Poker is an exciting game, and since the first day it was created, players have been trying to find the best methods to play it efficiently. Yet, every strategy has its flaws, so players figured out how to take advantage of them eventually.
This cycle repeated itself for many decades until computers ultimately cracked the game at a basic level. Nowadays, a new method known as game theory optimal presents the “perfect” strategy for playing poker without vulnerabilities, ensuring a profit.
There are many questions spinning around this method. What is it? How does it work? How do you learn it to take advantage of it?
These are all questions we asked ourselves at the beginning, but now we can share our knowledge and tell you about the origins of GTO poker and how exactly words. With this article’s help, you’ll learn this strategy and master it over time. So, are you up for a new adventure? Let’s roll.
Start with the Basics: What is GTO?
The GTO poker strategy, short for “game theory optimal,” is a tactic crafted over the last decade. It aims for perfect balance in gameplay, ensuring that opponents can’t exploit your moves.
Unlike the exploitative poker strategy commonly used by older players, GTO poker takes the opposite approach, striving for equilibrium and unpredictability.
Exploitative strategy tries to take advantage of opponents’ mistakes, while GTO poker strategy aims to keep everything balanced so opponents can’t exploit you.
Basically, it’s all about bluffing and betting strategically on every hand without worrying too much about what your opponent is doing.
At first, it might seem odd to play this way, but GTO has shown to work really well, especially in one-on-one poker games. You can try it for actual games or online poker, which you can find on platforms like SlotsCalendar. It’s up to you how you want to practice the poker strategy to become a real pro.
Frequencies and their Importance
Now that we’ve covered the basics of GTO, it’s time to tell you how the poker theory works. We’ll also cover all the concepts to understand everything before actually playing. With that being said, let’s start with the frequencies.
Many poker players tend to see decisions in black-and-white terms. They think, “I’ll either call this bet or fold,” without always considering all the relevant factors perfectly.
As humans, we’re influenced by various biases, especially in poker. Our decisions often rely on live reads, past experiences with players, and numerous other intangible factors.
Poker solvers, which are computer programs used to develop GTO poker strategies, take a more systematic and mathematical approach to crafting the perfect plan.
It starts with how you play before the flop. The solver will tell you to raise certain hands at a specific rate, no matter who you play against.
For example, re-raise certain hands 70% of the time and fold them the other 30% when someone raises before the flop.
Solvers keep analysing hands as the game progresses, advising you to split your actions to maintain balance and avoid exploitation.
If you follow a GTO poker strategy, you’ll stop worrying about immediate results. Sometimes, you might even make decisions based on a coin toss or a random number generated by a computer.
Find your Pre-Flop Balance with GTO Poker Strategy
GTO poker strategy focuses on keeping balance, starting with how you play before the flop. Whether in a 6-max cash game or a tournament, poker solvers can easily guide you on which hands to play from each position.
Just like regular poker advice, solvers suggest playing fewer hands from early positions and more from late positions. However, the exact setup of these ranges is distinct.
While many exploitative poker players suggest only playing strong hands from the first position, solvers recommend including all suited aces, as well as hands like QTs and KQ, in a 6-max cash game.
The reason for this is balance. Including these hands in your range prevents opponents from taking advantage of the fact that you’re only playing premium hands from this position.
Poker Strategy and The Plays
You might think GTO poker is a bit random or doesn’t make sense sometimes, but it’s not.
Every choice a solver makes has logical reasons behind it, all rooted in poker mathematics and reasoning.
Similar to a human player, a solver considers factors like pot odds, implied odds, and reverse implied odds.
Yet, with the GTO strategy, you won’t stress too much about your opponent’s moves or their range because your plays aim to make you unexploitable and maintain perfect balance. It might seem unlikely, but it’s possible because poker’s math goes deeper than you might realise.
As you can see, we’ve explained that the GTO poker strategy prevents others from taking advantage of you, but it also doesn’t actively exploit your opponent’s mistakes.
Certainly, if your opponents, aren’t using GTO, they’ll face consequences, but these consequences might be minor and not as effective as those from a skilled exploitative player.
If you want to use this strategy for your own adventure, we advise you to go out there and learn how to apply and adjust it in a real game. With a strong GTO understanding, you can use others’ mistakes to your advantage.