Poker news | Apr 04, 2023
Best Free Poker HUDs
By RTR Sarah
HUD’s are a popular tool in online poker games that help players better understand how their opponents play, allowing them to improve their own gameplay.
A HUD, standing for ‘heads-up display’, gathers data from hand histories and displays it in real time. Online poker players use HUD’s to learn about their opponents statistics, tendencies, and playing style. This information allows them to improve their gameplay significantly as they are able to make more informed decisions about how to play a hand and whether to call, bet, or fold.
For those who are serious about playing online poker, a HUD is essential for reviewing and tracking past games. A HUD will save players a tremendous amount of time as the tool automatically processes, collects, and analyses the data of opponents. Players can focus on increasing their profitability at a table with the information they have about their opponents.
What statistics does a HUD show?
VPIP/VP$IP (Voluntarily Put Chip/Money In The Pot)
Voluntarily Put Chip/Money In The Pot is a preflop statistic that shows how active a player is and how often they join the pot. This can refer to cold calling, completing big blinds, and raising preflop.
The lower a player's VPIP/VP$IP is, the less likely they are to bluff. In a 6-max no-limit Hold’em cash game, most players would range between 19% to 25% VPIP/VP$IP.
AF (Aggression Factor)
The Aggression Factor shows how passively or aggressively a player plays.
The higher a player’s AF is, the more aggressive their play style is. Most players are within the range of 1 to 3.
PFR (Pre-Flop Raise)
The Pre-Flop Raise measures the percentage of times a player raises preflop.
The higher a player’s PFR is, the more aggressive they are as a player. Most player’s PFR will be 3% to 6% lower than their VPIP/VP$IP.
3-Bet% (Three-Bet Percentage)
The Three-Bet Percentage shows a player’s percentage of hands that are re-raised pre-flop.
The higher a player’s 3-Bet% is, the more aggressive they play.
C-Bet% (Continuation Bet Percentage)
The Continuation Bet Percentage displays the percentage of times a preflop raiser bets on the flop again.
The higher a player’s C-Bet% is, the more aggressive their play style is.
Fold to C-Bet
The Fold to C-Bet measures the percentage of times a player folds to a Continuation Bet on the flop.
WTSD (Went To Showdown)
The Went To Showdown displays the percentage of hands that are taken to showdown by a player.
The higher a player’s WTSD is, the more passive they play.
The best free poker HUD’s
DriveHUD
DriveHUD is a modern HUD that is recommended for new players wanting to improve their poker game, having gained popularity in the past few years. It is supported by all the popular online poker sites including 888, PokerStars, and partypoker, and a range of game types including Stud, Texas Hold'em, and Omaha.
Unlike other HUD’s that can have an overwhelming and cluttered interface, DriveHUD displays in-game statistics in a minimalistic format by using colour coded statistics and icons. The tool is highly configurable, meaning the user can choose to display only the relevant information to them.
The tool records all the hands the user plays on online poker sites, making it easy to review, filter, re-play, and analyse past hands. These statistics are customizable depending on the users level, stakes, and which online poker room they are using. To help visualise data, DriveHUD offers a variety of graphs and charts that can be used to track long-term growth.
DriveHUD has a 30 day free trial of its premium version which includes unlimited hand tracking and advanced features. The free version of the HUD offers a basic and limited version of the tool, such as a cap on the number of hands users can track.
PokerTracker 4
PokerTracker 4 is widely regarded as one of the best free HUD’s for online poker players, recommended for heavy grinders. It supports Texas Hold'em and Omaha games and major poker sites such as PokerStars, Full Tilt, and partypoker.
The tool provides detailed, customisable statistics and analysis about users' hand histories, providing them with reports that can help them identify areas of their game strategy that need improvement. These are displayed on the user-friendly interface, under three main tabs: Play Poker, View Stats, and Community. PokerTracker 4 offers advanced features which may appeal to more serious poker players, including hand range analysis, note-taking, and leak tracking.
PokerTracker 4 has a 30 day free trial of its premium version which includes unlimited hand tracking and advanced features. The free version has limited features, such as a cap on the number of hands users can track.
Holdem Manager 3
Holdem Manager 3 is a popular, powerful, and reputable HUD that is recommended for casual online poker players. It supports game types like Omaha and Texas Hold’em and major poker sites such as PokerStars, Full Tilt, and partypoker.
The tool is able to store millions of hand histories in its database, allowing users to track and analyse their own and their opponents game in depth. To help visualise data, Holdem Manager 3 offers a variety of graphs and charts that can be used to track long-term growth. The HUD offers advanced features which may appeal to more serious poker players, such as hand range analysis, note-taking, and custom stat creation.
Holdem Manager 3 has a 14 day free trial of its premium version which includes unlimited hand tracking and advanced features. The free version has limited features, such as a cap on the number of hands users can track. Holdem Manager 3 uses dynamic pricing, meaning the software adjusts its price depending on the frequency of the users activity. The software is cheaper for those that use it more often!
