Relevant VPIP Stats for 6-Max Limit Games

Submitted by: TightEnd on Fri, 27/02/2009 - 12:59pm

Usually VPIP (voluntarily put $ in the pot) is one of the most critical metrics in both NLHE and limit hold ‘em. Knowing how often a player places money into the pot is an indication in itself of what type of player they are. Of course we need to narrow that down even further by looking at other metrics as well but in this article I want to home in on key VPIP figures in six-max limit play. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with tracking software (I use the latest Poker Office version which is Poker Office 5), VPIP does not include unforced entries like being in the big blind in un-raised pots or getting a walk or posting in position for example. You must either raise, call a raise, limp or complete the small blind.  

Correct VPIP at six max is very level dependent. This means that you can be substantially different in a $1-$2 than say a $20-$40 game. As always you need to be playing tight solid poker even in a six max game and optimal play is actually tighter than what many players perceive.  

Filtering for 5-6 players then you need to be hitting the 22%-34% range in order to be optimal. But this is where it starts to get a little confusing because automatically being in that range doesn’t mean that you are playing optimally. For instance if you are playing in an extremely passive $1-$2 game where players make terrible post flop decisions then it may be an error to be playing at the lower end of that range.  

Likewise if you were playing at say $150-$300, hitting 33% VPIP against that sort of company could leave you in very serious trouble unless you happen to have a large bankroll and be one of the very best in the world. It is insufficient to simply say “well my VPIP is 23% so I am fine”.  

But one of the key areas in six max play is in the necessary adjustments that you need to make as players either drop out or sit out. An online six max game can drop from six players down to four players in an instant and you need to be aware of this and what it means with regards your ideal VPIP. Losing two players even if only temporarily has a far greater impact in a six handed game than it does in a full-ring.  

Going from ten handed to eight handed in full-ring does not require all that much of a change but going from six handed to four handed certainly does. If you were playing against tight passive opponents in low-stakes games then it could be correct to raise with as much as 65% or even 70% of your hands now.  

The correct ranges for four handed play can be vary from 30%-70%. In general though I would narrow this slightly and probably go with something like 35%-65%. Passive games affect your VPIP because you will be getting decent pot and implied odds to limp and complete the small blind so these will affect the statistics. 

Against very strong players who will powerfully defend their blinds and defend their blinds very well then your stealing frequencies will need to drop and with it your VPIP. Likewise when defending your blinds, if a tight-passive player raises you from the button in a weak $1-$2 game then you may be able to brush them off the hand simply by using a stop and go type play of simply calling and then firing at the flop whatever comes. 

But these weak leads fail against powerful players and your pot odds and implied odds in the big blind are not as attractive when your opponent not only has superior position but is also a very strong player. But not only is correct VPIP very opponent and level dependent, it is also skill and ability dependent as well. 

Limit hold ‘em is a very complex form of poker in that it requires the player to constantly have to make countless post-flop decisions. You cannot lose your entire buy-in with limit but it is literally death by a thousand cuts for a bad player. So I would definitely recommend that nearly all players aim to get their VPIP at the lower ends of these ranges until they either obtain a very meaningful sample size that indicates that they could do better opening up slightly or they get more experience. 
 
 

Carl “The Dean” Sampson is sponsored by Cake Poker and can be seen at www.cakepoker.com/thedean and at www.pokersharkpool.com