Choosing a GTO Solver for improved decision making

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scubed

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I am going to invest some time in learning and using a GTO Solver to improve my thinking about different scenarios that happen during the NL game. I have NO experience using a GTO tool. Would you please provide input (your opinions) to help me choose a good tool?

  1. What GTO Solver do you recommend?
  2. Why do you recommend this GTO solver over others?
  3. What are the pros/cons of the recommended GTO solver?
  4. How do you think a GTO solver has changed your game?
Thank you in advance for your help!
 
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AlexTheOwl

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I haven't invested in a GTO solver yet, so I can't help much with this question, but I'll mention a few other useful tools.
I use the free versions of Equilab and Icmizer2 for equity and ICM questions.
And I've read books that are informed by GTO ( but not about GTO), such as Little's Mastering Small Stakes No Limit Hold 'em.



GTO is an advanced strategy. People with much more expertise than me have said that playing a style that relies heavily on GTO is not ideal for small stakes:
https://www.twoplustwo.com/magazine/issue156/carlos-welch-gto-small-stakes-tournaments.php
Although having a sense of proper GTO play at least gives players a choice between being GTO or exploitative (and hence exploitable) in any given situation.
 
alienat3d

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Before you invest money and a lot of time for studying GTO, keep in mind, that GTO only making sense on the middle or high stakes poker. (It's an opinion of couple of serious middle stakes poker coachs, which opinion i agree and share.) Exception is, when you suddenly meet a very good regular at micros/low, who been studying GTO too and played with you already reasonable seize of hands. But how often that happens? Not really often. Mostly you are surrounded by fish and donkeys at micros, who have not a slightly idea even about meaning of GTO. And against such players, playing GTO concepts can be even counterproductive, as you are loosing value a lot of the time. The best strategy against them, being more simple, straightforward, collecting money as much as you can from your good hands versus telephones and trapping aggro-fish with some check-raise tricks at post flop. And if it should happen, that you meet a micro-reg who is aware of GTO, simply change the table in terms of increasing your profit, don't clash wish sharks, it's not profitable on a long run. If you meet such regular in a Tournament, try to play with him very conscious, try not be involved in huge pots. Better stay away from him, as much as you can.

p.s. However, don't get me wrong, in general i think, that GTO conceptions are must to learn for any serious regular player, in terms of beating middle and higher limits. Because it's the place, where the problems start. First and foremost, higher limits means less fish and more solid players. It make the game much tougher and demanding much more intellectual work at play. At some tables it can be that, there are only like one or few fish, haunted by a lot of sharks. And you are kinda forced to play against sharks a lot and you got to be better, than they are, so you can make profit on a long run and keep climbing the limits further.
 
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Lorpugo

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First and most important is that GTO is applicable for heads up only. For 3players+ there is no gto solution.
 
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danielcai

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Any good free software/book to learn about GTO? And is it really only applivabap to headsup? I thought people said itsi useful in MTT too.
 
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scubed

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Any good free software/book to learn about GTO? And is it really only applivabap to headsup? I thought people said itsi useful in MTT too.
The point that has been made in this thread is that in the micro stakes spending a lot of time on GTO solving is probably wasted effort. What stakes are you playing?

That said...

  • PioSOLVER is preferred by high stakes players *GOOD FOR HU*
  • SimplePostflop
  • GTO Range Builder
  • Monkerware *MULTIWAY POTS*
  • GTO+ (previously branded CREV [CardRunnersEV])
I an not sure of the CardsChat policy on providing web links to the software; therefore I have not provided any URLs. You should be able to locate the software websites in a simple Google search.

Hope this information helps.
 
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danielcai

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Thanks a lot. I am still new to poker and these information is really helpful. Hope I can move up to be more competitive level soon.
 
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betbetallin

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I am going to invest some time in learning and using a GTO Solver to improve my thinking about different scenarios that happen during the NL game. I have NO experience using a GTO tool. Would you please provide input (your opinions) to help me choose a good tool?
  1. What GTO Solver do you recommend?
  2. Why do you recommend this GTO solver over others?
  3. What are the pros/cons of the recommended GTO solver?
  4. How do you think a GTO solver has changed your game?
Thank you in advance for your help!

Hello!

1. Simple Postlfop + Simple Preflop Holdem
2. They both could be used for solving any kind of spots, has simple and powerful UI. Also, as far as I tested, they are fastest on the market
3. Pros: price, UI, functionality, speed; cons: there is no API, encrypted format of solutions
4. It helped to plug leaks and now I play nl500+
 
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betbetallin

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Any good free software/book to learn about GTO? And is it really only applivabap to headsup? I thought people said itsi useful in MTT too.
try Simple GTO Trainer. In this software you could play against GTO AI various spots and see what errors you make.
 
Lorpugo

Lorpugo

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Any good free software/book to learn about GTO? And is it really only applivabap to headsup? I thought people said itsi useful in MTT too.
Will Tipton s books Expert Heads up no limit golden are gto poker
 
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