Using A Heads Up Display To Play Online Poker
Posted in Software on March 14th, 2011 by Thomas Kearns – Be the first to commentA heads up display, or HUD, is a tool used by online poker players to display statistics on other players at the table directly around their name. To the skilled professional this tool is indispensable. When professionals play poker online they often play several tables at a time. Many players will play 4-16 tables at once across several monitors. When you are playing this many tables and hands at a time it is virtually impossible to keep track of the playing style of every opponent at the table. The HUD can help you to keep track of who plays how by just glancing at their stats before you act. So how does it work?
The hand histories for every hand that you play online are stored on your hard drive. These hands can then be imported into a tracking software and compiled into a database. The HUD will then read this database along with the current hand histories for live tables and display the stats directly on the table to help poker players make quick decisions based on the playing style and weaknesses of their opponents without having to actually watch every hand closely. So how is this beneficial in actual play?
An opponent’s weaknesses can be exploited by watching them closely and learning their style. You can gain a massive advantage over your opponents with a HUD in conjunction with a data-mining software program. Without studying them in real time you can move from table to table and always know how your opponents play. The software does it all for you. Some players may fold the flop 60% of the time, but always check raise the turn. If this is seen on the player’s stats, when they call the flop, then you can often expect a check raise on the turn. This may be the time to save two bets and check behind with a mediocre hand. You would have to watch this player closely for thousands of hands to realize their standard play when they make a big hand, instead a HUD does the watching for you. You will pick up on some players easily when they raise 50% of the time before the flop but you’ll know what you’re playing with before the first hand is dealt with a HUD.
You will also be able to see your opponent’s hole cards after the hand is over if they go to shutdown. This is another useful tool a HUD offers. Even if the players muck their cards so you can’t see them your HUD will still pick up the data. Knowing what a player will call a river bet with is helpful because it helps you value bet the river against players who showdown weak hands.
A heads up display should be used by anyone playing poker online. If the professional use them so should you.
To read more poker articles like this one go to The Poker Source or Big Poker Blog