Configuration in detail

The Main Window

In the main window that opens when you run the software, you will see a list of tables detected by PokerAce. PokerAce HUD detects tables automatically, at least for PartyPoker. You can decide which tables PokerAce HUD should work on with the checkboxes on the left, that is, for which tables’ statistics will be shown.

Right clicking on a particular table in the list opens the dialog seen in the following screenshot. There you can set whether you want to see tables with 10 max (full ring), 6 max (shorthanded) or 2 max (heads-up). If you do not make the proper setting here, the values will not appear in the right place on the poker table. All tables that are not marked otherwise are assumed to be full ring.

Preferences

You can reach the dialog for preferences from the main window with Options -> Preferences. The window that opens shows a tree at the left with individual menus beneath the main branches. I will describe these now.



General




You have the following options:

Hands Used For Averages: The count of hands used for calculating the average size of the pot (Average Pot Size).

Invalid Stat Text: If PokerAce HUD cannot calculate a value for mathematical reasons, this text will be shown in its place.

Minimize To System Tray: If this option is active, HUD will minimize to the system tray instead of the taskbar when you minimize the window.

Enable Pop Up Stats: Lets you get further statistics on a particular player right at the table by clicking on the name of the player. These popup stats can be configured in the layout manager.

Check For Updates: PokerAce HUD will automatically check for updates at the start of the software if this option is active.

Enable Logging: This option is only needed for error reporting and debugging in conjunction with PokerAce HUD support. If it is active, the program will keep a text log about errors that occur in the installation directory of the software.

Table Averages on List: Here you can decide which additional values should appear with the tables in the list in the main window. This can be useful for table selection. You can choose from:

• Voluntarily Put $ In Pot
• Went To Showdown
• BB/100 Hands
• Preflop Raise
• Won At Showdown
• Pot Size

VP$IP, preflop raise, went to showdown, and pot size are the most important for table selection. You can find an article on table selection in the strategy articles.



Filters




Minimum Hands Required: Here you set the minimum number of hands that must be in the PokerTracker database for HUD to display the values. Be aware that many values only become significant with a large number of hands. I personally set it at 10 hands, since I prefer to see at least a tendency in my opponent as soon as possible. Some of the values could lead you to make errors, however. A good middle value is 25 hands.

Show Stats From Current Limit Only: If this option is active, you will only see statistics from your opponents for hands played on the current limit. Many opponents play differently on different limits, so it makes sense to activate this limit.

Show Stats From Current Session Only: If this option is active, you will only see statistics from hands played in the current session. The session is limited to the one table. If you are sitting at different tables with the same opponent, this will not be taken into account.

Show Stats From The Last X Hands Only: This option will show you statistics from the proceeding X hands of your opponent.

Player Ranges: These options let you split the statistics depending on how many players are currently at the table. So a shorthanded situation at a full ring game would show up differently. This is recommended since the opponents fit their game to the count of players at the table just like you to. 3 categories, as in the screenshot above, are recommended and practical.



Refresh Rates




Hand Refresh Ranges: PokerAce HUD does not ask the PokerTracker database for new statistics after every hand. To conserve resources, it's only done at certain intervals. You can set these intervals here.

When doing so keep in mind: If you haven't seen many hands from an opponent yet, just a few hands could have a large influence on the statistics. You just haven't seen enough situations such that the statistical values are significant. However if you have already seen a lot of hands from one opponent, you will get a very precise picture of him and a few hands will not make much difference. It follows, then, that you should refresh stats on players for whom your data are sparse more often than those for players for whom you have lots of data. The statistics will still show clear changes for opponents for whom you have seen few hands played.

Hand Refresh Ranges as in the screenshot above address this issue. In principle, you could even choose higher refresh frequencies for the smallest range. It wouldn't be bad to refresh every one or two hands.

Self Stats: This will show you how often your own stats are updated. Every 5 hands, as in the example above, is a good value. Take note that you always see your own statistics for the current session only.



Poker Sites


PartyPoker




Party Skin Directories: Use the Add button to enter the PP installation directory. PokerAce needs to know this to recognize PP tables.

Default Qualifying Tables to 6 Max: If you activate this option, PokerAce will automatically differentiate between full ring and shorthanded tables. It is then not necessary to mark them manually in the list of tables.

Flicker Free Drawing: You will usually see a flicker when the statistics are updated. If you activate this option, the flicker will disappear but PokerAce will use more resources. Some machines will function more slowly when this option is activated.


Poker Stars




Use the Instant Hand History window: If this option is activated, PokerAce HUD will use the instant hand history window that you can open in Poker Stars to identify the tables. In this way, you can see what's happening at tables where you are just observing, although it requires you to have the instant hand history for that table open in its own window and open all the time.

Use the Hand History files: This option tells PokerAce to use saved hand history data to identify Poker Stars tables.

Hand History File Directories: Use Add to show where the Poker Stars hand histories are saved. It's enough to point to the main hand history folder, the subdirectories will be searched automatically.

Flicker Free Drawing: When updating the statistics, there will usually be a flicker on the screen. Activating this option stops the flicker at the cost of more system resources. Some machines may take performance hits and run more slowly with this option activated.



Databases




The caching option can improve speed of access to statistics in the PokerTracker database and save resources. Data you need often are stored in a second database used only by PokerAce HUD. This way you don't have to access the big PokerTracker database all the time. This option is highly recommended.

The cache will first be built up when you activate this option and click ok. If the database is large, this can take a few minutes. Once initialized, caching should run quietly in the background. Before activating this option, you should close PokerTracker and all poker softwarw as these can interfere with the caching process.




You should indicate the PokerTracker database that PokerAce should use to find the statistics. Of course, you should choose all databases containing players on the current limit. Databases that don't have pertinent data should be deactivated to ensure smooth performance. Clicking on the name of the database will (de)activate it.



Internet




If your internet connection uses a proxy server, you need to specify the address and port for the proxy here. PokerAce HUD does not support password protected proxies.

Layout Manager

An example

You can reach the layout manager for the HUD through Options -> Layout Manager. The layout manager determines the skin for the HUD, that is, how the stats are displayed on the poker table. You can customize the appearance to suit you. I will explain the basic functions of the layout manager with an example, presuming you downloaded the layouts above. I will add a new value to the layout, "Won at Showdown." To do this, proceed as follows:


1. Open the layout manager with Options -> Layout Manager, and choose a Poker site and table size (here: PartyPoker and 6 max).




2. Pick the value "(Player) Won at Showdown“ from the Stat list and activate the option Visible.




3. Now the values are still spread out kind of wherever on the table. To get them to the "right" places, move the value for player one where you want it then click on Edit -> Duplicate Player Seat. This will let you copy the position of the value you placed to other seats. Choose "Player1" as the seat to cope and highlight players 2 to 6 in the field below, confirming with ok. Now all the values are in the same place for each player.

4. To make the "Won at Showdown“ transparent, disable the option Opaque.

The layout should now look as follows:




5. Now you just have to pick colors for the various values. In this layout, you can choose between red, orange, yellow and green. This value can be divided into 3 ranges: red for opponents who win the showdown more than average, yellow for players who win an average number of showdowns, and green for opponents who win fewer showdowns than average.

To apply the division, first delete the default grouping by highlighting the range and clicking on Delete. To create a new range, click on New and put the minimum and maximum values for the range into the field and choose the proper color. The results should look like the following screenshot:




6. The new value has now been set up. For better readability, it is recommendable to to make the values bold by clicking on change under font in the settings dialog.

File -> Save will save the customized layout, File -> Close will exit the layout manager.



All layout manager functions in detail

I will now explain the layout manager functions in detail.

File Menu

Save: saves changes to layouts
Import: import a .pah layout file.
Export: Export the current layout.
Close: close the layout manager, disgarding changes.


Edit menu

Configure Pop Up Stats: Opens the dialog for configuration of statistics that you see when you click on a player name.



The list at the left has all the stats available to you, and the right shows all those that will be shown. Highlight a value and use add or remove to have a value display or not. Add seperator will add a line between values. The stats can be sorted with the up and down buttons. The option use layout formatting makes sure that the stats use the same format as the layout. The save button saves the configuration of the current layout. Close does exactly what you would expect and closes the window.

Global Copy Font: This will make all (!!!) stats have the current font format. This applies to all layouts and not just the current one.

Global Copy Decimal: Same as Global Copy Font for the decimal place format. Applies to all layouts.

Duplicate Player Seat: This option lets you copy the position of stats from one player's seat to another.

Duplicate Layout: This will copy the entire layout. First, pick the layout you want to copy and then the layout it will replace.


Options menu

Grid: Show a grid to make positioning the stats easier.

Snap to Grid: Force the stats to be on the grid exactly.


"Poker site" tab

PokerAce distinguishes layouts internally depending on the poker site, type and size of table. Here you can choose which layout you want to work on.

Poker Site: Name of the poker client for the current layout.

Table Type: Type and size of the table for the current layout.


"Stats" tab

Here you can choose the stats whose appearance you want to work on.

Visible: This option makes the chose value visible. If it is disabled, the stat will not be shown.

Show Mine: Enabling this option will show your own stat. Note that your stats are not like the stats for your opponents and you must position them manually on the table. Unfortunately, PokerAce does not let you display them just like your opponents'. You only have access to your own stats using the pop up stats or by placing them specially.


"Formatting" tab

Decimals: This option is the number of decimal places to show on the current value.

Format: You can input text here to display before the actual value. In the layouts downloaded above, VP$IP und PFR are shown this way.


"Font" tab

Change: This option lets you change the font just like any other program,

Clicking on the color field next to Text allows you to select any color for the current stat. The settings in "color ranges" overrides this setting.

Opaque: Disabling this option makes the stats transparent. If it is activated you can choose the background color.


"Color ranges" tab

This tab lets you assign stats different color ranges based on their current value.

New: Makes a new range consisting of a minimum, maximum, and color.

Edit: Lets you change an existing range.

Delete: Deletes the highlighted range.


"Table" tab

This shows you a preview of the current layout. Clicking and dragging lets you arrange it however you want.



Mucked Hands

One of PokerAce HUD's outstanding features is the ability to display mucked hands after one hand. It will show you your opponents' hands that were not shown in the poker client but were saved in the hand history. Thus, you can save yourself tiresome searches of hand histories when you want to know what hand your opponent had. You activate and position mucked hands just like any other stat in the layout manager. For the display of mucked hands to function smoothly, you must point to the correct install directory for your poker client.

The statistics and their meanings

The following is a list of all the stats available in HUD and a short description. How to work these into your game and decision process is the topic of an article in the strategy section and will not be addressed here.

(Player) Aggression Frequency Flop / Turn / River / Total: This value tells you the percent of bets and raises a player made in any of the betting rounds or overall. It is calculated with the following formula: (nr. raises+ nr. bets)/(nr. raises+nr. bets+nr. calls+ nr. folds)

(Player) Flop / Turn / River / Total Postflop Aggresion: This value tells you the ratio between aggressive and passive actions made by a player in one betting round or for all postflop rounds. The formula is (%raise+%bet)/%call

(Player) Attempted To Steal: Percent of hands the player tried to steal with a first in raise from the cut off or button.

(Player) BB/100 Hands: Player's winrate in BB/100.

(Player) Bet Flop / Turn / River / Total: Percent bet against a check, in one or all betting rounds.

(Player) Check Raise Flop / Turn / River / Total: Percent check-raises after a check, in one or all postflop betting rounds. Formula: nr check-raises/nr. checks.

(Player) Check Raise: Total percent of actions that are check-raises. Less exact than the previous stats as it uses this formula: nr. check-raises/ sum of all actions.

(Player) Call Preflop Raise: Percent pre-flop raises called, regardless of whether he already had money in the pot or not.

(Player) Cold Call Preflop: Percent of pre-flop raises called without having put money into the pot.

(Player) Continuation Bet: Percent of bets against a check on the flop after raising pre-flop.

(Player) Raises Continuation Bet: Percent of continuation bets raised.

(Player) Folds Continuation Bet: Percent of continuation bets against which player folded.

(Player) Calls Continuation Bet: Percent of continuation bets called.

(Player) Continuation Bet Turn: Percent of bets on the turn after raising pre-flop and betting on the flop.

(Player) Folded Small Blind / Big Blind to Steal: Percent of folds against a first-in raise from cut off or button.

(Player) Fold To Flop / Turn / River Bet: Percent bets folded to in a given round.

(Player) Fold To Flop / Turn / River Raise: Percent raises folded to with money already put in the pot.

(Player) Icon: Shows the PokerTracker icon (see PT handbook – autorate).

(Player) Icon Description: Shows the description of the PT icon.

(Player) Name: Shows the name of the player

(Player) Net $ Won: Total dollars won or lost.

(Player) Preflop Raise: Percent of hands raised pre-flop.

(Player) Raise Flop / Turn / River / Total: Percent raises against bets in a one or all betting rounds.

(Player) Total Hands: Number of hands imported on this player.

(Player) Voluntarily Put $ In Pot: Percent of pre-flops where money was invested in the pot of the player's own free will.

(Player) Went to Showdown: Percent of hands brought to the showdown after seeing the flop.

(Player) Won at Showdown: Percent hands that won money at the showdown out of those brought to the showdown.

(Player) Won SD When Raise Turn: Percent of hands that won the showdown after raising on the turn.

(Player) Won SD When Raise River: Percent of hands that won the showdown after rasing on the river.

(Player) Won When Saw Flop: Percent of hands won after seeing the flop.



(Table Avg) Voluntarily Put $ In Pot: Average VP$IP for all players at the table.

(Table Avg) Preflop Raise: Average PFR for all players at the table.

(Table Avg) Went To Showdown: Average "went to showdown" for all players at the table.

(Table Avg) Won At Showdown: Average "won at showdown" for all players at the table.

(Table Avg) BB/100 Hands: Average winrate for all players at the table.

(Table Avg) Pot Size: Average pot size per hand.



(Misc) Mucked Hands at Showdown: Shows the "mucked hands" at the showdown. The PartyPoker client lets you hide hands lost at the showdown, but they are still written to the hand history. This lets you display these "hidden" cards.

(Misc) Showdown Information: Shows the hand and board cards for the previous hand.

Layouts

Sensibel layout configuration

A good layout always has the stats you really need in colors that make sense to you. Take note that the poker client doesn't give you much time to make a decision. A good layout shoult make this work easier for you with good positioning and coloring of the values important to you. It should not overload you and make decisions more difficult.

Even if an HUD layout is something very individual, there are a few stats that can be found in every layout.

The basic stats are:

Player) Total Hands: The total number of hands for a particular player shows you ow significant the stats are. If you have 10 hands, you can only get a gross estimate of trends. After 100 hands, many values become significant and after 1000 they are solid marks of the player.

(Player) Voluntarily Put $ In Pot: The VP$IP shows you the percentage of hands a player chooses to play. This value shows you how tight or loose the player is. Depending on the variant and table size, different values of this stat will be good or bad. Check the strategy forums to get a better idea of what to look for.

(Player) Preflop Raise: The PFR% shows you what percent of hands a player raised pre-flop, and is an indicator for pre-flop aggression.

(Player) Went to Showdown: WSD% shows you how many hands a player took to showdown after seeing the flop. This shows how tight or loose a player acts post-flop.

(Player) Total Postflop Aggression: This value gives you the ratio of aggressive to passive actions in all post-flop rounds. It indicates a player's level of post-flop aggression.

These five basic stats van give you a good idea of a players general traits: how tight/loose or aggressive/passive a player is pre- or post-flop. These values should therefore be in every layout.

I personally think that a layout with these stats is adequate, and prefer to look up other stats as I need them in the pop-up stats. Further interesting and useful statistics include:

The individual Aggression Factors for flop, turn and river, to get a detailed picture of an opponent's aggression.

Stats on stealing behavior: Attempted to Steal, Folded Small Blind to Steal und Folded Big Blind to Steal. This gives you info about the hand ranges the player uses to try and steal/defend the blinds, allowing you to adjust your own hand range suitably.

Continuation Bet stats show you how seriously to take your opponent's bets ont he flop, and also to see whether it makes sense to try continuation bets against the opponent or not.

The order of these values is arbitrary. The best thing to do is make notes on which stats are most interesting to you while you're playing and then incorporate them into the layout or pop-up.

Layouts to Download

Here you can find fully configured layouts for PokerAce HUD available for download. These layouts have the five basic stats in two rows: above the player name, from left to right are VP$IP, PFR and Total Hands; under the player name you have Total Aggression Post-flop on the left and on the right is Went To Showdown.

The following stats are included in the pop-up stats: Won at Showdown, Won When Saw Flop, Flop Aggression, Turn Aggression, River Aggression, Attempted to Steal, Folded Big Blind to Steal, Folded Small Blind to Steal, Continuation Bet, Raises Continuation Bet, Calls Continuation Bet, Folds Continuation Bet.

Finally, the display of mucked hands is enabled.

PartyPoker 10 max (Full Ring) Layout: http://www.pokerstrategy.com/download...out_pp10max.pah

PartyPoker 6 max (Shorthanded) Layout: http://www.pokerstrategy.com/download...yout_pp6max.pah

Download with right click -> save as


After downloading the layouts, import them as follows: open the layout manager and choose your poker site and table time, here "PartyPoker & Skins" and "6 max" or "10 max." Click on File -> Import and choose the .pah file you just downloaded. Save the layout with File -> Save. The layout is now imported and can be used.

Troubleshooting

Where can I get help with problems?

If you encounter problems working with PokerAce HUD, there are a few ways to get help: check to make sure your settings are correct and that you have installed the most current version. The second thing to check should be the FAQ in the following chapter, where I go through common problems and their solutions. Use the search function in your browser to find words related to your problem.

If you don't find your problem there, try a forum search here. Most problems have already cropped up here or there.

If you still have not found help, check the (English language) PokerAce HUD forum and use the search function there: http://www.PokerAcesoftware.com/forums/

If you are still clueless, open a new thread here in the technical forum. Choose an informative title and include all the information you have in the body of the post: when did the error occur? Which function were you using when it happened? Did you change your system somehow? What was the error message?

If none of this helps, you can contact the PokerAce HUD Support directly with an email or post in their forum. They are friendly, fast, and competent: support@PokerAcesoftware.com

Known problems and solutions

Problem: The stats don't appear in the right places on shorthanded tables.

Solution: You must mark the tables as shorthanded explicitly for PokerAce HUD. To do this, either right click on the table name in the list of tables and choose "treat table as 6 max" or activate the "Default Qualifying Tables to 6 Max" option under Preferences -> Poker Sites -> Party & Skins.



Problem: Even though the database(s) have enough hands on the opponent, only some or no data is shown.

Solution: Make sure that the data are not blocked by any filter. Open Preferences -> Filters and deactivate all filters, particularly "Show Stats from Current Limit only“ and "Show Stats from current Session only“.



Problem: Mucked hands are not shown.

Solution: Make sure that you have indicated the correct PartyPoker install directory under Preferences -> Pokersites -> Party & Skins, i.e. "..PartyGamingPartyPoker“.



Problem: Values are only displayed at some tables/ the values are refreshing very slowly.

Solution: This indicates that the HUD is overloaded. Activate caching under Preferences -> Databases. Also, make sure that only the really necessary databases under Preferences -> Databases -> Holdem are chosen.