Poker Basics - WTSD

We continue our look at what newbies can learn from HUD stats with the metric that shows how often a player shows down their hands.

We continue our look at HUD stats that you can learn from, even if you don't use tracking software. 

WTSD stands for Went to Showdown and as the name suggests it is a measure of how often a player gets their hand to the river and shows it down. 

It's not a measure of whether they win or not, simply that they got there. They could have got there by betting all three streets, checking all three streets, calling all three streets or even calling an all-in on the flop. It only counts for pots that got to the flop, not preflop all-ins. 

WTSD can tell you a lot of different things depending on how high it is.

A measure of how balanced a player is

Perhaps most of all, a high WTSD is usually a sign of a loose passive 'calling station' type of player. It means they have been sticking around in too many pots and calling too many bets, or at least checking down a lot of pots they could have bet. You should value bet hands wide against these players. 

If it is low, that's a sign of a tight player. It means they have been giving up too easily when they face continuation bets. You should look to bluff these players off pots a lot of the time. 

It can also be a sign that you are not bluffing enough, or too much. If you have been the aggressor in the hand and you keep getting to showdown you are either in very good games or it's a sign your opponents think you bluff too often and are calling you down light. 

A good WTSD to aim for is 25-30%, if it is close to that then it's a sign that you (or your opponent) is quite balanced. It means you are value betting, bluffing and folding the right amounts after the flop to have a well rounded game. If a WTSD is 60% you are likely up against a calling station, if a WTSD is 15% you are up against a Nit. 

A linked HUD stat is WSD which stands for Won Money at Showdown, which when used in conjunction with WTSD gives a much broader and more reliable measure of how well a player is playing post flop. A WSD of around 50% is a sign of a good player. 

Even if you don't use a HUD this is a valuable thing to observe at the tables. How often are your opponents sticking around until the river or indeed giving up on the flop is a key way in which you can exploit them. 

If you do play on a site that uses a HUD and you are interested in using one, we recommend PokerTracker 4 which you can try for free right here.  

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