Hello.
We will introduce tournament tactics that utilize pre-flop stats (VPIP). I hope this will be helpful to those who are wondering, ``I understand the concept of statistics in poker, but how can I use them?''
table of contents
Target audience
Beginner/intermediate poker player
I want to consistently rank high in poker tournaments.
Understand the concept of poker stats
I know something about GTO theory and exploits.
1.Premise
1-1. Way of thinking
The tactics introduced here are aimed at spots that seem to deviate from GTO play and are used to play (exploit) profitably.
The important thing is to understand GTO theory and GTO play lines, and then observe if there are any spots where your opponent seems to be deviating. Experienced players have their own set of exploit tactics.
Rather than just taking the tactics introduced here at face value, we hope you will use them as a reference to find spots where you can exploit them yourself. Note : In the case of live poker, the number of sample hands is small, so be careful not to be overconfident in your opponent's tendencies. *The expected value of exploit tactics becomes negative when adjusted by the opponent (this is the concept of counter-exploitation) *GTO players cannot theoretically exploit. So if you think your opponent is playing GTO, try playing GTO yourself.
1-2.Predict hand range by VPIP
VPIP represents the percentage of chips that players voluntarily put into the pot. (SB/BB are included in the pot from the beginning, so they are excluded.) Simply put, it is the frequency of raises or calls.
There is a hand range as a concept that represents which hand to raise or call out of the two cards that are dealt. Since the hand range can be replaced by the number of combos, the expected VPIP for each hand range can be calculated as the number of combos to be played / the total number of hands (1,326). So, conversely, you can also infer your opponent's hand range from VPIP.
1-3. VPIP for each hand range
On average, a typical player's VPIP will converge between 20% and 30% .
Participate with the following hand range and receive 21% VPIP.
36% if you enter with the following hands: Players whose average VPIP exceeds 40% can be said to be playing with a fairly wide hand range.
2. Tailor to the other person
Now, I will introduce an example of how to predict your opponent's hand range from VPIP and adjust accordingly.
2-1. Tactics against players with high VPIP (35%~45%)
Players with high VPIP often use tactics to increase the frequency of light 3bets from in-position, in addition to openings from early and middle positions. A high VPIP means that your opponent is playing with a wider hand range than would otherwise be appropriate. For example, the difference between the 36% hand range and the 21% hand range introduced in the previous chapter occurs in the following places.
Since the number of combos from A9o to A5o and other suits that are not very strong is increasing, the probability of a successful steal with a light 3bet increases. MTT (Average 100BB), Villain: The appropriate hand range for Hero: BTN against the opening of LJ is as follows.
GTO recommends 3bet 8% of all hands and call 16.5%. Against players with high VPIP, I often steal light 3bets with the middle to low pockets of the above hand ranges, suited Ax, and suited connectors such as T9 , increasing the frequency of light 3bets. I chose the above hand because it has the potential to develop and can even compete against premier hands depending on the flop.
2-2. Tactics against players with low VPIP (less than 20%)
Players with VPIP below 20% are narrowing their hands. When thinking about your actions in response to this player's opening, be aware that your opponent has a strong hand range. Some players with low VPIP may fold too much BB . Originally, BB's defense range against BTN's open is quite wide.
BTN open range (MTT average 100BB)
Raise on 55% of all hands
BB defense range (MTT average 100BB)
Of all hands, 65% are called and 15% are raised.
If you are a player who is unable to defend a hand that should be defended, a BB steal from the BTN can be profitable. Also, even if you are called, since you are narrowing down your hand, there is a high possibility that your hand will contain A or K. Against such a player, a flop with an A high board, a middle hit, a bottom hit, or an A low kicker may overfold against the opponent's bet/CB .
2-3. Infer trends with PFR
PFR represents the percentage of preflop participants who raised. PFR can be calculated by subtracting the call rate from VPIP. By using PFR as the numerator and VPIP as the denominator, you can calculate the frequency of participation by raising out of the number of participations.
It is said that it is appropriate to subtract PFR from VPIP to be within 5%. For a VPIP of 25%, a PFR of around 20% is appropriate. In the case of tournaments, since there is BB Antie and the frequency of BB calls increases, the PFR will decrease and may be around 15%.
PFR is used as a reference to estimate the opponent's playing tendencies. It is good to compare VPIP and PFR. Players with high VPIP but low PFR (e.g. 40% VPIP, 10% PFR) are typical of loose players. Since the call frequency is high (3 out of 4 times the bet is called), when I raise, I sometimes select a larger bet size such as 4BB or 3.5BB from the pro flop. Players whose VPIP is appropriate but whose PFR is low (e.g. VPIP25%, PFR10%) There is a possibility that the player is keeping a tight 3bet range. For players who have a firm 3bet range, they are conscious of making their calling range and 4bet range for their opponent's 3bet firmer than other players.
Players with reasonable VPIP but high PFR (e.g. VPIP25%, PFR20%) are often aggressive and skillful players. I try to watch for leaks after the flop. Specifically, we often look at the CB rate after the flop. There are some players whose CB rate is too high, so against such players I sometimes make plays that draw out misvalues or bluffs after the flop.
lastly
How was it? Lastly, I would like to introduce an app called Poker VPIP Track that allows you to collect preflop statistics in live poker. Here are the features
You can easily input preflop actions and check VPIP and PFR.
You can check the stats for each position
You can also check the BB defense frequency introduced in this article.
You can narrow down the number of hands to analyze.
If you have accumulated 100 hands, you can narrow down the statistics to the most recent 20 hands.
This is effective in tournaments because the player's action tendencies change as the ante increases.
Opponent's stats are important information in tournaments. Please take advantage of PokerVPIPTrack.