How to know you are progressing with solvers

Are you questioning the close decisions? That is probably a very good sign, says Dara O'Kearney.

If you have been using solver technology for a while and perhaps your poker results have not shown a great deal of improvement, there is something you may notice that suggests you are making progress.

That is when you look up a spot you were unsure about, that spot was on the fringes of what the solver would do.

For example, let's say the stacks are 25bb's effective, UTG opens, you raise, then the LJ shoves and it folds back around to you with 99.

You are unsure if this is a call, or a fold.

This is what GTO Wizard would have you do:

Questioning the close decisions

As you can see, 99 is the bottom of our range, and it's an occasional fold.

Whether you called or folded in this spot, the fact that you were unsure and then it turned out to be a mix from the solver is a brilliant sign.

It means you have a solid understanding of how most of your range should play. You know TT is a snap call and 88 is a fold, and just like the solver you can go either way with 99.

If you snap called 55 or you snap folded JJ, then look at this output to see 99 is the bottom of the range, it's a sign you are way off with your calling ranges.

So next time you have a tricky decision and then discover that your hand was bottom of the range, breakeven, or a mix, pat yourself on the back. You are questioning the same things a solver would be.

You can get Dara's free book on effective poker study by joining his mailing list.