I often get asked about the use of tracking software by people who contact me and how to go beyond the basic PokerTracker.com – Online Poker Software metrics of VPIP/PFA/AF and what I find important to add to these basic stats. For me personally then I think that for six handed limit hold’em then the “attempt to steal blinds percentage” is critical for the simple reason that it happens so often. It is correct to open your range from these positions and all players know this but it is important to know how your opponents in these seats are interpreting that situation.
Some players are very tight even from the steal seats which often indicates players who are new to the level or are playing tightly because they don’t understand what their correct ranges should be from these positions. The number of open raises from the two steal seats should rarely exceed 45% in most games and should be at least 30% in six handed play when folded to. Either extreme of these figures is an indication that you are not exploiting your position or your opening range is too wide.
There are two key issues at work here and the first is in how many hands you need as a sample size before you can be reasonably sure of the data. In my opinion a sample of between 100 and 200 hands is more than enough for this metric. Often it can be less than that with extreme LAG’s. The second key issue is the alertness to the changing game dynamic when players sit out or drop out. You cannot use these figures for five handed play anywhere near as well and certainly not for four handed play.
Usually this is a classic sign of an inexperienced six handed player when they fail to adjust their ranges adequately and properly when table sizes shrink. But you need to be acutely aware of this as these adjustments will represent the bulk of your value in many of the games that you sit in.
Carl “The Dean” Sampson can currently be seen slogging away with his poker challenge on www.888poker.com
