HUD's. How to

Hey all!

I was wondering about the use of HUD's. HUD's is a pretty new thing to me. I find it hard to understand what all the numbers mean!

I mean, people can estimate hand ranges on opponents (pretty good anyway) and I find myself not having a clue.
Not a clue at all how it works actually. The only thing I can tell from the numbers is of a player is loose, aggressive, passive etc.
Is there some way to use peoples VPIP numbers to get an idea?
So confused.
While I'm at it... What's equity? I've heard the term but I'm not sure what that means either. Lol feel like a complete dumbass here...


Help a noobie please?

Cheers

I'm not a HUD expert by any sorts, just recently made the purchase. However a couple of points:

Regarding estimating hand ranges based on the HUD you would do this generally based on the VPIP. If they have a VPIP of 20 for example then they are playing 20% of hands, if you look at something like pokerstove you can find out what the top 20% of hands would be, and based on lines taken pre with regards to how they enter the pot and post regarding check/call or check/raise or butting out etc you can use that info to narrow their range.

I can't seem to put equity into words off hand, but basically thinking an all-in situation where the pot is 100$ and say you have 75% equity meaning 75% chance you will win the pot then your equity is 75$ that you can expect to win from that situation in the long run. i think that is sorta how it goes. These are some of the technical thought processes I myself am looking at learning more instinctively.

There are likely some great threads regarding equity on the forum if you do a search for them, I'm sure I have reviewed some in the past. Also absoluthamm wrote a great document regarding HUD stats http://bit.ly/cnK3UF.

Hope this helps.

Ah! Thanks a bunch BluffMeAllIn.
Yeah, I'm just a lazy guy... Bleh, but I need to start working on my game really hard If I ever wanna be pro.
Where can I get Pokerstove?


Cheers

BoddJonar said:

Ah! Thanks a bunch BluffMeAllIn.
Yeah, I'm just a lazy guy... Bleh, but I need to start working on my game really hard If I ever wanna be pro.
Where can I get Pokerstove?


Cheers

Click to expand...

probably pokerstove.com or something like that, a quick google should bring you right to it. Its a free App, pretty simple to use for quick ref once you get used to it and can likely do a lot more than I have really ever used it for. There are other Apps along the same lines as well.

So you play cash games or tourny/stt games? Curious where the competition will be since your looking to go pro

pokerstove is a funny one, it keeps expiring and finding a new link is practically impossible...something to do with open source i think....so im not sure you can even get on pokerstove.com

although stove isnt regarded as the best equity caculator anymore, lots of new ones available...most of them you need to purchase, but the best free one going about just now is 'equilab'...can find it on google by typing it on or go to pokerstrategy.com

AlfieAA said:

pokerstove is a funny one, it keeps expiring and finding a new link is practically impossible...something to do with open source i think....so im not sure you can even get on pokerstove.com

although stove isnt regarded as the best equity caculator anymore, lots of new ones available...most of them you need to purchase, but the best free one going about just now is 'equilab'...can find it on google by typing it on or go to pokerstrategy.com

Click to expand...

yeah I think equilab be the other one I was thinking about. The pokerstove issue with expiring was fixed per a recent update in a thread dmo had done a interim fix for, he noted the date check was now removed in an updated download on the website.

I'll have to get me and take a look at this equilab. Thanks for the additional info alf.

Don't over think things.

Get a hand value chart, you know, one that shows how frequently any particular opening hand wins. Use that for a base line. AA is the best, so it will fit in anyones VPIP of 18. Does TT, T9 ? That VPIP # will be an average over all positions for that player, as if he had that chart stapled to his forehead.

You will need to adjust your thinking for position. So that 18 might be 12 UTG, and 40 OTB.

BluffMeAllIn said:

probably pokerstove.com or something like that, a quick google should bring you right to it. Its a free app, pretty simple to use for quick ref once you get used to it and can likely do a lot more than I have really ever used it for. There are other apps along the same lines as well.

So you play cash games or tourny/stt games? Curious where the competition will be since your looking to go pro

Click to expand...

Ah yes, ofc silly me ^^

Having trouble finding a link that works...
If you find one, could you post it here please? ;o
Err, well I'm currently stuck in the Micros trying to grind my roll up from Mtt's, Stt, freerolls and micro cash games. My game is pretty flawed for cash yet, but I'm working on getting a BR of 100$ to get back into the game again.
currently at 72$, but I started from Zero after new year so hey I'm getting there.
Reading on CC have helped me out quite alot.

Cheers!

dj11 said:

Don't over think things.

Get a hand value chart, you know, one that shows how frequently any particular opening hand wins. Use that for a base line. AA is the best, so it will fit in anyones VPIP of 18. Does TT, T9 ? That VPIP # will be an average over all positions for that player, as if he had that chart stapled to his forehead.

You will need to adjust your thinking for position. So that 18 might be 12 UTG, and 40 OTB.

Click to expand...

+1 dj

Huds just help tell a more full story. Learn all the terms: Vpip/PFR/3bet/WSD/
Once you learn these terms you can start understanding more information that will make decisions @ the table much easier.

I have seen posts saying that the use of HUDs are cheating. Maybe not in the legal sense, but in a moral sense, i guess. I never gave it much thought myself. Been thinking about it more though lately, still haven't decided if HUDs should be considered a "cheating' tool or not. Online or not, shouldn't matter, but i don't see any live tables with players holding tablets giving them a look at their opponents hand ranges.

SANDYHOOKER KY said:

I have seen posts saying that the use of HUDs are cheating. Maybe not in the legal sense, but in a moral sense, i guess. I never gave it much thought myself. Been thinking about it more though lately, still haven't decided if HUDs should be considered a "cheating' tool or not. Online or not, shouldn't matter, but i don't see any live tables with players holding tablets giving them a look at their opponents hand ranges.

Click to expand...

In a live game you have a face associated with a player and not just another screenname, therefore you can more easily store in your own head tendancies of the villian whether they are tight or loose etc. The hud doesn't give hand ranges specifically it just provides a quick reference to how many hands a villian plays, assigning ranges is all based on an assumption that the 20% he plays is the correct 20%, but its just easier when playing live and at a single table to do this mentally with the group you are playing.

If playing a single table online the same can be said, however having the hud just helps identify that you have played said villains before which you probably are not likely to recognize just based on their screenname while live you will more easily recognize the face of a person and recall from the database that is our brain the tendencies and information you previously gain while playing them. This is essentially all a hud does, it's certainly not cheating as its not telling you their hands nor does it give information based on how they play this hand compared to another, it just helps provide that information that is more easily remembered from playing live.

SANDYHOOKER KY said:

I have seen posts saying that the use of HUDs are cheating. Maybe not in the legal sense, but in a moral sense, i guess. I never gave it much thought myself. Been thinking about it more though lately, still haven't decided if HUDs should be considered a "cheating' tool or not. Online or not, shouldn't matter, but i don't see any live tables with players holding tablets giving them a look at their opponents hand ranges.

Click to expand...

Accomplished regs will have (physical) notebooks full of notes about the players they encounter. They will review those notes as necessary. Most of us do not take enough notes, but note taking would also be as immoral as remembering what you have encountered at any poker table, online or live, against any and all foes.

All the trackers do is record your experiences for you, then present them back to you in a variety of forms and formats. YOU will make any changes to your game, the tracker will not.

If the notion of trackers bugs the living daylights out of you, go play at Bovada.

Can you give some links for trial HUDs which you think is worth buying in the end of the trial?

BluffMeAllIn said:

yeah I think equilab be the other one I was thinking about. The pokerstove issue with expiring was fixed per a recent update in a thread dmo had done a interim fix for, he noted the date check was now removed in an updated download on the website.

I'll have to get me and take a look at this equilab. Thanks for the additional info alf.

Click to expand...

thanks bluff, i knew dmo fixed it but didn't know it was perma fixed...i dowloaded the latest link when dmo posted it so it should be good to go for ever now lol

yeah having both equilab and stove and played about with both of them i would have to say equilab is the best one out the two...basically you can do more things....can also save different ranges and make your own ranges up and save them..plus lots of other things you cant do on stove

if you are interested in paid ones, theres 3 good ones

combonator is the one dmo recommends as being the top one.....then theres flopzilla...thats the one i liked the look of, if you are into fancy graphics...and slice....another highly rated one....when i get a bigger roll and start making some money i will buy comobnator ....but until then im more than happy with equilab...give it a try, sure you'll like it.

Alfie,
I did not know there was a free hud. Thanks for the info.

easypickns said:

Alfie,
I did not know there was a free hud. Thanks for the info.

Click to expand...

Yeah you can get free huds, but I was talking about equity calculators

Thanks for all the answers guys, you've helped me out alot with this!
I'm getting to understand the HUD better and better now!

Cheers

This is a sotware Statistics, which is preferably used in form of cash, as it is inprencindible playing MTTs may be helpful but is not essential, there are several tutorials and have to pay to have the pro version for a while, there HUD or free versions but usually are not as good as a payment. Look for online tutorials so you understand for sure.

One site that explains HUD stats in fairly plain language is http://www.myholdempokertips.com/hud-stats-guide.

You might find that it helps.

Also gripsed has a video about setting up some stats on a HUD. Just google 'gripsed hud', that should find it.

another one can be found here: http://www.thepokerbank.com/videos/splitsuit/hud-ninja/

SANDYHOOKER KY said:

I have seen posts saying that the use of HUDs are cheating. Maybe not in the legal sense, but in a moral sense, i guess. I never gave it much thought myself. Been thinking about it more though lately, still haven't decided if HUDs should be considered a "cheating' tool or not.

Click to expand...

There is a lot of misinformation about tracking software and HUDs in the poker community... but we are happy to report that there has never been an online poker room that we have supported that deems our software to be cheating or immoral. These decisions are made by the poker room and the poker room's regulators, we are in full compliance with all regulatory rules and terms of service for each site we support.