Everyone uses their HUD to find the player playing 45% of his hand, then immediately labels him as the table fish. That big number is considered proof of poor poker skills.
However this is a major trap.
There isn’t anything wrong with the numbers provided by the data tracking apps. There’s nothing incorrect with the math either. The issue with VPIP in online poker is that the big number on the screen totally eliminates any ability to judge a player based upon skill level. Poker Today is a new animal, so using outdated forum advice will cost you money.
VPIP in Online Poker – 14 Things to Know
Here are the 15 key points you should understand as to why VPIP in online poker is often deceiving you.
1. The number hides all contextual table data
The app can provide the correct mathematical information however the contextual table data is removed from your view. Therefore, the same VPIP (voluntarily put money in pot) number at a table that plays very tight may be different than the same VPIP number at a wild action table.
2. High pre-flop rake changes math.
High rake on pre-flop actions increases the average rake per hand played. As such, you need to increase your involvement at the table. Tables with high rake break quicker, sessions are shorter and bad players may escape while you wait for the perfect moment to stack them.
3. Folding too much is bleeding money
You may be unaware that you are paying a fee to be seated at the table. When you fail to compete for pots, you essentially continue to drain your bankroll through the blinds and antes.
4. Niche format tables are literally rake machines
In Today’s poker world we have niche format tables such as squid, ante games, double board games and bombpot games. These table types are designed to maximize rake. Playing a traditional tight range in these type of tables is mathematically disastrous.
5. Video Game Poison
When you play in aggressive formats with a low VPIP, it’s similar to taking damage in a video game. Your health continues to decrease until you eventually die. You’re sitting there not applying any kind of recovery while you wait for death to come.
6. Sometime tightest players are the fish
This is not commonly known, but from years of watching thousands of online poker games, we’ve noticed some of the worst players at a table are often also the tightest players. They quickly fold to aggression, leaving money on the table unchallenged. You cannot become a winner if you play afraid, so a very low VPIP in online poker sometimes means a passive, toothless player.
7. Card dead paralysis kills your stack
Some people play extremely tight and slowly destroy themselves without ever getting involved in a hand. They sit at the table going card dead for hours. This drains them and sometimes the good hands never come. VPIP seems ok, but they are not dangerous to an experienced player who automatically folds to their aggression.
8. Illusionary difference between 50% and 30%
A player may show a VPIP of 50% in the specific club you are playing in because he is exploiting extreme softness in that club. Yet overall he may have a solid VPIP of 30% across all of his accounts and clubs. This is applicable to private online poker games on apps such as ClubGG, PokerBros, not regular sites like QQPoker or Phenom.
9. Misjudgment of adaptive regulars
Not recognizing the distinction between club statistics and overall account statistics leads you to incorrectly assess other players. You believe you are value betting a calling station yet you’re really facing off against an adaptive regular who adjusted to extreme conditions at the table.
10. Dead money demands wider ranges
In games featuring antes or forced straddles there is typically an enormous amount of dead money in the center of the table. Good players expand their range to take advantage of this dead money. Although their number appears large on the HUD they are actually making optimal plays.
11. Different types of play are hidden behind the same statistic
For example; a player that opens 40% of hands by limp folding is a target. On the flip side, a player that raises and three bets 40% of hands is an extremely difficult player to play against. The flat number does not indicate whether the player is acting aggressively or passively.
12. Being very predictable is worse than playing loose.
If you only enter 12% of your possible starting hands, you are playing face-up and everyone knows exactly what you have every time you decide to raise. Conversely, good players with larger percentages are significantly more difficult to read, therefore creating additional post-flop leverage.
13. Short-handed skew
Tables frequently go short-handed during games. A player’s overall statistic may appear larger simply because they spent an extended period of time playing three handed prior to your arrival at the six max table.
14. Blind reliance causes lazy thinking
If you rely solely upon a single pre-flop statistic to determine your strategy and ignore other factors including betting patterns, timing tells and post-flop tendencies; it will lead to laziness and poor decision-making.
VPIP in Online Poker FAQ
When we say “high VPIP” does that necessarily mean the guy is playing poorly?
No. High rake games (especially the kind with rake on pre-flop) can have players folding too much. That means they’re taking their rake payments but never getting to see a flop.
How does rake affect VPIP in Online Poker ?
Rake has to get paid no matter what happens in your hand. When you’re sitting down to play, you are paying to be there whether you fold right off the bat, or whether you call an all-in and win a pot. Playing too passively in high rake environments will allow you to lose more money than you’d lose if you played more often.
Is VPIP a completely useless statistic?
Absolutely not. It still works. However, it is only part of the picture. Use it in conjunction with rake, format of the game, and sample size before deciding what your VPIP tells you about another player or about yourself.
What about games like Ante, Double Board, and Bomb Pot; do those games work the same as regular cash games when it comes to thinking about your VPIP ?
No. Games where each hand rakes more (like Ante, Double Board, and Bomb Pot) encourage waiting for premium hands to play because doing so costs less in terms of rake than in a standard NLHE cash game.
