What does x% VPIP mean?

[DavidC]

Coming to NLHE from LHE has given me a chance to look at some aspects of the game from a theoretical level. This is a post to the limit crowd based on some of my recent thinking.

(hence, the reference to 4-bets)

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A tight aggressive player is going to have a lowwer VPIP in early position, and a much larger VPIP in late position (including many PFRs).

I think a loose-aggressive would have pretty much flat VPIP and PFR.

However, a fishy type I believe would have a lower VPIP in later positions than they would have in early positions, simply because sometimes it's going to be capped when it gets to them, and they may feel like mucking J9o for 4-cold.

So, for a fish, it's quite possible that they're going to have the opposite trend of a TAA, in that they will actually drop their VPIP as their position improves.

Additionally, one VPIP could mean two things for two different players.

A player who is sensitive to position will be playing worse hands in better position, and the person who is position-insensitive will be playing the same hands in all positions.

Some players may overvalue suited connectors like 96s whereas another player may overvalue weak top pair hands like KTo, regardless of position sensitivity.

Anyways, just some thoughts on the subject. Please feel free to jump in with any other ideas.

--Dave.

[Macquarie]

Interesting topic.

You suggest a LAG might have a flat VPIP... I think though that a good LAG player should still show a increase in VPIP in late positions.

Having a flat VPIP versus position, for any strategy, I would suggest shows the player doesn't understand positional play. This could be a really interesting way of spotting poor players, and ought to work for bad tight players as well as bad loose players.

There's a huge difference between a played at 20% VPIP who is playing half of those hands in the CO and Button, and a 20% VPIP player who is playing equally at all positions...

[Macquarie]

i wonder how effective the ratio (VPIP in late positions)/(VPIP in early positions) would be for indicating how experienced a player is?

[DavidC]

bump