Level 1: The MacroAnalysis

The MacroAnalysis evaluates the overall strategy of Hero's range. The primary focus at this level is on range advantage, position and SPR, since typically these factors significantly influence how specific holdings within the range are played.

Range Grids

Even if the GTO poker strategy was known, it would be almost impossible to use it without a computer. But no limit hold’em is too difficult a game for this. A theoretical strategy is built into the GTO in these profiles. This can be seen in the analysis of played hands. Get coaching while you play hands and watch videos taught by Jonathan Little and elite poker coaches. Click here to learn more. Post navigation.

These grids show the possible hands which each player is likely to hold given prior actions. Hands which are more likely to be in a player's range are shaded darker. The GTOx dashboard juxtaposes both player's ranges since in GTO, strategies are wholly devised based upon how the ranges stack up against each other relative to the board.

Poker Gto

Strategy Sunburst

The strategy sunburst shows the frequencies of the possible actions at the current node for the entire range, as well as the actions available at prior decision points in the game. This visual depiction of actions can assist users in learning to assess how prior actions define each player's range, which is a critical skill in GTO.

Strategies and EV Regret

This table shows the average frequencies and resulting EV for each possible action for the range as a whole. Also shown is the Range EV Regret for each action, which measures the maximum amount of EV that will be lost if a player takes that action with 100% of the hands in the range and can aid in simplifying strategies. EV Regret is standardized by the pot size so each player can set his/her own EV Regret significance threshold based on his/her experience and skill level. Finally, this table shows 'Fold Leverage', which is equal to the percentage of the opponent's range that folds to each bet at the nash-equilibrium.

Hand Strength Table

This table shows the average EV, average equity and equity distribution for each player. EV measures the expected number of chips the player will win on average if it follows the optimal strategies. Equity measures the probability of the player winning or tying at showdown if no further betting occurs. The equity distribution aids in an understanding of overall composition of each player's range (e.g. polarized, capped, condensed, merged, etc.).

If you have even a passing interest in playing online poker, chances are you will have heard the term ‘GTO’. This stands for Game Theory Optimal and it means using a strategy that cannot be countered in any way by your opponents.

Another way to describe GTO is that it is an unexploitable strategy but what does this mean in terms of playing the game?

Poker Gto Theory

GTO is defensive in nature because you are trying to play the perfect set of hands yourself and relying on your opponents to make mistakes. An important aspect of this is not thinking in terms of the current hand but in terms of a range of hands both you and your opponent could have plus the hand, your opponent may think you have.

This requires a decent grasp of maths because you will need to work out odds, ranges, and frequencies. You can view this handy guide over at 888 Poker – The Beginners guide to GTO poker for even more information

Let’s take a look at an example to get a better understanding of how GTO might work. In this scenario, you are playing at 888Poker and have raised preflop. The player on the button is the only one to call, so you consider two possible plays. The first is to only bet when you make a top pair or better and the second is to bet only when you miss.

Both are sound strategies but if you stick to this throughout the game your opponents are going to know how to react. Therefore, you need to find something in-between, using a mix of both plays and this requires some working out.

You must work out the odds of their call being correct and balance this with the number of times you are value betting and the number of times you are bluffing. Picking the right amount of value bets vs bluffs is what makes a good GTO strategy. This is in addition to knowing when to use them in relation to the situation and current bet size.

As you begin to understand each situation better and know not only your own but also your opponent’s frequencies and ranges, you can exploit this to your advantage. Playing on your Android mobile app? Not a problem, you can still play GTO Poker!

For a GTO poker strategy to work, you must have played against someone for a number of hands. You cannot use assumptions as this will not work. If you are playing online poker at a top website such as 888Poker, this can be tricky as you may not play against the same opponents often enough to avoid assuming. However, even after a few hands, you can begin to build up a picture of their frequencies.

When using GTO, do not look at the outcome of a hand individually. You may have a good hand or a bad hand but this should not be taken in isolation. Just because you got lucky on the river does not automatically mean you made the right play. Work out what the correct GTO strategy is for certain times of the game and assess it following the end of the game.

This will tell you if you made the correct long-term call and that is what GTO poker is all about. You must work on your game, both at the poker table and away from the poker table for a GTO strategy to be successful. Practice makes perfect and no matter what poker variant you play, it will help you perfect your game and strategy.

Relevant news

How Nordics got themselves on the Poker world map

Back in the time, poker was only played in rooms full of smoke and cigarettes.…

read more +

Best e-Wallets for Poker and Casino Players

If you’re an established poker or online casino player, or even if it’s all new,…

read more +

Play Classic, Video and Live Poker Games Online

Poker is one of the most popular card games that is played by millions of…

read more +

5 best Norwegian poker players

When it comes to gambling in Norway, one can say that people there are making…

read more +

Playing Slots and Winning

Away from the intense rush of multiplayer poker, slot games have become increasingly popular in…

read more +

Can You Make a Living from Online Poker?

There was one a time when professional poker players were limited to casinos. Still, the…

read more +