So Much Data, So Little Time in Poker
So you bought PokerTracker or PokerOffice and got yourself a heads-up display so that a bunch of numbers are now displaying next to your opponents' names while you play. Now what? Those numbers are a huge help once you understand what they mean, and it's not that complicated. You can even use them to analyze your own play.
VP$IP The abbreviation stands for Voluntarily Put Money In the Pot, and this is the easiest and most important stat you can have on your opponents. Almost all multi-tablers have this as the first stat displayed next to an opponent's name. Because VP$IP is counted every hand, it becomes a reasonable predictor of how your opponent plays much more quickly than other stats. After 20 hands you will have some idea about how loose or tight a player is, and within 100 hands you'll have a fairly accurate picture of your opponent's approach to the game preflop.
PFR The abbreviation stands for PreFlop Raise, and as its name indicates, PFR tells you how often your opponent raises preflop. The number not only gives you a range of hands that your foe might be playing when he raises or limps, but when combined with his VP$IP it gives you some idea about how he approaches the game. Players who have a PFR less than half of their VP$IP are limping too often and will usually be passive and inexperienced players.
AF Aggression Factor is determined by dividing the number of checks and calls by the number of bets or raises that a player makes. This one stat will tell you more about your opponent than any other. If they have an aggression factor more than 1.7, you know you don't have to give a lot of respect to their bets and they are often ripe for a check-raise. With an AF that is below 0.9, you are looking at a passive player who only bets with a real hand and will often give you a free card when you need one.
W$SD Won Money at ShowDown will tell you how often your opponent will win when he goes all the way to the river. If your opponent has a W$SD percentage above 55 percent, his is very bluffable, but will usually win the hand if you can't knock him out. As the number gets below 50 percent, you are facing a player who hates to fold a hand and bluffing him is a waste of money. With a W$SD percentage below 45 percent, you can value-bet almost any playable hand against him as long as it can beat a low pair.
These stats should give you a good start. Take a close look at the data available from PokerTracker and you'll begin to wonder how you ever lived without it.
