Im slowly adding and utilizing PT/PAHUD stats during my play, I feel as though ive got a good feel and understanding for interpreting VPIP/PFR but now im moving on to AF and this is where I begin to get lost… (for what its worth ive read every TAF thread I could search for)

I get that AF is Bet + Raise/Call but I don’t understand whats its trying to say and how to interpret it with any given opponent. Here’s kinda my main question; Is TAF purely a read on PostFlop strength or are there other uses for it?

Now here are some other questions

Whats your read on a 50/20/0.5
Whats your read on a 50/20/3.0

Likewise

Whats your read on a 15/8/0.5
Whats your read on a 15/8/3.0


The final question would be, in general do you give more credit for a good hand for when someone with a small TAF Bets/Raises, or is this an over generalization?


Any other Tips on TAF would be greatly appreciated

50/20/.5 spewtard preflop, sort of passive postflop
50/20/3.0 maniacal lagtard spewmonkey clownshoes juicebox

15/8/.5 tight passive, nitty postflop
15/8/3.0 standard TAG

A key point is that AF is proportional to VPIP. A player with a 15 VPIP will be less aggressive than a player with the same AF but a 50 VPIP. This is because the 15 VPIP player is playing better hands preflop, so he will naturally have better hands postflop, and thus more of his aggression is "justified" because he has top pair hands a lot. The 50 VPIP player with the same AF is playing worse cards preflop, and thus not hitting good top pair hands as often, but is raising/betting just as much postflop. It thusly stands to reason that his bets/raises represent less strength than the 15 VPIP player's do.

To answer your last question first, I do give a small TAFer more credit for a good hand when he bets. I assume that when they're weak they're passive and not bluffy.

50/20/0.5 I see as a chaser who wants never wants to pass up a chance to play suited cards or connectors and any ace and who generally wants to see most rivers by checking and calling his way there. What a dream.

50/20/3 has an AF of under 1 preflop, but overall he's a three, so that means he's capable of betting with any pair or any draw and raising you if he smells weakness. I'd just pass him off as a maniac and would tend to let him take the initiative, and I'd probably be willing to call him down if I had second pair or better. If I think I have the winner, I'm going the passive route, because I would guess he's folding to most raises. I would also assume that he's betting most scare cards in most spots.

In fact, I think a 50/20/0.5 might just drive a 50/20/3 totally crazy.

Have you noticed pokertracker-itis? Players making aggressive plays at the wrong time in order to keep their AF high where they believe it should be?

Anyhoo, all of my comments are very general and superficial, but I'd probably be much more afraid of a 15/8/3 player than a 15/8/0.5. The 0.5 dude is probably playing his cards face up, only c-betting when he hits and checking when he doesn't. 15/8/3 seems like the best of the bunch--likely a very good postflop player with enough restraint preflop so as not to spew chips like 50/20/3 does.

There is a fine line between using GT or PA to make sure u don't fall into bad habits and pokertracker-itis. I believe I often cross it.

Total AF is tricky because it doesn't factor in how many folds or checks you make. Someone with an AF of .5 but a VPIP of 50 is a freakin maniac. Vs an AF of .5 with a VPIP of 15 is a weak-passive nit and should be avoided when they bet at all costs.

The point is, AF needs to be considered in the context of VPIP. Since they're in many more hands, high VPIPs make it hard to keep up a high AF. I'm not very good at teaching, but maybe someone can explain better what I'm talking about.

Also, check the Master Stickies in the small or micro stakes 6 max forums for a very detailed discussion of this number.

I believe that a good stat to combine with the AF is the c-bet %. A player with a very high AF and cbet % just cbets pretty much no matter what he has, so I'm willing to call him on the flop with weaker holding than I would a player with a low AF and cbet %.

Now about pokertracker-itis, this is one of the reasons why I don't display my current session's stats in PAHUD. I'd rather check my stats after and analyze them in the context of the game than just take a look at them and convince myself that I "need to raise more often" when in truth I might just have gotten a ****ty streak of cards.

I tend to show my stats for a table so that I can have an idea of my image. I know its not completely accurate, since after 100 hands, I may be playing with 5 new players out of 8. Also, I may have played with them previously or on other tables, or they may have some number of datamined hands on me. But it gives me an idea of how some players might view me at the moment, or if I've been particularly loose or tight. You don't want to overvalue this image, but it's worth being aware of it.