I was just reading !Luck's thread in the BC about HUD stats and tilt, and got to thinking about how using a HUD effects my game. I continue to be a micro grinder, and have recently taken the time to reapply myself to learning the game. I wanted to write my thoughts out, and I'm HIV positive that this is the proper forum to do so.

There were times when I used to adjust my game based on my own personal HUD stats, which negatively effected my game. I would run hot and play a lot of hands, maybe 35/30 over 50ish hands, playing the right cards versus the right players in the right positions. I'd eventually get a feeling that I would need to tighten up because I was playing too loose, and in my mind that was not OK. I'd fold hands like JTs on the button with fairly tight blinds because I was running 35/30 and didn't want to get played back at. I was playing scared.

I opened up Poker Tracker and changed my HUD settings to "Everyone at the table but Hero" option and haven't looked back since. I'm not constantly checking to see how up or down I am at each table (because I'm not able to!), and although there are fewer of my own stats available to look at, I find myself focusing more and more on playing correctly and making fewer and fewer mistakes than conforming my play style to what might be considered a "standard" set of stats.

I am going to continue doing this as I feel it forces me to pay more attention, whether that is true or not. However, if playing 80/60 over 100 hands is the correct thing to do versus the right opponents, I'm going to do so. If I have to fold 100 hands in a row versus the wrong opponents, I'm going to do so. I will no longer be results oriented while sitting at the tables, but instead will focus on making the fewest mistakes possible.