Understanding VPIP in Poker: What It Is and Why It Matters

If you’re playing poker online, you have the advantage of collecting key statistics to analyze your game. One such important stat is called VPIP. This is often used by serious players to analyze their opponents. Find out below how VPIP can give you an edge in your strategy.

VPIP Definition

VPIP stands for Voluntarily Put Money in Pot. It is a percentage that tells how often a player voluntarily puts chips into the pot during the game. Note that VPIP does not include mandatory bets like blinds and antes. So, any time a player chooses to call or raise, it is counted as VPIP.

For example, players A and B are dealt 100 hands. A voluntarily enters the pot in 30 games, while B is a loose/aggro player and enters 70 pots. A’s VPIP would be 30%, and B’s would be 70%. A higher VPIP suggests that the player is playing more hands. Similarly, a lower VPIP means you have a tight player in your game.

How to Use VPIP in Your Strategy

You can understand your opponent’s playing style by analyzing their VPIP:

• Below 15%: You are dealing with a tight player, also known as a nit in poker. Nits are highly selective with their hands and play mostly premium cards. They will rarely get involved, so if you see them putting money in the pot, you can be sure they have strong cards.
• 15–25%: This is a tight-aggressive player, also known as TAGs. These are smart players who know how to play a variety of hands and will bluff occasionally. Be careful around TAGs because they can be aggressive in their game.
• 25–40%: These are loose-aggressive players, also known as LAGs. LAGs play a lot of hands with aggression and can be difficult to predict.
• Above 40%: These are loose-passive players. A VPIP above 40% indicates that these are likely recreational players, also known as fish. Fishes are inexperienced and often “limp” a lot by calling the big blind instead of raising.

When you know how often your opponents are entering the pots, you can adjust your play accordingly. For example, if you’re playing against a low-VPIP player, you can be more aggressive and steal pots because they will seldom challenge you.

Additionally, you can improve your own game by tracking how many pots you enter. If your VPIP is too low, you may be missing opportunities.

How to Track VPIP

There are several online poker tracking software, such as PokerTracker and Hold’em Manager, that automatically calculate the VPIP for you. In live games, however, it’s harder to track VPIP precisely, but you can still make rough estimates by observing how frequently your opponents are entering the pot.