Online poker and Heads Up Displays (HUD) have changed the landscape of the game by giving players access to an incredible amount of information about their opponents. This allows them to adapt their strategy and play to maximize their chances of winning. One important statistic that is tracked by HUDs is VPIP. This statistic measures how many hands a player voluntarily puts money into the pot preflop. It does not count the big and small blind, as these are forced bets. This article will explain what VPIP means in poker and how to keep track of it.
Understanding VPIP is an essential skill for any poker player, especially those who play in real money games. While there are many ways to measure a player’s VPIP, it is generally considered that anything above 30% is loose and anything below 10% is tight. While this is a good starting point, it is important to note that the number of hands that a player calls or folds in any given session will impact their VPIP.
Using VPIP to determine the playing style of an opponent is an excellent way to make decisions at the tables, and it’s a very useful tool in understanding your opponents’ tendencies. However, it’s not the only thing you should be looking at when analyzing an opponent; other metrics like PFR and AF are also important.
For example, if an opponent has a low VPIP but a high PFR, this may indicate that they are playing too conservatively and can be exploited with well-timed bluffs. Conversely, if an opponent has a high VPIP but a low PFR, this can be a sign that they are calling too often and may not be playing their best hand.
In general, a player’s VPIP will be lower when they call more hands and higher when they raise more hands. However, this isn’t always the case, as some players have a lower VPIP than others and still play the same type of hands.
If a player has a high VPIP but low PFR, this indicates that they are playing more hands and less aggressively, which can be advantageous for them in certain situations. However, it’s important to note that a high VPIP can also be an indication of a player who is making mistakes and will need to improve their game.
It is also worth mentioning that a VPIP ratio will only be accurate when it has been tracked over a large sample size. For this reason, it is recommended that you wait at least ten hands before taking a player’s VPIP ratio seriously. During this time, a tight player may run into a streak of dead cards, prompting them to sit out and skew their VPIP; while a loose player will get lucky and will play more hands as a result.
