This article is for those players who are planning to use a HUD software or already using one. If you are a casual or recreational player who is thinking to up your poker game, we suggest you to continue reading and learn about the most important HUD stats – VPIP.
What is VPIP?
VPIP in poker stands for Voluntarily Puts Money In Pot. In some HUDs, it is also called VP$IP.
It is a preflop statistics that displays the number of times you voluntarily put money in the pot. Here, voluntarily means that you either call or raise preflop. You can calculate the VPIP percentage by using this formula:
VPIP = Number of Times You Put Money in the Pot/Number of Hands X 100
For example, if you call or raise 30 times out of 200 hands, your VPIP is 15%.
30/200 X 100 = VPIP of 15%
Don’t Count the Blinds
Blinds are not counted as they are forced bets, and you do not put money in the pot voluntarily. However, if you are in the small blind and decide to call or raise, you are voluntarily putting money in the pot. Similarly, if you are in the big blind and decide to raise or re-raise, you are voluntarily putting money in the pot.
Things to Remember
- It is a Preflop Statistics. Call or Raise on the Flop, Turn or River are not counted in VPIP.
- Blinds are not counted in VPIP.
How to Use VPIP?
VPIP helps you to figure out if your opponent plays a few or a lot of hands. In other words, you can figure out if your opponent is a loose or tight player. Once you figure out the type of your opponent, you can easily deduce what kinds of hand he is possibly holding.
Confused? Let’s simplify.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of players – Loose or Tight.
Loose Player: This type of player plays a lot of hands, which means he puts a lot of money in the pot voluntarily. So, if a player has a VPIP of 60%, this means that he is playing 60 out of 100 hands. You can safely deduce that he is a loose player. Such players play with a lot of hands, including weak hands.
Tight Player: On the contrary, a tight player plays a few hands. So, if a player has a VPIP of 17%, he is playing only 17 out of 100 hands. You can safely deduce that he a tight player. So, if he is playing only 17 times, he is playing with only strong poker hands.
There are further categorizations like Loose Aggressive, Loose Passive, Tight Aggressive and Tight Passive. We will look into these categorizations in the chapter: How to Use PFR in Poker?
How to Figure out the Player Type?
Different HUDs have different default VPIP Stats. Based on our gaming experience, you can use the stats mentioned below to determine the type of player.
6-max games will have a bit higher VPIP than full ring games. These VPIP stats are the most reliable when you have a data of at least 100 hands of your opponent. Also, it depends a lot on your opponent’s playing style. As you play more games, you can modify the stats according to your experience.
Very Tight Player: The VPIP stats of these players are usually below 14%. Also called as “Nits”, these players play a few hands, and you can easily guess them to have very strong starting hands. You should play with only strong hands against such players. However, it is easier to bluff if they keep checking on a wet board.
Tight Player: The VPIP stats of these players range from 15% to 25%. This is the best VPIP range for playing poker. These players play with any two broadways, any pair, suited connectors any ace-suited, etc. Play with caution if these players 3-bet (re-raise) in position.
Semi-loose Player: The VPIP stats of these players range from 26% to 31%. These players are a bit tricky as they switch their style from Tight to Loose and vice versa. However, be aware if they make a huge raise. A big raise is suggestive of a strong hand. You need to observe their post-flop play to evaluate their skills.
Loose Player: The VPIP stats of these players range from 32% to 40%. These players tend to play too many hands from any position. You can even spot them without even using a HUD as they will be putting money a lot in the pot. Always play in position with a strong hand to beat such loose players.
Very Loose Player: Anything above 40% VPIP is a very loose player. These players will enter the pot with any kind of hands. As they play so many hands, they eventually lose a lot of money in the long run. It is also very annoying to play with such players, but you can extract a lot of money if you play with a strong hand and beat their weak hand.
Also Read: Why Position in Poker Matters the Most?
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. We will be happy to answer!
