Statistics and their levels

First paragraph: Statistics in Poker (1) - Beginners (1)

The pyramid system is a diagram that shows which statistics are dependent on others and why.

To help you understand the statistics and their dependence on each other, we will use a pyramid diagram. Imagine that:

The higher the level of statistics, the less often a situation defined by statistics happens. Statistics that are at the top indicate a particular action by the opponent that is rarely performed.
The higher the level of the statistic, the more hands you must have played against your opponent to interpret the statistic correctly.
Higher level statistics build on the statistics of the lower level(s) (directly or indirectly).

The basis of this level scheme is that some actions defined by certain statistics can only occur after some other action has taken place.

For example: a flop c-bet can only occur if the opponent has made a pre-flop raise and he is preflop aggressor. That's why C-bet statistics are based on preflop raise statistics.

In the pyramid system below, the statistics are divided into different levels, which are indicated by Roman numerals. For example: I VPIP or II 3b.

>>> Try PokerTracker 4 free for 30 days <<<<

Commonly used statistics

Not all stats can be grouped into one specific level of this pyramid - we have grouped these stats, which can be indicative of your opponent's style of play, into several different levels.

AF (aggression factor)

AF statistics indicate the ratio of aggressive moves (bet/raise) to passive actions (call). The formula for this statistic is quite simple: (Bets + Raises) / Calls. If a player has an Aggression Factor of 1.0, it means that the player bets and raises as often as he calls. If the aggression factor is less than 1, the player is more likely to be passive than aggressive. However, if the aggression factor is greater than 1, it is the other way around - he is more likely to act aggressively.

WTS (went to showdown)

The WTS statistic refers to the percentage of hands played that took a player from flop to showdown. This statistic does not indicate aggression, so whether your opponent bets, calls or checks is completely irrelevant. So, to interpret this statistic correctly, you need to pay attention to what the opponent did and what his aggression factor is.

Number of hands played (eng. sample size)

This is probably the most important statistic, but it is also the one that tells us the least about a player. It tells you how many hands a player has received at the table. Whether the opponent played a hand or just folded it before the flop is irrelevant.

If the opponent played 100 hands on 15/10, it means that he was dealt 100 hands, of which he put money in the pot with 15 hands. With 10 hands he raised and with 5 hands he called a pre-flop raise or limped in from SB position.This example illustrates how little 100 hands played tells us about the range of e.g. the opponent's hands with which he just calls

The number of hands played is particularly important in statistics, as it helps to determine approximately how accurate other statistics are. The higher the level of the statistic, the more important the number of hands played. In poker, everything, including the distribution of the cards dealt, is subject to variation, so the higher the number of hands played, the more accurate the other statistics.

Using PokerTracker statistics (VIDEO)

Level 1 - I

The first level describes statistics that do not depend on any other statistics. For these statistics to be somewhat accurate, the number of hands played by the opponent can be small, e.g. less than 100.

I VPIP (Voluntary put $ in Pot)

PPIP statistics are one of the key statistics. It tells you what percentage of your hands your opponent invests in the bank. This statistic includes limp, call and raise. Please note that auto-post blinds are not calculated. A lot of stats depend on this statistic. In addition, this statistic can be used to predict the range of your opponent's postflo cards.

The PPIP also influences the PFR statistics because, as we have already mentioned, raising is also included in these statistics. After all, the player is voluntarily donating money to the bank by doing this, isn't he?

I PFR (Preflop Raise)

The PFR indicates the percentage of hands played with which the player raised before the flop. This statistic includes open-raises (the first raise before the flop) as well as other raises (3-bet, 4-bet, etc.). This statistic is a good indicator of aggression.

Calling range (eng. calling range)

Well, the calling range is not a statistic, but it is very easy to understand. This range tells you the percentage of hands played that your opponent calls before the flop. The formula to calculate this is very simple - just subtract the PFR from the VPIP and you have your answer.

I ATS (Attempt to Steal)

Attempt-to-steal statistics are the first specific preflop statistics. It measures the percentage of hands played that a player open-raises from late positions (CO, BU, SB). Many good players have an ATS statistic that is higher than their PFR statistic. This is because the later the player is and the fewer players there are after him, the more often players tend to open-raise.

I Fold to Steal

Fold-to-steal statistics indicate how often a player does not defend his blinds when they are attempted to be stolen, i.e. he simply folds. This statistic only includes situations where the player is in a blind position and is open-raised from a late position. His reaction from the blinds to e.g. In this case, the fold-to-steal statistic is not affected by the UTG open-raise.

Configure your PokerTracker 4 Hud`a (VIDEO)

>>> Try PokerTracker 4 free for 30 days <<<<

Level 2 - II

Level 2 statistics are dependent on level 1 statistics. So, when trying to interpret the statistics at this level, you should always pay attention to the statistics at the first level.

Since the actions represented by the stats in the second level occur much less frequently in the game, these stats require a much higher number of hands played. For these statistics to be even slightly correct, the opponent must have played more than 500 hands.

II 3-bet

3-bet is the first statistic of the second level. It depends on the first level action that occurred before: open-raise.

A 3-bet move cannot be made if no one has raised against the opponent. The 3-bet statistic therefore indicates the percentage of hands played in which a player 3-bets. Since this move occurs much less frequently, it requires a much higher number of hands played to interpret it correctly.

So, as you may have noticed, one person is enough for level 1 stats, but level 2 stats require other players to perform certain actions.

Correlation: Player(A) raises - Player(B) 3-bets (beats)

II (f3b / c3b) Fold to 3-Bet / Call 3-Bet

Fold to 3-bet / Call 3-bet statistics are strongly influenced by limit dynamics. The more aggression there is pre-flop, the more often the player will face a 3-bet and the more often he will have to make a decision. In passive limits, you usually need a higher number of hands played than in aggressive limits.

So, as you have already noticed, the sequence of actions required for this statistic is: open-raise, someone 3-bets, opponent folds or calls the 3-bet.

Correlation: Player(A) raises preflop "PFR" - Player(B) 3-bets - Player(A) folds/calls

II Cbet (continuation bet)

Cbet statistics indicate how often a player makes a test bet on the flop as the preflop aggressor. This statistic depends on the range of the flop and the I PFR, the first level statistic.

Correlation: Player (A) raises preflop PFR - Player (B) calls - Player (A) calls

II Fold to Continuation bet

Fold-to-continuation but the statistic refers to the player's reaction to a test bet, i.e. how the player reacts in situations where he calls preflop and is faced with a test bet on the flop by the preflop aggressor.

Correlation: Player (A) raises preflop PFR - Player (B) calls - Player (A) calls - Player (B) folds.

Donk bet (only when in non-position against a preflop aggressor)

A donk bet is a bet by an opponent on the flop against a preflop aggressor. This statistic measures how often a player makes this type of bet on the flop. It also applies to re-raised pots.

Correlation: Player(A) I Raises - Player(B) I Calls - Player(B) bets first on the aggressor II Donk bets on the flop

pokertracker-filters-and-reports-use-for-opponent-game-analysis

Using PokerTracker 4 Filters and Reports to analyse your opponents (VIDEO)

Level 3 - III

Actions described by level 3 statistics are even less visible, as this level depends on level 2 statistics. You will encounter these statistics in a small number of hands. To rely on level 3 statistics, the number of hands played should be greater than 1,000. Almost none of the Level 3 stats have a limit on hands played. You must interpret these statistics very accurately, which means that you must also take into account the lower level statistics and the game situation itself.

III Raise continuation bet

This statistic measures how often a player beats the preflop aggressor's test bet on the flop. This includes check/raises and raises in position. This statistic is also applied to re-raised pots. If you are playing against a very aggressive opponent, the raise-cbet statistic can be applied after you have played several hundred hands against the opponent.

Correlation: Player(A) Raise - Player(B) I Call - Preflop Aggressor(A) Cbet - Player(B) Raise

In this case, we can see that all three levels of statistics have been used in the process:

Player(A) Raise - Player(B) I Call - level I stats.

preflop aggressor(A) Cbet'ina - level II statistics.

Player(B) Raise'ina - level III statistics.

III 4-bet

The 4-bet statistic measures how often a player raises another player's 3-bet (Level II statistic). A 4-bet usually means a strong move. You can usually assume that: the lower the limit and the more passive the opponent is, the stronger the hand he has when 4-betting.

A 4-bet must be preceded by a 3-bet, so 4-bets are rarely seen at the tables. The more passively players play pre-flop at certain limits, the less often a player gets a chance to 4-bet. Thus, this statistic depends on the dynamics of the limits.

Correlation: Player(A) raises - Player(B) 3-bets - Player(A or C) 4-bets

III Float / Raise on the test bet turn (Float / Raise Turn Cbet)

A float is usually an action where we take the initiative from the preflop aggressor. This statistic simply indicates how often this action is performed. You can only draw conclusions about the strength of your hand if you also use other statistics. Float is the most common action on the turn.

Correlation: Player(A) raises preflop - Player(B) calls - preflop aggressor Player(A) bets the flop - Player(B) calls - after preflop aggressor Player(A) checks/bets the turn, Player(B) bets/raises

III Second barrel / Turn Cbet

The second barrel is a test bet on the turn, which is placed after the test bet on the flop.

Correlation: Player(A) raises pre-flop - Player(B) calls - Player(A) calls the flop - Player(B) calls - Player(A) bets the turn

Using PokerTracker filters and reports Using PokerTracker 4 Filters and Reports to Analyse Your Game (VIDEO)

Level 4 - IV

Actions whose frequency is indicated by the statistics belonging to level 4 are particularly rare because they are made up of a relatively long chain of actions belonging to lower levels. In order to use the statistics for this level, the number of hands played would have to be much higher than 1,000 hands.

IV Third barrel / River Cbet

The third barrel is a test bet on the river, which is placed after the test bet on the turn. The third barrel bet can only be made after the preflop aggressor has bet on both the flop and the turn.

Correlation: Player(A) raises pre-flop - Player(B) calls - Player(A) calls the flop - Player(B) calls the flop - Player(B) II calls - Player(A) calls the turn - Player(B) calls - Player(A) calls the river

IV Fold to 4-bet / Call 4-bet / Ship

These statistics indicate how often a player performs a particular action when faced with a 4-bet III. Depending on the size of the stack, the player can either call or ship (pushing all the chips) or, as a third option, fold.

Correlation: Player(A) Raise - Player(B) 3-bet - Player(A or C) 4-bet - Player(B) f4b / c4b / ship

IV 5-betting / Ship'inim / Fold'inim

Depending on the size of the stack, a player facing a 4-bet can either push all his chips, 5-bet or fold.

Correlation: Player(A) Raise - Player(B) 3-bet - Player(A or C) 4-bet - Player(B) 5-bet / Ship / Fold

Summary

So, in the first part of this article, you learned what statistics are and what they tell you about your opponent's game. In addition, we looked at the basic stats and found out which level of the pyramid each stat belongs to.

In the next part, you will deepen your knowledge of statistics, learn how to interpret them and fully understand the concept of "number of hands played".