Which stats should you read on a poker tracker?

VPIP, PFR and 3-bet above all, then the c-bet, the WTSD and the AF once your preflop game holds up. A poker tracker produces dozens of others, but those serve to settle a precise question, once you already know which one to ask.

This page covers the ones that count, what each measures exactly, and from how many hands you can believe it. They all come out of the same history files your room's software already writes.

What does VPIP measure?

VPIP is the percentage of hands where you voluntarily put money in the pot. Voluntarily is the word that matters: the blind you pay does not count, because you did not choose it. A VPIP of 22 means you play 22 hands out of 100 instead of folding straight away.

What does PFR measure?

PFR is the percentage of hands you raise preflop. It is necessarily lower than or equal to VPIP, since raising already means putting money in the pot of your own accord. It says how often you are the first to bet preflop, limps aside.

What does the 3-bet measure?

The 3-bet is how often you re-raise after an opponent opens. It is the first of the three that depends on a specific opponent, not only on your cards.

That is why it swings so much depending on who opened. Against a UTG open, which is tight, you 3-bet little. Against a button open, which is very wide, you 3-bet far more. A global figure says almost nothing until you break it down by position.

What does the gap between VPIP and PFR tell you?

The gap measures the share of your hands you play without taking the initiative. It teaches you more than any of the three numbers taken alone.

A VPIP of 28 against a PFR of 12 means you limp and call far more often than you raise. A gap of 4 or 5 points is an aggressive game; a gap of 15 points is the most common leak among players starting out, and the most expensive. It is usually the sign that you should go back to your opening ranges before touching anything else.

What does the c-bet measure?

The c-bet, for continuation bet, is how often you bet the flop after raising preflop. It answers a simple question: do you carry on the story you started, or do you drop the hand the moment the flop misses you.

What does the WTSD measure?

The WTSD, for went to showdown, is the percentage of hands seen at the flop that go to showdown.

Too high, you pay rivers you should fold. Too low, you get bluffed and you fold the best hand. It is a stat that never reads on its own: you have to cross it with what you actually win at the showdowns you play.

What are W$SD and non-showdown winnings?

W$SD, for won money at showdown, is the share of showdowns you take. Non-showdown winnings come from pots taken by making the other player fold: that is the red line on your winnings graph.

The ratio between the two says whether a player takes their money by attacking or by waiting for a hand. It is also what WWSF, won when saw flop, sums up: pots won after seeing the flop, showdown or not.

It is the fastest way to know whether you have a bluffer in front of you. Lots of non-showdown winnings is a player who bets hard and will make you fold: you pay wider against them. Almost none is a player who only bets the goods: their big bets mean what they say. On yourself, the same ratio says whether you win by playing or by waiting for cards.

What does the AF measure?

The AF, or aggression factor, is the ratio of your bets and raises to your calls. An AF of 1 means you call as often as you bet or raise. Read by street rather than globally, it shows where in the hand you hand back the initiative.

How many hands before you believe a stat?

The rarer the situation a stat covers, the more you need.

VPIP and PFR are measured on every hand played: fifty hands already give a rough profile, a few hundred are enough to rely on. The 3-bet takes five hundred to a thousand, and a positional stat far more, since it is only measured on the hands where the spot came up. Same rule as for tracking your results, less extreme.

Your own stats or your opponents'?

Yours, at the start, and by a distance. Opponent stats serve to exploit players you meet again, which assumes volume and a stable pool. Your own numbers tell you what to work on from the first hundred hands, and that work pays at every table rather than against one player.

Frequently asked questions

What does VPIP mean in poker?

The percentage of hands where you voluntarily put money in the pot, the blind you pay excluded. A VPIP of 22 means you play 22 hands out of 100.

What is the difference between VPIP and PFR?

VPIP counts every hand you play of your own accord, PFR only those you raise preflop. The gap between the two says how often you call instead of raising.

What is WTSD in poker?

WTSD, for went to showdown, is the share of hands seen at the flop that go to showdown. Too high, you pay rivers you should fold; too low, you get bluffed.

How do you tell whether a player bluffs a lot?

By comparing their non-showdown winnings and their W$SD. Lots of non-showdown winnings is a player who bets hard and will make you fold; almost none is a player who only bets the goods.

How do you read the aggression factor?

The AF is the ratio of your bets and raises to your calls: an AF of 1 means you call as often as you bet. Read by street, it shows where you hand back the initiative.

How many hands before a statistic is reliable?

The rarer the situation, the more you need. A few hundred hands are enough for VPIP and PFR, five hundred to a thousand for the 3-bet, far more for a positional stat.

Should you read your own stats or your opponents' ?

Yours, at the start. Opponent stats assume volume and a stable pool, whereas your own numbers tell you what to work on from the first hundred hands.