Modern computing power has given us poker “solvers”, which are advanced calculation software that finds the most optimized strategies. A solver program aims to find a GTO solution, which stands for Game Theory Optimal. It used to take a computer the size of a room to run these calculations, but it’s all available on PCs these days.
Solvers like Simple Preflop, Simple Postflop, and PioSOLVER are tools to show you optimal play in a variety of situations, with varying community and hole cards. Applying GTO approaches against different opponents with different tendencies can be tricky.
This guide will refer to GTO strategy quite often, so check our GTO article if you need a brief еxplanation.
Let’s dive right in and start talking about how solvers work and how to use them.
Here’s How a Poker Solver Works
Simpler games have been mathematically solved (like checkers and Connect Four), but poker has not been completely solved yet.
Let’s talk about the method behind the solver’s solution. It’s very important to point out that using a poker solver does not make you invincible, all-knowing, or impervious to bluffs.
Max Exploitative Strategy
When you know an opponent's strategy (their range and tendencies), you can build your own strategy that has a high-value response for every situation. Take a simple game like Tic Tac Toe with only a small amount of moves available to each player. It’s easy to take a max exploitative strategy here because we know all the possible moves of our opponent. In poker, that’s not so simple.
Solver Step 1: Software maps the opponent's strategy and assumes frequencies for each action (how often actions are made), for all available outcomes.
Solver Step 2: Software decides the highest EV (expected value) responses to those frequencies.
The solver will then repeat the process, optimizing each player’s responses with every new simulation. It’s extremely repetitive, but it computes quickly and gives us the most optimal solutions.
GGPoker lets you download your hand histories so that you’re free to analyze them later. Use a solver like Simple Postflop or Simple Preflop to find optimal strategies for the common situations that you face at the hold ‘em and Omaha tables. We’ve already solved the sign-up process for GGPoker, but you’ll want to read our rakeback and bonus solutions too. This site will put you against mostly recreational players, so you’ll have to adjust your ranges accordingly.
Where Does a Poker Solver Get its Information?
To put things in simple terms, a solver finds solutions based on a user’s inputs. That means, the user enters the cards and an optimal strategy is calculated.
But cards aren’t the only data to feed into the poker solver; you can also input:
- Preflop ranges for opponents
- Bet sizings
- Raise sizings
- Effective stack sizes
- Pot sizes
- Opponent tendencies
Just like using ChatGPT, the inputs will decide the quality of the results. If you make mistakes with your inputs or assumptions about ranges, the solver won’t create an optimal strategy.
Of course, you can’t know the exact preflop ranges of your opponents. This is when solvers become slightly abstract, relying on assumptions, rather than concrete data. The information you feed the solver must be as close to reality as possible, at least if you want to rely on the strategies it outputs. Understanding ranges and using solved preflop ranges is also important.
The solver works by assuming that both players know the other’s strategy from the start of the hand up to the river. What that means is, the software assumes both players are implementing a strategy that can be solved.
Chico Network poker rooms allow you to use HUDs, import hand histories, and play with casual opponents around the world. BetOnline and SportsBetting accept US players, while TigerGaming accepts players from almost anywhere else in the world. Each site has high-traffic NLH, PLO, and short deck tables. If you want to compete for $25,000 then enter into the Daily Buy-In $55, or browse through other MTTs. Chico Network skins also accept cryptocurrencies, among other typical options like Visa/MC, Skrill, and Neteller.
How Should You Use a Poker Solver?
You won’t be able to run every possible hand through the solver and remember the optimal actions. You’ll see trends and patterns after using a poker solver, which you’ll be able to use at the table.
It’s best to study common scenarios and use a poker solver to analyze hands you’ve played in the past. It’s important to understand that simulations cannot be 100% accurate when applied in real-life scenarios. Poker solvers are going to highlight winning strategies, but not all of them will work 100% of the time.
Many professional players and coaches advocate for a mixed strategy, a note that a GTO strategy can miss out on value in certain situations.
There’s also an argument to be made for poker solvers having less relevance in live poker games than they do in online games, because of the factors that exist at real tables.
Try Texas hold ‘em or Omaha at partypoker cash game tables and you should be able to find ideal stakes and level of opponents. Solvers create solutions for cash games, but also tournaments, and partypoker has a great spread of MTTs and SNGs. The Powerfest Series has events with up to $60 million GTD, but there tons of tournaments with buy-ins from $2 to over $100.
When Should You NOT Use a Poker Solver?
It’s up for debate, but strongly adhering to GTO strategies can be the wrong move in small stakes tournaments. Because most players at micro-stakes tournaments will deviate from the ranges you assign them, it may be better to take an exploitative line. Identify weaknesses and adjust your ranges to exploit them.
GTO solvers are less useful for studying the turn and the river, at least that’s what Andres “Educa-p0ker” Artinano says.
Here’s why it’s sometimes better to rely on intuition and fundamentals on the turn and river:
- After preflop and flop action, ranges are tighter and more defined, allowing us to make decisions more easily.
- Stack-to-pot ratio (SPR) makes our decisions easier (and tightens ranges even more), especially in larger pots.
- Players have more experience during the preflop and flop stages. This means that most players will be less balanced in less familiar turn and river spots.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should throw the solver solutions out the window on turn and river cards. Especially for solver-savvy opponents, you’ll want to remain balanced and implement GTO approaches in the long term.
If you want to browse a wide range of poker tools, head to the GipsyTeam Store.
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Our staff members are experienced and ready to guide you in the right direction if you’re unsure about with tool to use. Contact GipsyTeam Support anytime for a free no-obligation discussion.
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