Texas Hold’em Solver Guide: Choosing the Best GTO Tool
Back in the day, if you wanted to crush poker, you read Super/System, watched grainy training videos, and hoped your intuition held up against the math wizards. Now? You download a solver, punch in a hand history, and voilà – optimal strategy unlocked.
GTO solvers have changed poker forever. Love them or hate them, they’ve redefined what “correct” play even means. But what exactly are these tools, how do they work, and where do we draw the line between training aid and poker cheat?
Let’s break it down.
First, What’s a GTO Solver Anyway?
GTO stands for Game Theory Optimal. In poker, that means playing a perfectly balanced strategy that can’t be exploited, no matter what your opponents do.
A GTO solver is a software tool that simulates countless hands and outcomes to find that optimal balance. You tell it:
- Your hand range
- Your opponent’s range
- The board cards
- Stack sizes and bet sizing
And it spits out a beautiful, terrifying matrix of exact plays: how often to bet, check, call, raise – or even mix them up randomly to avoid being predictable.
It’s like having the brain of a poker god whispering probabilities in your ear. Only it’s not divine intervention. It’s algorithms and absurd amounts of computation.
What Can GTO Solvers Do?
Honestly? A lot, lot more than most players realize.
- Range vs. Hand Analysis: Solve for the EV of specific hands against opponent ranges.
- Range vs. Range Analysis: Optimize entire strategies on many different board surfaces.
- Node Locking: Change assumptions (e.g., villain folds too much) and figure out how your plan needs to adapt.
- Practice Mode: Make decisions at tough points and compare with GTO output.
Most solvers also give heatmaps, EV comparison charts, and exploit recommendations if you tweak assumptions manually.And the best part? You don’t need to be a PhD in game theory to use them – just willing to grind through the interface and put in some study hours.
Top GTO Solvers in the Game (Right Now)
Let’s get into the heavy hitters. These are the tools the serious grinders, streamers, and even AI developers use to sharpen their edge.
- PioSOLVER
The OG. Still one of the most powerful tools on the market. Tons of options, node locking, tree customization. But fair warning – it has a steep learning curve.
- GTO+
A budget-friendly option that punches above its price tag. Lightweight, fast, great for quick analysis.
- Simple Postflop
More user-friendly, with slick visuals and fast simulations. Loved by both MTT and cash players.
- MonkerSolver
The go-to for PLO and multi-way spots. Also used in AI development (shoutout Pluribus poker and deepstack ai tech).
- GTO Wizard
Cloud-based, flashy, and packed with pre-solved sims. Super intuitive UI and built-in trainer mode. But… there’s controversy (we’ll get there).
Are Solvers the Future – or a Problem?
That depends who you ask.
On one hand, solvers are a training revolution. They:
- Eliminate guesswork
- Reveal leaks you didn’t even know existed
- Help you understand complex spots with precision
They’re a goldmine for study groups, coaches, and even amateur grinders who want to level up.
But on the other hand…
The Dark Side: Real-Time Assistance (RTA)
Some players use solvers while they’re playing. That’s called Real-Time Assistance, or RTA – and it’s basically a poker cheat.
Sites like GGPoker and PokerStars have banned hundreds of accounts for exactly that. The player clicks a button, the solver tells them what to do, and suddenly they’re playing like a GTO god every hand. Yeah, that’s not okay.
Even tools like GTO Wizard now log timestamps to detect RTA-style use.
If you want to use solvers responsibly, keep them off during sessions. Review hands after, build your own poker cheat sheet, and drill common spots – but don’t turn your grind into a robot simulator.
GTO vs. Exploit: Which Should You Play?
This is the old-school debate with a new twist.
GTO is unbeatable in theory, but in practice? Humans are terrible at playing GTO. Most players make obvious mistakes:
- Overfolding to turn barrels
- C-betting too often on dry boards
- Bluffing too little when scared
That’s where exploitative play comes in. If you know your opponent’s leaking, it’s +EV to go off-script.
But here’s the trick: GTO solvers can help you build exploit plans, too. Just tweak their assumptions, lock the villain’s strategy, and see how to punish it.
So it’s not GTO or exploit – it’s GTO-informed exploit. That’s where the real magic happens.
Can AI Replace the Grinder?
We’re already seeing it.
Bots like PokerBotAI, poker online bots, and ai poker bot systems are creeping into mid and even high-stakes games. Some use pure solver logic. Others mimic human tendencies and adapt on the fly.
The best poker bots now blend:
- GTO solvers (for baseline)
- Opponent modeling (for exploit)
- Reinforcement learning (for self-improvement)
Tools like DeepStack, PokerAlfie, and even Pluribus laid the foundation. The next wave? Bots that feel like real players – but play way better.
If you’re grinding online, be aware: you might not just be playing against regs. You might be up against something smarter.
Should You Use a Solver?
Short answer: Yes – but wisely.
Use it to:
- Review tricky spots
- Improve your ranges
- Spot leaks in your thinking
- Train intuition with repetition
Don’t use it to:
- Copy-paste play without context
- Rely on it for every answer
- Cheat live by running sims during hands
The key is integration, not dependency. Solvers are tools, not crutches. The best players know when to break from “optimal” because they understand why it’s the baseline – not because it’s gospel.
Solvers Are Powerful – Use Them with Purpose
GTO solvers won’t make you unbeatable. But they will make you smarter – if you use them right.
They’re not magic. They’re not shortcuts. And they’re definitely not excuses to avoid doing the hard work.
So fire up that poker bot sim, dig into some poker hacks, and learn what the optimal move actually looks like. But when it’s time to play?
Trust your brain. Use the bot for backup – not for battle.