HUDs for a new cash game player

For me, Poker has been mostly recreational. Don't get me wrong, my competitive nature makes me want to get better and win but it is not a source of income. I play to win for the satisfaction of winning and not just for the money. I enjoy the tournament aspect of poker but the thought of NL cash is intriguing. I am currently rolled for $5 NL. My question is concerning HUD's. In the world of small stakes NL, do HUD's really make that much difference. My disposable income would allow me to purchase one but i also like to be wise. Can some of you give me your thoughts on using them? point me to some other threads? give me your experiences good and bad from them? THANKS in advance!

holdem manager do a 15day free trial and pokertracker 3 do a 2 month free trial. Take advantage of the trial periods and make your own mind up.

yes, use the trial period on both.

I started using a HUD and found that it got in the way of reads and notes, but with practice I could use both wisely and that's +ev.

Currently playing without a HUD.

I went through a part of my 2nl stretch without one and did very well. By paying attention you can see who puts their money in on everyhand and who the nits are....

I got HEM 1/2 way through and it does help with certain things. You may know a player is limp calling lots but when you can see his aggression factor it helps to know what his bets on the flop mean. If the factor is low, he plays weak....if he leads out or raises, you know hes got something.
Same w/ cbets....some players fold to cbets unless they have a strong hand. Seeing that stat is nice.
At 2nl its not important to have it.....probably not crucial at 5nl but it certainly must help I'm sure.
You do have to watch how much you autopilot with it. You still need to pay attention to what hands they show down with and how they bet them ($ amounts etc).

I bought hem after moving up to 100NL
I used the PT3 trial and HEM trial before that
also I reformatted my computer and used the trials again lawl

You could argue for both - getting one as soon as possible, or waiting until you've played a couple of hands.

I didn't use a hud until 50NL, and even now I'm relying more on notes and the history with a player than on the stats... but it's certainly very useful to have one.

If you do the HUD early, think about limiting the stats you show to the bare minimum... # Hands / VPIP / PFR and maybe Total Aggression. This helps you jump-start your basic reads at a new table as you pick up more hands, but also prevents you from getting out in the weeds worrying about "River Aggression to a donk bet while chewing gum" statistical nonsense...

Oh, and don't under any circumstance take a free copy of PT or HEM as a sign-up bonus in lieu of rakeback at any site you plan on staying on. You will be the proud owner of a very expensive HUD (my original copy of PT ended up costing me over $2K in lost rakeback... whatta deal! :shock:)

Waht Sarbox said. Also..

The HUD argument will go either way. Use it or don"t, but don't underestimate the value of HeM to get better. The ability to look at your own play and replay hands, not to mention the 8 articles that come with it to help you understand the stats is much more valuable to a microstakes player. Either way, Hud or no Hud, get HeM.

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"River Aggression to a donk bet while chewing gum"

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Dont listen to this reg, that stat is a must! :lol:

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Originally Posted by Vinland

Dont listen to this reg.

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FYP

What is a HUD????

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Originally Posted by golfguy37

What is a HUD????

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Heads-up-display. It shows statistics on other players on the table. It helps taking descisions and playing your opponents.

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Originally Posted by iopq

also I reformatted my computer and used the trials again lawl

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^^^^^^^^
LULZ

It's not bad to play some ring first for a while, but I wouldn't put getting the trials off very long. I find it helps with my reads so much because what you sense in your gut about a player is often backed up visually by an actual # on your screen, which gives you the confidence to do the right things when they may be hard to do.

Even if you don't get a HUD now , make sure that the poker client is saving your hand history to hard disc for a decent length of time ready for the time that you do get a HUD