WWSF in Poker: Won When Saw Flop, and Why It Beats Every Other Postflop Stat
Every other postflop stat measures what you did. This one measures what happened. You either took the pot or you didn't, and there's no way to make the number look good except by winning more often.
What it counts
WWSF stands for Won When Saw Flop. Of the hands where you saw a flop, it's the share you finished by taking the pot.
Every way of winning counts the same. A flop bet nobody called, a river shove that got through, a hand shown down and good. The stat has no opinion about which.
Hands you folded before the flop don't appear. Once there's a board, you're in the denominator.
The reason it's the best one
Nearly every postflop stat describes your behaviour. Your aggression factor says how often you bet rather than called. Your c-bet percentage says how often you continued. Your fold to c-bet says how often you gave up.
All of those can look excellent while you lose money. You can raise every flop and have a superb aggression factor and an empty account.
WWSF is the only common postflop stat that measures the result. The pot either came to you or it didn't. There's no style of play that inflates it except taking more pots, which is the thing you wanted in the first place.
That makes it the number to check first and the one to trust when the others disagree.
The figures
| WWSF | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Under 42% | Too passive. You're seeing flops and then giving up on them |
| 45 to 50% | Where winning cash players sit |
| 51 to 54% | Aggressive, and working, if your other numbers hold |
| Above 55% | Suspicious. Usually a very tight player winning only the pots they couldn't lose |
That last row catches people out. A high number looks like success and can be the opposite. If you fold the flop two thirds of the time, the third you continue with is strong by definition, so of course you win most of them. You're winning a large share of a tiny number of pots.
Check it against how often you continue past the flop. A WWSF of 56 next to a flop fold rate of 65 percent is a tight game wearing a good number.
Reading it with one other stat
WWSF tells you how often you win. WTSD tells you how you're getting there. Together they describe a postflop game fairly completely.
| WWSF | WTSD | The player |
|---|---|---|
| 48 | 25 | The shape most winners have. Taking pots without showdowns |
| 38 | 22 | Folding too much. Bets keep chasing you off |
| 40 | 34 | Calling station. Lots of showdowns, not many wins |
| 53 | 21 | Very aggressive, or very tight. Look at your flop fold rate to tell which |
Row two and row three are both losing, and they need opposite fixes. That's why neither number does the job alone.
What moves it
Continuing on the flop. The single biggest lever. Every flop you fold is a pot you definitely didn't win. Most players fold too many, especially against small bets, and the c-bet page covers where the line sits.
Betting the turn. Firing the flop and giving up on the turn is the most common postflop pattern at low stakes, and it hands back a lot of pots that were nearly yours. This moves WWSF more than anything you do on the river.
Position. Split your WWSF by position and the gap will be wide. In position you get to see what happens before deciding, which is worth several points on its own. If your two numbers are close, you're playing the same way in two different situations.
Table size. Multiway pots drag the number down for everybody, because more players means more chances someone has a hand. Compare yourself against players at your own table size rather than a figure off a forum.
Where to start if yours is low
Work in this order, because it goes from cheapest to fix to most difficult.
- Your fold to flop c-bet. If it's above 55 percent, that's most of the problem and it takes a week to change.
- Your turn continuation. Count how often you bet the turn after betting the flop. Under 40 percent and you're abandoning pots you built.
- Your preflop range. A wide range arrives on flops it can't do anything with. If the first two are fine, this is what's left, and VPIP is where to look.
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Frequently asked questions
What does WWSF stand for?
Won When Saw Flop. Out of the hands where you saw a flop, it's the share where you ended up winning the pot. It doesn't care how. A bet nobody called counts the same as a hand shown down and won.
What is a good WWSF?
Around 45 to 50 percent for a winning cash player. Below 42 usually means you're too passive after the flop. Above 52 means you're winning a lot of pots, which is good if your other numbers support it and expensive if they don't.
Why is WWSF better than aggression factor?
Because it's an outcome rather than a description. Aggression factor tells you how you behaved, and you can behave aggressively while losing every pot. WWSF only goes up when you actually take the money.
Can WWSF be too high?
It can. Winning more than about 55 percent of the flops you see usually means you're only continuing with very strong hands, so the ones you win are the ones you couldn't lose. Check it next to how often you're folding the flop before celebrating.
Does WWSF include pots I won without a showdown?
Yes, and that's the point. Both kinds count. A pot taken with a turn bet nobody called and a pot won with the best hand at the river are the same thing here, which is why it captures both halves of a postflop game.
How does WWSF relate to WTSD?
They answer different halves of the same question. WWSF is how often you win after the flop. WTSD is how often you get to showdown. A high WWSF with a low WTSD is the classic winning shape: you take pots before anyone has to show anything.
How many hands does WWSF need?
Around 5,000 of your own for a number you'd act on, since it only counts hands that reached a flop. It settles faster than your win rate and slower than VPIP.