If you watch any high-stakes poker stream on YouTube these days, you’ll inevitably see a fancy overlay graphic listing players’ “VPIP”.
But what does that even mean… and why all the fuss?
Why do guys at poker tables crack jokes about players with a “high VPIP”?
This article will explain VPIP in poker and how to make decisions accordingly.
What Does VPIP Mean in Poker — A Basic Definition
VPIP stands for "Voluntarily Put Money in Pot" and refers to the percentage of hands a player chooses to play before the flop. It measures how often a player voluntarily invests chips by raising or calling.
It determines if a player is "tight" (selective with hands) or "loose" (playing a wide range of hands). Players often refer to this stat by pronouncing it as “vee-pip.”
- If someone never folds before the flop, they will have a 100% VPIP.
- If someone folds about half the time before the flop, they will have a 50% VPIP.
And so on and so on.
Note: Checking our option in the big blind when facing a limp does not count as voluntarily investing chips into the pot.
What Is a Good VPIP in Poker?
The answer to what is a good VPIP in poker is smaller than you might think.
Wild, reckless players will have very high VPIPs.
Disciplined, cautious players will have very low VPIPs.
The reason for this is natural. Big gamblers like to get involved and play as many hands as possible — even if they aren’t dealt the best cards.
They will voluntarily contribute chips to the pot often.
Their low standard for hand selection and high propensity to put chips in the middle will result in a drastically increased VPIP.
By contrast, conservative players only want to invest chips when they know they have a good poker hand. Studious poker players will frequently refer to preflop charts — these tell you exactly which cards to play in which seats at the table.
If you use preflop charts correctly, your overall VPIP will hover around 20%.
Professional poker players fold up to 80% of their hands before the flop!
While this number can change depending on how many people are seated at your table, the VPIP wisdom remains true — lower VPIPs generally refer to more methodical, rigorous player types.
What is a good VPIP in poker? Around 20%.
How to Use VPIP Statistics to Your Advantage
With this in mind, there are two main benefits to paying attention to VPIPs.
- VPIP statistics help better classify your opponents.
- VPIP statistics help optimise your own gameplay.
Let’s explore why.
Using VPIP to Get a Read on Your Opponents
One critical aspect of poker is psychology. You need to get a read on your opponents to classify their decisions.
When you have a sense of their VPIP percentage, you can determine the range of hands they’re playing.
- For example, a tight, disciplined player will not play any two cards just because they are suited.
- But a loose player, perhaps still learning how to play poker, with a high VPIP will.
So, you should be on the lookout for them hitting more flushes and funky two pairs.
Since you know their starting hands preflop, you can better know their completed hands postflop.
If you get the sense someone has a high VPIP, adjust your strategy by increasing your bet, raise, and re-raise sizes and frequency. If they’re going to play every hand trying to get lucky, you should make them pay for it.
Bet large and regular as they attempt to outdraw you — players like this usually hope to hit a lot of gin hands for cheap.
On the flip side, if you’re up against a tight player with a low VPIP, you should be careful about putting too many chips into the middle — they are much more likely to have a very strong hand already.
- You can generally assume they have good cards if they commit chips.
- Don’t try to bluff someone off pocket aces!
Speaking of bluffing, learning someone's VPIP doesn't just reveal the cards they like to play but also how they play them. This factor is where psychology comes into play.
Using VPIP to Make Logical Decisions
Many books, articles, and YouTube videos will train you to recognise re-raising spots and good bluff opportunities. These can provide solid advice… to a diligent player. The mistake is thinking that everyone has the same thought process. They don’t.
Poker is an emotional game where people don’t always make decisions logically.
Instead of evaluating whether someone should bluff on a specific poker board runout or river, a better question to ask is, “Does this person even bluff?”
While it may make sense by the book to bluff when a flush draw is missed, some people simply lack that aggression switch.
When people have high VPIPs, they are generally not as disciplined as a textbook poker player and are prone to making mistakes. This is especially true when overvaluing hands.
Against high VPIP player types, you should bet larger with your strong hands than you normally would because they will hate the idea of folding.
Go for maximum value against high VPIP players. Their high VPIP tendencies indicate a problem letting go of hands and being honest in recognising that their cards aren’t good.
Tight, low VPIP players are more methodical. If you bet, you should consider what will happen if they raise… including a check-raise.
If you're up against a low VPIP player and they call a bet on the flop, don’t try to bluff on the turn. Even more so if someone is too tight.
Some players are overly rigid — only opting to play hands like pocket aces, pocket kings, and pocket queens. So, they will be very reluctant to fold the few times they do see a flop.
If an opponent is holding onto their cards with white knuckles, you need to adjust your strategy accordingly.
Tread carefully, and only call their bets if your hand is extremely premium.
Using VPIP to Elevate Your Own Gameplay
Another reason to pay attention to VPIP statistics is to optimise your strategy. The fastest and easiest way to succeed in poker is by playing better cards than your opponents.
Professional players have a poker history of folding 80% of their cards before the flop.
If you find yourself playing over half your hands, there’s a problem. You need to narrow down your hand selection.
Knowing your VPIP will help you identify leaks.
How Does VPIP Live and Online Differ?
VPIP is generally more common in online poker lingo rather than in live players. Online players often have an automated way of tracking the VPIP of their opponents.
Live players would have to do the same calculation manually (which is too involved).
- A typical 6-max online cash game player will have a VPIP between 20% and 25%.
- A standard full-ring online cash game player will have a VPIP between 15% and 20%.
Again, your VPIP should be hitting roughly 20%.
The higher the VPIP, the "looser" a player is. When they enter a pot, we should give them less credit for having a strong hand.
Live players usually have higher VPIPs than online players, on average. You can only sit at one table when playing live, and the cards are dealt much slower, so people tend to be more impatient.
They rarely want to wait around and fold for forty minutes before getting a playable hand. But sometimes, that level of discipline is required.
What Is the Difference Between VPIP And PFR?
- PFR stands for ‘preflop raiser’. It measures how often a player raises preflop when given the opportunity.
- VPIP is a measurement of how often a player enters the pot preflop, whether by raising or calling.
PFR only focuses on aggressive actions preflop. A raise on the preflop betting round counts towards VPIP.
So, a player’s VPIP must always be higher (or equal to) their PFR.
What does the gap between VPIP and PFR tell us?
Let’s take two examples –
- Player 1 -> VPIP 25 PFR 20
- Player 2 -> VPIP 25 PFR 5
Both of these players play exactly 25% of their holdings preflop. But they have significantly different playing styles.
- Player 1 is aggressive when he enters the pot. He does so by raising the majority of the time.
- Player 2 is passive when he enters the pot. He does so by calling the majority of the time.
A large gap between VPIP and PFR indicates a passive player.
What is VPIP in Poker – Conclusion
Poker is a game of psychology. Knowing a player's VPIP helps you predict their range of hands, and knowing what is VPIP in poker can fine-tune your hand selection skills.
- High VPIP players tend to play a wide range of hands, including weak ones. They’re likely to chase draws and speculative hands, which means you can bet bigger and more frequently against them, forcing them to pay to hit their draws. However, be cautious, as they might occasionally hit a surprising combination like a flush or a funky two-pair.
- Low VPIP players are much more selective. They probably have a strong hand if they put chips into the pot. Against these players, avoid bluffing — especially when they show aggression. Their tight play suggests they’re only committing when they have premium hands, so you’ll need a strong hand to beat them.
Beyond card selection, VPIP shows how a player approaches the game emotionally. A high VPIP often signals a willingness to take risks and possibly make mistakes, while a low VPIP player is more methodical and difficult to bluff.
Tracking your own VPIP can help refine your preflop strategy. If your VPIP is too high, you may be playing too many weak hands, which can lead to unnecessary losses. A standard VPIP for a professional player hovers around 20%, meaning they fold the majority of their hands preflop.
If you’re playing more than half of your hands, it might be time to tighten up and choose better starting hands.
VPIP in Practice
The three key takeaways are as follows -
- The poker term VPIP stands for ‘voluntarily put in pot’. It tells us what percentage of hands a player enters the pot with preflop.
- We should establish which players at the table have a high/low VPIP and adjust accordingly.
- What is a good VPIP in poker? Only around 20% — meaning you should fold far more hands than you play.
