What is a poker HUD?
Updated November 2026
A poker HUD is a program that shows statistics about your opponents on screen at an online table, such as how often each one plays a hand or raises. Some sites ban them, so read the rules before you install one.
You don't need one to learn the idea behind it, and at a live table you can't have one. Counting a player's hands in your head tells you most of the same thing.
| VPIP | How often they put money in by choice |
|---|---|
| PFR | How often they raise before the flop |
| Big gap | They call too much |
| Small sample | Don't trust it yet |
A 25% player, likely range
What do the numbers mean?
VPIP stands for voluntarily put money in the pot. Posting a blind doesn't count, but calling or raising does. PFR is the share of hands a player raises before the flop.
Read the two together. A player with a VPIP of 40 and a PFR of 8 calls a lot and rarely raises. A player at 22 and 18 is choosing hands and raising with them.
Two players
What do those numbers tell you?
As a rough guide for a six-seat game, and these are conventions and not measurements:
- VPIP under 15Very tight. Respect their raises and steal their blinds.
- VPIP 15 to 28A normal range for a solid player.
- VPIP over 35Loose. Value bet them and don't bluff. Our page on loose players has the plan.
- PFR far below VPIPA caller. Their raises mean a strong hand.
How many hands before the numbers mean anything?
More than you'd think. A true 25% player can show anywhere from 9.5% to 40.5% after 30 hands, just from the cards they happened to get. After 100 hands the range is 16.5 to 33.5%, and after 1,000 hands it's 22.3 to 27.7%.
So a stat from one session is a hint and nothing more.
Range, true VPIP 25%
Is a HUD allowed?
It depends on the site. Some allow them, some restrict them and some ban them outright, and using one where it's banned can get an account closed. Check the terms of the site you play on. Software that uses data you didn't see yourself is a different and more serious problem.
How do you get the same read without one?
- Watch every hand you're not inThat's when you have time to look.
- Count a few hands per playerHow many of the last ten orbits did they play?
- Note who raises and who callsThose two habits give you most of what VPIP and PFR tell you.
- Look at showdownsWhat they turned over tells you what they play. Our guide on reading players goes through it.
Can you read the numbers?
Twelve spots in three rounds.
Questions players ask
Are HUDs cheating?
Where the site allows them, no. Where it bans them, yes, you'd be breaking the rules.
Can I use a HUD at a casino?
No. Live play doesn't give you any way to collect the numbers automatically, and using a device at the table is usually against the rules.
Do I need one to win?
No. The habit of watching opponents does far more for you than the software.
How the numbers on this page were worked out
The ranges are 95% intervals for a true rate of 25%, using the normal approximation: 1.96 times the square root of 0.25 times 0.75 divided by the number of hands.
Know someone who trusts stats after 20 hands?
Send them the ranges.