More solver talk with 2cardconfidence

We go into depth on solvers with our GTO expert and check out his video on the endboss secrets of 'LLinusLLove' and 'OtB_RedBaron'.

Once again we welcome 2cardconfidence to the PokerStrategy.com family. We have another great chat about solvers with him (below) which is a continuation of our first talk with him. 

We also invite you to check out this great video from him about Endboss strategies of two of the biggest online cash game crushers in the world - 'LLinusLLove' and 'OtB_RedBaron'.

In this video, he looks at a $50/$100 match between the two from both a GTO perspective, before moving on to some of the interesting exploits that can be gleaned from the session. 

We learn a lot in this video, including how to play against a capped range, overfolders and sticky players. 

If you like this video, be sure to check out the 2cardconfidence YouTube channel. 

"Stop taking solver outputs literally"

What are the biggest errors new solver users make when they get started?

2cardconfidence: The easiest error to make and, therefore, most common is to just take the solver's results literally and only look at absolute numbers. Then trying to remember those outcomes and copy them when playing.

That's detrimental in so many ways. First, outputs are never absolute, because they depend on preflop ranges, sizings you give the solver to be able to use, and many more things which are just estimates and/or simplifications.

Second, remembering the outputs will not work if you don't have a photographic memory. So you're fighting an uphill battle.

And third, those outcomes are based on two perfectly playing opponents. Which you won't find in practice. So, especially at lower levels, a different approach than equilibrium/GTO will be more profitable.

I've always felt that the most interesting thing with solvers is to look for when they do something that doesn't quite make sense, then trying to work out why they did that. I learn the most that way, do you agree?

2cardconfidence: Yes. What's especially important is the WHY. Because that's how you avoid thinking in absolutes and learn the principles that are behind the solver's outputs, those can not only be memorized way easier, they can also be applied to spots you haven't studied before - so no need for memorizing. The trigger for that can be spots that don't make sense because the urge to find out the reason behind them. And if you make a habit of always looking at the why, you're on the right path.

What is the best way to remember what a solver teaches you?

2cardconfidence: There are two ways where you can go with this: One is to simplify your game trees as much as possible. Find the single best bet size on every street by cutting down the tree and comparing EVs of the lines. That way, you'll receive a strategy that is easier to remember.

The second way goes back to what we talked about earlier: Finding principles instead of memorizing the actual frequencies of each combo. For example, it's easier to remember that combos with a backdoor flush draw prefer betting - and then always bet them. Instead of memorizing that the combo with a backdoor flush draw would be bet 70% of the time and the one without it would be bet 30%.

"The best habit is to ask why?"

When studying a hand, what are the most important habits/questions to have each time?

2cardconfidence: I like to go through every hand in 3 phases: Look at what the range is doing, what the hand classes are doing, and what the individual hands are doing. Then go deeper on which of these you want to explore more. As said earlier, the best habit to have is asking "why?". And for that, it's important to look at both players involved in the hand. Only from looking at action and reaction can you understand the why behind it.

Is there any point in having a traditional solver like PIO when GTOWiz does so much now?

2cardconfidence: GTO Wizard is great to look up instant solutions, and the new AI feature removed almost all of the previous downsides GTOWizard had compared to traditional solvers. The only thing still missing is the node locking feature, which PioSolver is really great for. So I personally only use PIO for that now.

Some people think GTOWiz is RTA, I think those who use it know it would be very hard to use it as RTA, are you concerned it is being used this way?

2cardconfidence: I imagine it would be very hard to use as RTA when multi-tabling. So I'd say the biggest threat would be at high stakes, where you usually can't multi-table too much anyway, or deep in a tournament.

Still, it can of course, lower the barrier to occasionally use an RTA, which is a problem. So I find it important that they take the issue seriously - according to their recent update regarding security, to me, that does seem to be the case though.

Stay tuned to PokerStrategy.com where we will be having a detailed Q&A with 2cardconfidence on using solvers in the modern era.