Poker HUD Stats Explained: VPIP, PFR, 3-Bet%, AF, and More

VPIP

How loose or tight a player is preflop. >35% = loose, <15% = very tight.

PFR

How often they raise vs limp/call. Should be close to VPIP for aggressive players.

3-Bet%

High = aggressive/bluffy; <4% = rarely 3-bets; >12% = very aggressive range.

AF (Aggression Factor)

>5 = very aggressive (may over-bluff); <1.5 = passive (too many checks/calls).

CBet%

<45% = checks too often; >80% = c-bets too wide and predictable.

Fold to CBet%

>65% = exploitably folding; <35% = calling station who rarely folds to c-bets.

WSD% (Went to Showdown)

>40% = calls too much postflop; <20% = folds too often when behind.

WTSD (Won at Showdown)

Low WSD + high WTSD = bluff-catcher; high WSD + low WTSD = calling with losing hands.

TAG (Tight-Aggressive)

Enters few pots, raises most of them. Standard winning player. Respect their bets — they have strong ranges.

LAG (Loose-Aggressive)

Plays wide, but still mostly raises. Aggressive and hard to read. Tighten up vs 3-bets, look to 4-bet bluff.

Loose-Passive (Fish)

Calls too many hands, rarely raises. The most profitable target at the table. Value-bet thin; never bluff.

Nit

Plays only premium hands. Fold to their bets. Steal their blinds aggressively — they defend too rarely.

High VPIP (>35%)

Value-bet thinner — three streets with top pair, second pair in good positions. Don't bluff: these players don't fold. Widen your value range to include two pair, one pair, and even ace-high in spots where they call down.

Low PFR (<10%)

Raise their limps aggressively with a wide range. Their range is weaker than it looks — limpers rarely hold strong hands. Isolate with 3–4x and take the lead postflop.

High 3-Bet% (>12%)

4-bet or fold preflop. Do not flat call 3-bets: you're giving them positional and range advantages. Tighten your opening range from early position and widen your 4-bet bluffing range from late position.

Low Fold to CBet% (<35%)

Stop bluffing on the flop entirely. Only c-bet for value. When you have a draw, consider checking behind to realize equity free rather than betting into a player who never folds.

High WSD% + low WTSD wins%

They're calling down with weak hands — value-bet all three streets mercilessly. Thin value-bets are mandatory. Do not slow-play strong hands against these players: they call bets, not missed streets.

Solid read on playing style after just a couple of sessions.

Positional patterns take longer; general tendency readable at 300.

Needs enough postflop action to smooth out variance.

Rare event — at 50 hands, 15% could easily be 6% over 500.

Showdown events are infrequent; small samples are highly misleading.

BTN vs BB vs EP splits require large sample for stability.

What are the most important poker HUD stats?

VPIP and PFR are the foundation of every HUD read — they tell you how wide a player's range is and whether they prefer to raise or call. The gap between them (VPIP minus PFR) reveals the call-heavy players who are often the most profitable targets. After VPIP/PFR, the next tier is 3-Bet% (tells you their 3-betting range width), CBet% (how predictable their flop play is), and Fold to CBet% (how exploitable they are on the flop). These five stats together give you a reliable picture of most opponents by 300 hands. AF and WSD%/WTSD% are tertiary — useful for confirming a read but needing larger samples to be reliable.

What is a good VPIP in poker?

For 6-max online cash games, a VPIP of 20–28% is standard for a winning regular. At full ring (9-handed), the standard narrows to 15–22% because position is less frequent and ranges should tighten. A VPIP above 35% typically indicates a loose player who is calling too many hands — these players are usually the most profitable targets at the table, and you should value-bet thin against them. A VPIP below 15% is a nit who only enters pots with strong holdings — fold to their raises and steal their blinds liberally. The exact ideal VPIP shifts slightly with stakes: at microstakes, tighter ranges (20–24%) can outperform because most opponents are loose-passive fish.

What does the gap between VPIP and PFR mean?

The VPIP/PFR gap equals how many of a player's voluntary preflop entries are calls rather than raises. A gap of 4–6% is typical for an aggressive regular — they call occasionally but mostly enter the pot with a raise. A gap above 10% indicates a player who calls too much preflop: they enter a lot of pots passively, hit the flop less often, and are easier to play against with a made hand. A gap above 20% — like VPIP 40%, PFR 12% — is a classic loose-passive fish profile. The large gap means they're calling with speculative and weak hands preflop, giving you profitable value-betting opportunities on all streets.

How many hands do I need for HUD stats to be accurate?

VPIP and PFR are the most sample-efficient stats and are reliable reads after roughly 200 hands. CBet% and Fold to CBet% need around 300 hands. AF becomes stable around 300 hands as well, assuming regular postflop action. 3-Bet% is a rare event — a player only gets opportunities to 3-bet in a fraction of hands — so you need 500+ hands before trusting it. WSD% and WTSD% also need 500+ hands because showdowns are infrequent. Positional stats (e.g., BTN steal% or BB defense%) need 1,000+ hands before they're statistically meaningful. The key rule: be cautious with rare-event stats on small samples. A 15% 3-Bet% over 50 hands might normalize to 6% over 500.

Can I use poker HUD stats in live poker?

You can't run software at a live table, but you can apply the same three-variable mental model: first, how many hands is this player playing — are they entering most pots or very few? (This is your VPIP proxy.) Second, when they enter, do they mostly raise or mostly call? (PFR proxy — a large call-to-raise ratio signals loose-passive tendencies.) Third, postflop, do they take aggressive lines — betting, raising, re-raising — or do they mostly check and call? (AF proxy.) Use the 3-orbit rule: watch three full orbits around the table before making strong reads. After that, slot opponents into one of the four profiles — TAG, LAG, Fish, or Nit — and adjust your strategy accordingly.

What is a good aggression factor in poker?

An Aggression Factor (AF) of 2–4 is the standard range for a winning player. AF is calculated as (bets + raises) ÷ calls postflop, so an AF of 3 means for every call, the player bets or raises three times. An AF above 5 indicates very aggressive play — the player bets and raises frequently and may be over-bluffing; respond by calling down lighter and 3-betting as a bluff-catcher. An AF below 1.5 means the player is passive — mostly checking and calling — which is a sign of a weak-passive player who is not protecting their range. AF is a postflop-only metric; preflop aggression is measured by PFR and 3-Bet% instead.