GTO poker strategy changed the way we look at poker on a fundamental level. Unlike all other approaches to the game, GTO offers the “perfect” way to play against any opponent.
A relatively new concept in poker, game theory optimal strategy is based on computer solutions that aim for perfect balance in all situations.
Unlike human poker strategies, which look to exploit the opponent’s mistakes, GTO poker only concerns itself with playing a balanced strategy that cannot be exploited by others.
In this guide to GTO poker, we will explain what GTO poker is, where it comes from, and how you can study this strategy yourself to dramatically improve your overall poker game.
What Is GTO Poker?
Game theory optimal poker strategy is based on game theory, a branch of mathematics first developed in the 1950s by John Nash of the Princeton University.
Based entirely in game theory, this approach to poker does not “care” about your opponent’s actions, but rather looks to make every action you take perfectly balanced an unexploitable.
In order to do this, the computer makes different plays with different portions of your range at varying frequencies. In every situation, the bet sizes and range of hands used to make them are perfectly balanced.
In almost every scenario, the computer will make the same bet with a number of value hands and bluffs. Whether the opponent calls or folds, the computer’s play will be profitable.
So far, GTO strategy has only been fully solved for heads up No Limit Hold’em poker, while perfect solutions for games with multiple opponents don’t yet exist.
On top of that, the strategy is impossible to mimic in full, as there are too many variables for a human brain to sift through on the spot.
Yet, by studying the GTO poker strategy with poker solvers, you can learn more about the approach the computer takes to poker hands, and extrapolate useful information to implement in your own poker game.
Poker Solvers Explained
In order to study GTO poker, you will need to learn how to use poker solvers. Solvers are tools used by poker players to simulate hands and generate solutions to various poker hands.
A poker solver works on the principle of inputs and outputs. Before it can solve a hand, you must insert a set of inputs.
These inputs include stack sizes, previous action, and starting hand ranges. The solver then uses these and finds optimal solutions for your action.
For example, you can tell the solver that the hand started with you opening a certain range from the button, the player in the big blind 3-betting you, and you calling. Next, you insert the flop of AsKd9c, and input the player’s c-bet size.
If you tell the solver to run the hand for you at this point, the program will give you a perfectly balanced solution to the situation. It will tell you which hands in your range to fold, call, or raise, and how often.
What’s surprising about the GTO poker strategy, compared to most human strategies, is that the solver often recommends splitting between two actions with the same hand.
For example, the solver might recommend you raise a hand like JTs 30% of the time on the previous board, and call 70% of the time.
By making different plays at various frequencies with the same hands, the solver remains perfectly balanced and does not allow its opponent to exploit its tendencies in any way.
Poker Snowie
If you are new to the world of GTO poker, Poker Snowie is probably the first tool you should use to study the strategy.
Poker Snowie may not be as detailed as other poker solvers, but it is much faster, producing instant solutions for your inputs.
Poker Snowie is an ideal tool for players just starting out with solvers and learning the most basic concepts of game theory optimal poker.
GTO Wizard
GTO Wizard is one of the most complete poker studying tools out there. Unlike a typical poker solver, GTO Wizard offers a variety of tools and modes you can use to improve your game.
Play poker against a virtual opponent playing GTO poker, build ranges for various situations in range builder, or study different spots in a classic solver approach.
GTO Wizard is a tool that can benefit novices and experienced GTO poker masters, so you should definitely add it to your list of poker studying tools.
PioSolver
Widely considered the best and most comprehensive of all poker solvers, PioSolver is an advanced learning tool for the poker pros.
Running simulations with this software will give you the most accurate and detailed solves, although the software does take some time to produce them.
Once you have reached the point where you play against truly tough opponents, PioSolver will become the best software to use for reliable and accurate solutions.
How to Play GTO Poker – Key Concepts Explained
GTO poker strategy is built on entirely different fundamentals than an exploitative poker strategy, which is employed by the vast majority of players.
While exploitative players look to make plays that will force their opponents into mistakes, GTO players look for plays that bring perfect balance.
Playing a GTO poker style will take some adjusting to, and you will need to learn some brand-new poker concept to get started.
Building Preflop Poker Ranges
GTO poker offers solutions for every part of a poker hand, including preflop. Perfect preflop poker ranges for different game types can be found in our preflop hands chart.
Preflop ranges created by poker solvers differ from those played by most other players in one key element, the balance they provide.
A lot of players use linear poker ranges before the flop, meaning they will raise their strongest hands from early position and then gradually add hands to the range as the position gets closer to the button.
The GTO strategy does the same, but it ensures that every range is well-balanced, meaning it employs enough bluffing hands along with the value hands.
For example, a GTO raising range might not include a hand like A9s or A8s, because they are too weak to raise from early position. Yet, a hand like A2s or A5s might be a part of the range, since it acts as the perfect bluffing candidate.
Learning the preflop GTO ranges is quite easy, as you can simply memorize your ranges for different positions and stack sizes.
Frequencies in Poker
While a typical poker player may see a flop and think about what they should do with their particular hand, a GTO player thinks about what they should do with their entire range.
Poker solvers think in terms of frequencies. For example, a solver may decide that on the flop of 9s8s6c, it wants to bet only 30% of hands in its range for 66% of the pot.
From here, the solver will look for the best 30% of hands in its range to bet with, while checking all the other ones.
Faced with aggression from the opponent, the solver will once again look for best hands to fold, call, or raise, after it determines which percentage of its range it has to continue with.
Once you start working with poker solvers, you will quickly realize that the way these programs “think” about poker is completely different from the way you saw the game in the past.
Minimum Defense Frequency in Poker
The concept of minimum defense frequency (MDF) is one of the key parts of the GTO poker strategy that exploitative players don’t use at all.
MDF refers to the percentage of your range you have to continue playing against a bet or a raise in order to remain unexploitable.
The MDF percentage depends strictly on the size of the bet your opponent is using and is a reasonably simple concept to understand.
For example, facing a full pot bet, you have to continue with 50% of your hand range. If you don’t, your opponent can simply bet every hand they have every time, and profit from you.
If you were to call or raise only 30% of the time, your opponent would be printing money by betting every hand they have, as they would win the pot 70% of the time and lose a bet equivalent to the pot size the other 30% of the time.
Poker solvers always apply the concept of MDF and look for the best hands in their range that fall into the appropriate percentage to defend with.
The table below demonstrates the MDF percentage you should utilize when facing common bet sizes in poker:
| Bet Size | MDF Percentage |
| 33% of the pot | 75% |
| 50% of the pot | 67% |
| 66% of the pot | 60% |
| 75% of the pot | 57% |
| 100% of the pot | 50% |
| 200% of the pot | 33% |
GTO Poker vs. Exploitative Poker
The debate between GTO poker and exploitative poker has been raging in the community for years, with players swearing by one or the other.
The truth is that both a GTO approach and an exploitative approach have their place in your arsenal, and should both be utilized at times.
A GTO Texas Hold’em strategy is ideal for facing particularly tough opponents or those trying to emulate a GTO strategy themselves.
Such players will not be making huge mistakes you can exploit, which is why playing a well-balanced strategy against them is essential.
On the other hand, when facing less experienced players who make a lot of routine mistakes, playing an exploitative style of poker will be your best bet.
Of course, trying to exploit your opponents is a double edged sword, as it also leaves you open to exploits.
The truth is that a well-executed simplified GTO strategy works against any poker player in the world and allows you to win in almost any game you play in.
Even the best exploitative strategy, on the other hand, can lead to terrible leaks in your game that any competent player can easily exploit.
Learn GTO Poker for Better Exploits
While GTO poker and exploits sound like antonyms, there is actually a connection between the two. GTO strategy teaches you the baselines of perfect balance which work against any action your opponent takes.
Learning these baselines is the only way to be able to form a strong exploitative strategy and know how far you can deviate.
For example, if you know what hands a solver would bet on a certain board, you can add a few extra hands to the range if your opponent is very passive, or remove a few if they are particularly sticky.
The same logic can be applied to any other scenario. If you know what the unexploitable baseline is, you can push that baseline a bit to create an exploit.
On the other hand, if all you are doing is guessing, you can end up making mistakes that cost you dearly in the long run.
Start Studying GTO Poker Today
No matter how much we talk about GTO poker, we can’t teach you how to play hands like a poker solver would.
Instead, we recommend taking the concepts you have learned here to heart and running some hands in a poker solver yourself.
As you go through hands with the help of the computer, you will start learning the logic behind every play the solver makes. Soon enough, you will have a sense for which hands belong in certain ranges and which simply don’t.
FAQ
What is GTO poker?
GTO poker stands for game theory optimal poker. It is a poker strategy based in mathematics that strives for perfect balance.
What are poker solvers?
Poker solvers are computer programs used to “solve” poker hands and study GTO poker.
Is GTO poker better than exploitative?
GTO poker is a balanced poker strategy that works well against anyone. Exploitative poker can be more profitable, provided the exploits you employ actually work in a particular situation.
What is minimum defense frequency?
Minimum defense frequency or MDF is the percentage of your range you should continue with when facing a bet of a certain size.
Can you memorize GTO poker?
It is impossible to memorize all the GTO poker outputs. Studying solver outputs will allow you to construct ranges similar to those constructed by poker solvers across different boards and situations.
