Is a poker HUD allowed?
Whether a poker HUD is allowed differs per site. These are the facts, without detours.
The question of whether a poker HUD is allowed has no answer that holds for every site. A HUD, short for heads-up display, is software that shows live statistics about your opponents, gathered from hand histories. Every poker site decides in its own terms whether such software is permitted, and those rules differ considerably. This article sets out the facts; it is information, not legal advice.
What a HUD does
A HUD lays a layer of numbers over your poker table: how often an opponent plays before the flop, how often he raises, how often he makes a c-bet, the standard bet after a preflop raise. Programs such as Hold'em Manager and PokerTracker built their existence on this for years. The information is valuable: patterns you would only notice after hundreds of hands are right there on screen.
GGPoker: external HUDs banned, its own SmartHUD instead
GGPoker, one of the largest sites in the world, explicitly bans external HUDs and third party tracking software in its terms. Instead the site offers its own built in SmartHUD: a limited set of statistics equally available to everybody at the table. Alongside that you can review your own hands and results in the built in environment. The idea behind it: everybody plays with the same information, whether you play one evening a month or every day.
Other sites: their own rules, so check yourself
Outside GGPoker the rules vary. Some international sites allow external HUDs, others ban them or limit which statistics may be shown, and the policy changes regularly. So never go by forum posts or old blog posts, not even this one if the rules have changed in the meantime. The terms of your own poker site are the only source that counts. Search the terms of use for phrases such as third party software or prohibited tools, and ask the site's customer service if you are in doubt. A breach can lead to warnings, suspension or the seizure of your balance.
Getting better without a HUD
If you play on a site without external HUDs, that is no disaster for your development. Observation at the table, notes on striking actions and above all reviewing your hands after the session produce the same kind of insights, and train your reading better than a screen full of numbers. Statistics tell you what an opponent does; thinking it through yourself teaches you why, and that second thing makes you stronger on every site, with or without tools.
frequently asked questions
HUD questions.
What exactly is a HUD? +
A heads-up display: software that shows statistics about your opponents live over your poker table, such as how often somebody plays or raises before the flop. The data comes from hand histories the program collects while you play.
Why do some sites ban external HUDs? +
Sites that ban HUDs usually give a level playing field as the reason: recreational players without extra software would otherwise be structurally at a disadvantage against players with data tools. Enforcement happens through detection software and can lead to your account being suspended.
Is GGPoker's SmartHUD the same as an external HUD? +
No. The SmartHUD is a built in feature of the GGPoker software itself and shows a limited set of statistics available to everybody at the table. External HUDs usually show far more and deeper statistics, and it is exactly those that stay banned on GGPoker.
Can I still learn from my opponents without a HUD? +
Yes. Taking notes, watching hands you are not in and reviewing your sessions afterwards together produce many of the same insights. It goes more slowly than with a HUD, but it trains your powers of observation better.
insight without software hassle
Become the player who needs no HUD.
Pokiq trains you to spot patterns yourself, with practice situations and an explanation for every decision. Allowed on every site, because you train away from the table.