What's in Your HUD with Michael McGee (YouKnwMyName)

I am pleased to be interviewing Scottish poker player Michael “YouKnwMyName” McGee about his Heads-Up Display, or HUD.  McGee recently cracked the top 1,000 ranked players worldwide on PocketFives.com, where he has over $150,000 in tracked online MTT cashes.  He was gracious enough to answer a few questions while simultaneously playing on 15 tables across four different online poker sites.

PokerSoftware: What poker HUD software do you currently use?

Michael McGee: Holdem Manager 1. I have tried Holdem Manager 2, but found it to be too laggy. The original version suits all of my needs without the lag.

PokerSoftware: What does your HUD look like?

Michael McGee: My HUD includes all of these stats, which I use to varying degrees:

Line 1 contains the number of hands, player screen name, and number of big blinds.

Line 2 contains Voluntarily Put into the Pot %, Raise First in %, 3Bet %, Fold to 3Bet %, and 4bet %.

Line 3 contains Continuation Bet %, Fold to Continuation Bet %, Steal %, and Fold to Steal %.

PokerSoftware: What statistic do you find most important in your HUD?

Michael McGee: The most important stat to me is the Raise First In % stat.  From my experience, I find it to be much more accurate than Pre-Flop Raise %, which most players I know use.

This statistic gives me an idea of how active players are from certain positions and takes away the hands where someone else already opened the pot pre-flop before the action came around to them.

PokerSoftware: What statistics do you think are the most overrated?

Michael McGee: Continuation Bet % for MTT players to me is the most overrated stat since it is not usually accurate for multi-way pots.

PokerSoftware: Have you had to play without your HM1 database?

Michael McGee: I have, actually. I tried it for about a week, but I just went back to playing with tracking software again. Playing without my HUD helps me concentrate solely on decisions so I don't get hung up on the play based on stats. But, it's hard to keep track of who the regs are when you mass multi-table.  I think overall that playing with a HUD is better than not as long as I try to not get too HUD-orientated all of the time.

PokerSoftware: Have you tried any poker hotkey and related software?  If so, what functionality from the software do you use and how does it help you?

Michael McGee: I use Table Ninja for PokerStars.  I primarily use the functions for hotkeys and opening bet sizing.  I also find the software helpful for entering tournaments and closing tables.

PokerSoftware: What software do you use for review of your game?

Michael McGee: I use Holdem Manager 1 to review my stats and replay hands.  While many players use PokerStove, I find the CardRunners Flopzilla EV Calculator to be a better and more accurate tool.  It is relatively cheap at $35 for how valuable this software is.

PokerSoftware: What poker software would you like to try next or like to see released?

Michael McGee: I would like to have Table Ninja work at the same time for all sites.  For example, I would like my add-ons for TableNinjaPP to work in coordination with my Table Ninja for PokerStars.  I would love to be able to purchase Table Ninja for all of the sites I play on for one cost and let Table Ninja assume I am just playing on one site, coordinating all of my tables and hotkeys.