# WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD in poker: what these stats mean and how to use them

Many players start studying statistics with metrics like VPIP*, PFR*, and 3-bet*. These numbers help understand how actively an opponent enters hands and which ranges they use preflop. However, once the community cards appear, the situation changes. Two players with identical preflop stats can make completely different decisions postflop.

*VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money In Pot) — one of the key statistical metrics in poker, which measures the percentage of hands in which a player voluntarily puts money into the pot preflop.

*PFR (Pre-Flop Raise) — a statistical metric that reflects the percentage of times a player makes a raise before the flop. 

*3-bet — the third raise in sizing within a hand. We covered how to use this tool in more detail in this article. 

One regularly applies pressure with bets and takes pots without showdown. Another prefers to reach showdown* with any medium hand. A third almost never bluffs and only shows strong combinations on the late streets. This is exactly where the WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD metrics come to the forefront.

*Showdown — the final stage of a poker hand, at which the remaining players in the hand reveal their cards to determine the holder of the strongest combination.

The problem for most beginning players is that they try to analyze these statistics in isolation. Seeing a high WTSD or a low WONSD, they draw conclusions about an opponent without considering the other metrics. In practice, this approach often leads to mistaken decisions and incorrect adjustments.

In this article, we will break down in detail what WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD mean, which values are considered normal for different game formats, how to read these metrics in combination, and how to use them to analyze opponents and find your own leaks.

What a HUD is and why WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD are so important

A HUD is a tool that displays statistics right at the poker table. It is provided by programs such as Holdem Manager, PokerTracker, Hand2Note, DriveHUD, and other trackers.

Most players begin their acquaintance with statistics through preflop metrics. VPIP shows how often an opponent voluntarily puts money into the pot. PFR demonstrates the frequency of raises preflop. The 3-bet statistic helps assess aggression on re-raises.

These metrics give an idea of starting hand ranges, but say practically nothing about how a player behaves after the flop. Two opponents with identical VPIP and PFR can have completely different approaches to postflop play.

By the way, you can familiarize yourself with starting hand ranges in this article. Head over and learn. 

That is precisely why WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD are considered some of the most important postflop metrics. They help understand how often a player reaches showdown, whether they know how to win pots without showdown, and how strong the hands they usually show on the river are.

Together these metrics allow you to build a fairly accurate psychological and strategic portrait of an opponent.

How WTSD is calculated

WTSD stands for Went To Showdown.

The formula looks as follows:

WTSD = number of showdowns / number of hands in which the player saw the flop × 100%

Suppose that over a sample the player saw the flop 100 times. Of these hands, they reached showdown 28 times. In this case, their WTSD will be 28%.

At first glance the metric seems very simple. However, it helps answer an important question: how willingly does a player continue the fight after the flop.

A low WTSD usually indicates that an opponent easily parts with medium hands and rarely pays large bets on the late streets. A high WTSD shows the opposite picture — such a player more often stays in the pot and is more willing to reach showdown.

At the same time, it's important to understand that the metric on its own says nothing about the player's skill. A high WTSD can belong both to a passive amateur who never folds a medium-strength hand and to a strong, aggressive regular* who knows how to correctly catch bluffs.

*Regular (slang: reg) — a player who plays poker regularly and systematically, devotes a lot of time to it, and strives for stable positive results over the long run. 

Normal values depend on the game format. In tournament poker, in the early stages values around 22–26% are considered normal. As the money zone approaches and ICM* pressure increases, WTSD usually drops to 18–24%.

*ICM (Independent Chip Model) — a mathematical model used in poker tournaments to assess the cash value of a player's stack.

What WWSF means

WWSF stands for Won When Saw Flop.

The calculation formula looks as follows:

WWSF = number of hands won after the flop / number of hands in which the player saw the flop × 100%

Unlike WTSD, this metric accounts for not only showdowns. If an opponent took the pot with a bet on the flop, knocked the opponent off on the turn, or won the hand at showdown, all of these cases will fall into the statistic.

That is precisely why WWSF is considered one of the best indicators of postflop effectiveness. In effect, this metric answers the question: how often does a player win pots at all after they have seen the flop.

A high WWSF often indicates an aggressive playing style. Such opponents regularly apply pressure with bets, actively use continuation bets, and know how to find spots for bluffs.

A low metric is usually characteristic of passive players who rarely take the initiative and prefer to wait for a strong combination. For most strong regulars, the range from 55% and above is considered normal, while the average value is around 50%.

It's important to remember that a high WWSF does not always mean a strong player. Sometimes the cause is excessive aggression, which leads to problems on the late streets. Therefore, the metric must be analyzed together with WTSD and WONSD.

What WONSD means 

WONSD stands for Won Money at Showdown. In different programs this metric may be called WSD or W$SD, but the essence remains the same.

Calculation formula:

WONSD = number of showdowns won / total number of showdowns × 100%

This metric shows the quality of the hands with which a player reaches showdown. If an opponent regularly ends up at showdown with strong combinations, their WONSD will be high. If they reach showdown too widely or often show failed bluffs, the metric will begin to decline.

For most profitable players, the range from 50 to 54% is considered normal. A value below 48% often indicates that a player either pays off others' bets too widely or regularly overestimates the strength of their hands. In addition, such a player may not bluff and may often check with weak hands on the river, i.e. frequently lose at showdown. 

However, a high metric is also not always an advantage.

For example, a WTSD of 20% and a WONSD of 62% may mean that a player reaches showdown exclusively with very strong hands. At first glance they win the majority of showdowns, but at the same time they may be losing a large amount of profit by folding hands that should have been taken to showdown. Therefore, a high WONSD does not always mean good play.

How to read WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD in combination

The most common mistake when working with statistics is the attempt to analyze individual metrics.

Each of the metrics describes only part of the overall picture. Real understanding appears only when we consider them together.

1. Aggressive player

Such an opponent is characterized by:

• WTSD above 30%

• WWSF above 60%

• WONSD around 45–48%

Such a profile indicates that the player constantly applies pressure and wins a huge number of pots without showdown. At the same time, they don't win at showdown too often, since they reach it with a wider range of hands.

2. Solid regular

Typical metrics:

• WTSD 26–29%

• WWSF 50–55%

• WONSD 52–55%

This is the most balanced profile. Such a player knows how to win pots both at showdown and without it. They don't overpay unnecessarily and don't overuse aggression.

Against such opponents it's better to stick to a standard strategy and avoid unjustified adjustments.

3. Passive amateur

Usually has:

• WTSD above 35%

• WWSF 38–42%

• WONSD 48–52%

Such a player rarely folds hands and prefers to check the strength of their combination at showdown. They don't apply much pressure and often pay off bets with medium-strength hands.

The main strategy against them is maximum value extraction with made hands and medium-strength hands that can be called by weaker hands. 

4. Tight* player

Often has:

• WTSD 18–22%

• WWSF 40–44%

• WONSD above 58%

Such a profile is characteristic of players who participate only in large pots with strong combinations. Against them it's profitable to attack the blinds more often and to respect aggression on the late streets.

*Tight — a playing style in which a player plays a very narrow and strong range of hands.

How to find mistakes in your own game through analysis of WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD

These metrics are useful not only for analyzing opponents, but also for finding your own mistakes.

1. Too low WTSD and high WONSD

If WTSD drops below 22% while WONSD exceeds 60%, this often indicates overly cautious play. The player wins the majority of showdowns, but reaches them too rarely. As a result, they fail to extract enough profit against opponents' bluffs.

2. Too high WTSD and low WONSD

If WTSD exceeds 32% while WONSD falls below 48%, the player probably pays off bets on the late streets too often. Most often the problem is connected with overestimating medium hands and a lack of discipline when making decisions on the river.

3. Low WWSF

If the metric drops below 42%, this often means passive postflop play. In such a situation it's worth reviewing the frequency of continuation bets, pressure on suitable board textures, and the number of pots won without showdown.

4. Very high WWSF

A metric above 60% may indicate excessive aggression. The player successfully takes many pots without showdown, but sometimes does so at the cost of an excessive number of bluffs.

Common mistakes when working with statistics

1. Small sample

One of the most common mistakes is drawing conclusions from 50–200 hands. To get a more or less reliable picture, it's desirable to have 1000+ hands. 

2. Ignoring positions

A player can have one WTSD on the button and a completely different one in the big blind. Therefore, averaged metrics without a breakdown by position often hide important details.

3. Ignoring dynamics

Even strong players change strategy depending on the table composition, stack sizes, and stage of the tournament. Therefore, statistics should always be considered together with the context of the specific hand.

Conclusion

The better we understand the relationship between the metrics we covered in this article, the more accurate our decisions at the table become. That is precisely why working with statistics remains one of the most important areas of development for players who strive to improve their results over the long run.

Submit an application to FunFarm to understand the nuances of tournament poker more precisely. 

FAQ

1. How many hands are needed for a correct analysis of WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD?

For preliminary conclusions, it's desirable to have at least 1000 hands. The larger the sample, the more stable the metrics become. Over a sample of a few hundred hands, statistics can be strongly distorted due to variance* and random deviations.

*Variance — a measure of the spread of game results around the average value, that is, the deviation of actual results from the expected value over short distances. We discussed this topic in more detail in this article. 

2. Which programs are better to use for collecting statistics?

The most popular solutions are considered to be Hand2Note, Holdem Manager, PokerTracker, and DriveHUD. They all allow you to collect hand history, display statistics, and analyze your own game. The choice usually depends on personal preferences.

3. Can you draw conclusions based on a single metric alone?

No. Each of them shows only a separate aspect of a player's strategy. To get an objective picture, it's necessary to analyze WTSD, WWSF, and WONSD together, as well as to take into account preflop metrics and the context of the specific hand.

4. Why is a high WONSD not always a good sign?

Too high a percentage of wins at showdown often means that a player reaches showdown only with very strong hands and folds too many borderline combinations. As a result, they may lose profit against opponents' bluffs.

5. Which metric is more important — WTSD or WWSF?

Both metrics answer different questions. WTSD shows a player's willingness to reach showdown, while WWSF demonstrates the ability to win pots after the flop. A full analysis is only possible when these stats are used together.

6. Can these metrics be improved deliberately?

A player's goal is not to fit statistics to certain numbers, but to make quality decisions. If the strategy becomes stronger, the metrics gradually arrive at optimal values on their own.