- Maths reviewed by Josh Miller
- Tested by Diana Westfield
VPIP is the first number anyone looks at on a poker HUD, and the VPIP calculator works it out from your own count if you don’t use tracking software. It’s the share of hands where you put money in by choice before the flop: you called or raised, not just posted the blind. Play 120 of 500 hands and your VPIP is 24%. Raise 95 of them and your PFR is 19%. The free CasinoCalcs calculator gives you both, the gap between them and your post-flop aggression factor, and says what kind of player those numbers describe.
VPIP and PFR explained with numbers
VPIP measures how loose you are, PFR how often you take the lead. On their own they’re mildly interesting; together they’re a fingerprint. 24/19 is a regular at a 6-max table: plays about one hand in four and raises most of them. 45/8 is the player every regular wants on their left, in a lot of pots and mostly calling. 12/10 is a nit who will fold you out of nothing but rarely gets paid.
| VPIP / PFR | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| 22-28 / 18-24 | Solid 6-max regular |
| 15-20 / 12-17 | Solid full ring, or tight 6-max |
| 35+ / under 15 | Loose and passive: calls too much |
| 35+ / 25+ | Loose and aggressive: dangerous or reckless |
| under 12 / under 10 | Very tight: easy to read |
Aggression factor and sample size
Aggression factor looks at what happens after the flop: bets and raises divided by calls. 140 bets and raises against 60 calls is 2.33, which is normal for a winning player. Under 1 means you’re mostly calling, and calling stations don’t win in the long run.
Be careful with small samples. In 100 hands, a run of good cards can push your VPIP up by ten points without you changing anything. PFR settles faster than VPIP, but aggression factor needs thousands of hands. Count a few sessions together before you change your game. The poker starting hands chart shows which hands to play from each seat, which is the quickest way to bring a loose VPIP back into line, and the poker variance calculator shows how much luck is in your results.