What is HUD in online poker?

 

If you are new to the world of online poker, you must hear a lot of talk about HUDs on different poker forums. And you must wonder what is HUD in online poker?

A HUD (Head-Up Display) in online poker is a program/software that runs on your computer to collect the hand history of your opponents and processes them to give you important statistics about them. These statistics allow you to analyze the game style and performance of your opponent. This, in turn, enables you to make game decisions that increase your chances of winning.

How does a HUD collect the player information?

When you start a HUD, it connects to different poker platforms where the players’ hand histories are stored. Also, while playing the game, as soon as a hand is over, the HUD fetches the hand history and stores the information.

How does HUD display information while you are playing?

The HUD displays player information and statistics in the form of small floating tables right next to each player when they sit on the table. This doesn’t affect your game at all as they never overlay the table or cover a major part of the screen.

What information does a Poker HUD provide?

Poker HUDs track every single move of your opponent in a particular hand. For example, it tracks every preflop raises of your opponent over several hands to give you a number. This number lets you know whether you should re-raise or not based on your opponents’ behavior.  Similarly, if you like to raise preflop but your opponent likes to lead into you on the flop, the situation becomes tricky and you start to think whether your opponent is bluffing or he is really leading into you on the flop.  You can use the HUD to find out exactly how many hands they lead into you.

So, again, what is a HUD in online poker? It is a program that lets you know when your opponent is a habitual bluffer or whether really has strong cards. A HUD always comes into play whenever you are in a tricky situation.

Are Poker HUDs easy to use?

Poker HUDs normally work on their own and you just need to click start the program right before sitting on the table. However, it really depends on the HUD  you choose and how it presents the information you need. The user experience decides the quality of a HUD. Some HUDs jumble up all the necessary and unnecessary information and end up confusing the player altogether. Therefore, it is important to research and use the trial versions of HUDs before choosing to use one.

Are Poker HUDs Legal?

Yes. Poker HUDs are legal and there is no cheating of any kind while using them. However, some poker players and also a few online poker platforms consider HUDs as an ethical problem and discourage using it. It is important to know that only using a HUD doesn’t guarantee winning in a poker game.  You need to have experience, knowledge, and a good game strategy to score wins.