A tool is available for professional poker players that will display statistics on other players at the table, this program is called the heads up display or HUD. Professional poker players are able to play several games at different tables at once using several monitors. Sometimes the professional poker players will play anywhere from 4-16 tables at once which makes it nearly impossible to keep track of the opponents’ playing styles. Using a HUD it is possible to know who plays how with just a glance at their stats. I’m sure you are wondering how it works.
On your hard drive is stored the histories of every hand you play online. They are then imported into a tracking software and stored into a database. This database is then read by HUDs along with the current hand histories for live tables. The stats are displayed directly on the table which then enables poker players to make a quick decision based on the playing styles of their opponents. Now let’s see how beneficial it is in actual play.
If an opponent is watched closely during play we can study their style and exploit their weaknesses, using HUD in conjunction with a datamining software can win you a big advantage over your opponents. Without spending a lot of time studying your opponents you can know exactly how they will play and can move from table to table. Your software will do all of this for you. Some players may fold the flop 60% of the time and constantly check raise the turn. With the help of your HUD you can see this coming just by glancing at the stats. Without a HUD an opponent would have to be watched so closely for so many hands for you to learn their standard play. Let’s say a player sits down at a table and tries to run over the table raising 50% of the time before the flop. Well eventually you may pick up on this even if you are playing 8 or more tables, but with a HUD you will know what you are dealing with before the first hand is dealt.
Another useful tool that your HUD will afford you is that it will show you your opponents hole cards after the hand is over if they go to showdown. Many players will muck their hand so that you can’t see it but the HUD will still pick up the data. Its helpful to know what a player will call a river bet with. This alone will help you value bet the river against players who will showdown weak hands.
The heads up display should be used by anyone playing poker online. You should play like the pros and use them too.
The author is a successful limit cash game player. He plays poker online and receives Aced Poker Rakeback as well as Rakeback at Poker Nordica.