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I love quizzes!

Quizzes test my knowledge and at the same time they access my competitive side… Gimme that perfect 100%!

So, I make sure to thoroughly read each question and each answer so that I select the right one every time.

I just released a new Quiz for members of my training site, thePokerForge.com. The quiz is called “HUD Statistics Quiz 1” and it tests your knowledge of various preflop and post-flop HUD statistics. It’s one of many quizzes in the HUD Mastery Course.

You don’t even have to be a HUD user to ace this quiz. Just use a little critical thinking and put yourself inside each situation and against the types of players described.

Here’s the deal: test your knowledge first by taking the quiz, THEN scroll further down to see the correct answers along with the strategies behind each one.

Good luck!

I hope you enjoyed the quiz.

You can retake the quiz as you go through the answers below to help you understand the correct answers and the strategies involved.

The Correct Answers with Explanations

  1. VPIP stands for Voluntarily Put $ In the Pot and is defined as the “Percentage of the time that a player voluntarily contributed money to the pot, given that he had a chance to do so.”
  2. Loose with a 35% VPIP. If they play 35% of hands on average across all positions, their average range looks like this:

35% VPIP range

  1. Isolate them with a range stronger (smaller) than theirs. This gives you an automatic mathematical edge against them.
  2. 3-bet Preflop means you make the second raise preflop (the big blind is the first bet, then someone makes the first raise, then a 3-bet is the second raise).
  3. Yes, 2% 3-bet indicates an honest 3-bettor. A 2% 3-bet might only be JJ+ and AKs.
  4. Fold to Flop C-bet refers to situations where a player calls preflop, faces a c-bet then folds. It is defined as “Percentage of the time that a player folds to a flop bet, given that the bettor was the last raiser preflop.”
  5. Yes, you should almost always bluff someone who is folding 84% of the time in that spot (more than 8/10).
  6. Plan to double-barrel bluff players who call a lot on the flop only to fold on the turn (the increase in Fold to C-bet from the flop to the turn indicates this).
  7. The BB is a great target because he calls on average 42% of the time. His calling range might look like this:

42% calling range

  1. The SB is the player to watch out for before open-raising because “the 3bet is the bane of 2-bets”. If you can see it coming by knowing who is capable of 3betting as a bluff, you can plan and react accordingly.
  2. PFR stands for Preflop Raise and it’s defined as “Percentage of the time that a player put in any raise preflop, given that he had the chance to do so.”
  3. Raise First In in the CO over a good sample will indicate their range. This is exactly the stat you want to look at because it matches the situation exactly.
  4. PF 3-bet in the CO vs an EP Open matches the situation exactly, so it’s the best stat to give you the idea of his range and if he’s capable of bluffing (look for 3-bet > 6%).
  5. His Raise C-bet from out of position at 24% indicates a potential bluffer because most people only check-raise for value, so their stat might be only 5%.
  6. AF or Aggression Factor is calculated by the total number of bets and raises divided by the number of calls. At an AF of 2, that player makes 2 bets or raises for every call they make (generally an aggressive player).
  7. A River AF = .5 indicates an honest river bettor or raiser. Less than 1 is a non-aggressive player (.5 might be 1 bet or raise for every 2 calls), so you can believe their bets and raises.

If the above statistical reads and exploits are intriguing to you, you must become a member of ThePokerForge.com. Click here to learn more and to join.

In my prior article called How to Study Poker: Learn Something, Do Something, I gave you a 4-step process for weekly studies.

Step 1 was to choose a strategy topic to focus on for the week. Yet, how do you know what topic to choose?

My recommendation is to take the next item from your list of weaknesses.

What? You don’t have one?  Let me help you create a list of weaknesses that you can work from to improve your skills.

strong weak

Find Your Weaknesses

It doesn’t matter how good you are at poker, there’s always something that you can improve upon.

For many micro stakes and low-stakes players, maybe you’re weak at the fundamentals: 3-betting and c-betting and pre-flop bet sizing and going for value when you flop a strong hand.

For pros, they probably have the fundamentals down pat. However, maybe their weaknesses revolve around intricate stuff like check-raising the turn on dry boards or knowing when to bluff 25% pot versus 33% pot versus 150% pot.

There are two ways that I recommend for the “lone studier” (without a coach) to find their weaknesses.

1. Pay attention to “unsure” spots

Maybe this past week, you experienced this “unsure” spot four different times:

This is a sure sign that you need to study this situation to get more comfortable with these bluffing opportunities.

2. Use PokerTracker 4

For online players, PokerTracker 4 is the #1 tool for spotting your weaknesses. It shows your tendencies in every situation and calculates your win rates when making different plays.

Maybe you think your game is spot on and you 3-bet bluff plenty, double-barrel c-bet all the time and you’re a winner when calling rivers.

But sometimes what we think about ourselves isn’t the truth. PokerTracker 4, however, shows us exactly the results of our time on-the-felt. There’s no hiding from this info.

Perhaps in your last 10,000 hands, PT4 shows you that:

Record Your Weaknesses

When you find your weaknesses through paying attention to your play or via PT4, write them down.

You can do this however you want: in your poker journal, on your weekly calendar- or even on sticky notes attached to your monitor.

This is the list of weaknesses you’ll target on a weekly basis.

Moreover, to improve most efficiently, you need to prioritize your weaknesses.

Prioritize Your Weaknesses

Let’s imagine you’ve written these five weaknesses in your poker journal:

Before you begin working on your weaknesses one at a time, you must prioritize the list to maximize your study efficiency and to get the biggest bang for your study buck.

General rule: Work on the most common spots first, as well as quick fixes that yield great results.

Here’s how and why I would prioritize the list of weaknesses above:

#1: I Don’t Table Select

This is a very quick fix. If I target this weakness first, I’ll be at tables full of fish which makes poker easier and more fun. Plus, my bluff 3-bets will be more effective, I’ll be able to double-barrel more because they can’t stand the pressure and I won’t face as many river calling opportunities.

#2: I Fail to Target Players

Another quick fix. If I actively search for the weakest players to play hands against, poker will naturally be easier, more fun and more profitable. Plus, weak players won’t put me in tough post-flop spots as often.

#3: I Don’t 3-bet Bluff Enough

This one will take a bit longer to fix. However, if I can turn bad calls into good 3bet bluffs, I’ll be the one pressuring my opponents. I won’t face as many c-bets nor river bets, and I’ll be the one c-betting more often with stronger ranges.

#4: I Don’t Double-Barrel C-bet Enough

Now that I’m 3-betting more often and calling less, I’ll have stronger ranges with which to pressure my opponents on all three streets. I’ll include some range and board interaction studies to help me pull the trigger on more turn c-bets.

#5: I Lose Too Much When Calling Rivers

This could take a long time to fix without the above four fixes. With the above four in place, the players I get to the river against won’t be able to put so much post-flop pressure on me, so river decisions should be improved. And I will do some additional study into finding the fold when I know I’m beat.

Now Get to Work

With this prioritized list of weaknesses to tackle, you’ve got your work cut out for you.

Simply put all your focus on #1 until you feel comfortable with it and you see positive results.

I was going to end with “Good luck!” But, I recall that Louis Pasteur once said, “Luck favors the prepared mind.”

So, skip the luck and get to work to prepare your mind for better play!