whether it is worth entering the game with certain cards, then your opponents’ VPIP and PFR will tell you the chance that shows whether you will fight for the pot alone or not.

Some poker rooms prohibit using the third-party soft in the client (PokerDom, PokerMatch), and others restrict their work at the certain tables (for example: anonymous tables in PartyPoker). But in general HUD doesn’t apply to prohibited programs, and you can boldly use HUD Poker Tracker 4 and HUD Holdem Manager 3 at PokerStars, Full Tilt, 888poker and other poker rooms that allow stat tracking programs.

In addition to Hold'em Manager and Poker Tracker, there are the other programs with HUD. Jivaro is currently one of the most popular stat tracking programs. It is a paid program, but you can download the free 30-day version to understand whether it suits you, or not.

It’s impossible to select on the internet an ideal HUD for MTT HM2 or for the cash games. It is too individual. However, you can download “ready” HUD on the Internet and gradually configure it for yourself.