AF

Context: Term article: Aggression Factor (AF)

Overview

Aggression Factor (AF) is a metric commonly used in poker tracking software to quantify a player's aggressiveness. It reflects a player's style by comparing their aggressive actions (betting and raising) to passive actions (calling) on postflop streets (flop, turn, river).

Calculation

AF = (Number of Bets + Number of Raises) / Number of Calls

• Number of Bets: Times the player initiated a bet.
• Number of Raises: Times the player raised another player's bet or raise.
• Number of Calls: Times the player called a bet or raise.

Note: Folds and checks are not included in the numerator or denominator. Only postflop actions are typically counted; preflop has its own metrics (e.g., PFR).

Interpretation

• AF < 1: Player tends to be passive, calling more than betting/raising. May be a "calling station" type.
• AF = 1: Aggressive and passive actions are roughly equal.
• AF > 1: Player tends to be aggressive, betting/raising more than calling. Typical tight-aggressive (TAG) players often have AF between 2 and 4.
• AF > 4: Very aggressive, may be loose-aggressive (LAG) or maniacal.

Limitations

• AF does not consider bet/raise sizing, only counts actions.
• Unreliable with small sample sizes; usually requires at least 100 hands for meaningful reference.
• Baseline AF varies by game environment (e.g., full-ring vs. short-handed).
• Skilled players may adjust AF based on opponents; a single number cannot fully represent their strategy.

Application

In opponent modeling, AF helps identify tendencies. For example, against a high-AF player, consider calling their bets more often as they may bet with a wide range. Against a low-AF player, be wary that their bets likely represent strong hands.

Related Terms

• PFR (Preflop Raise Percentage): Measures preflop aggressiveness.
• VPIP (Voluntarily Put Money In Pot): Measures how often a player enters the pot.
• Agg% (Aggression Percentage): Another aggressiveness metric that calculates the proportion of aggressive actions among all actions.