Mastering GTO Poker: Strategies to Play Like a Pro

GTO [Game Theory Optimal]

GTO is a strategy based on the principles of optimal game theory. Simply put, GTO refers to a style of play that makes a player minimally vulnerable to exploitation by opponents, i.e., it is a strategy that prevents your opponent from exploiting you.

But there is a caveat: there is no specific definition of what the exact strategy should be, it cannot be “mastered,” but it will destroy anyone who neglects it. GTO poker does not adapt to the play of opponents. As a result, the following applies: you need to develop a strategy that will prevent your opponent from exploiting you and help you win.

Understanding the basics of GTO will allow you to find effective and logically sound lines of play that will help you deal with your opponents and protect you from situations where other players can exploit your game. This will help you win in the long run and conquer new limits.

In this article, we will look at three simple techniques for playing GTO strategy, the pros and cons of this method, as well as the problems associated with playing in this style. It is important to understand that the principles of optimal play and the exploitative approach of GTO poker are important for any discipline, so by studying this topic, you will also improve your tournament poker strategy.

Here is a simple example of GTO in poker

GTO poker is a scenario where both players play perfectly (well, let’s say almost perfectly =), because only a machine can play perfectly. But no one will be able to improve their strategy in the future.

It is clear that your opponents are unlikely to adhere to a completely optimal strategy, but if you are not careful, they will still be able to choose a strategy that is better than yours! You must choose a strategy that will prevent your opponent from exploiting you.

Let’s assume that you are playing against a good opponent and consider an example of a hand.

You raise preflop and only the player on the button calls. Now let’s consider two possible options:

Strategy option 1 — you only bet when you have top pair or better.
Strategy option 2 — you only bet when you don’t hit the board.

If you always use strategy “A,” what will your opponent do? If you only bet when you have good cards, then most of the time he will fold to your bet and wait for really good hands.

If you always use strategy “B,” what will your opponent do? He will bluff every time you bet!

The best approach is to choose a happy medium.

Three simple GTO strategies

GTO poker encourages you to use the perfect combination of strong hands and bluffs. But managing this on the flop can be challenging, so here are some practical tips to help you move towards GTO poker:

Bluff a lot on the flop.
Small bets with strong ranges.
BIG bets and raises to win.
Bluff a lot on the flop
Many players don’t bluff enough on the flop against other good players. Let’s say you use bet sizes of around 60-75% of the pot. You should bet about 60/40 with a bluff to get value on the flop.

So to achieve this goal, you need to wait for a “medium strength” hand. These are hands such as second pair or top pair with a weak kicker. Obviously, you won’t fold, but you’ll wait or raise out of position, or check in response when you have position. In any case, it’s difficult to get value on 3 streets with these hands.

If you want to hone your skills, then you need to develop range thinking. Practice and write down all the ranges on the flop. Count the number of bluffs (this includes semi-bluffs). Count the made hands you bet with. Then calculate the ratio.

Small bets with strong ranges

Let’s say you calculate your range using the technique described above and find that you have many more value hands than bluffs. This can happen if your preflop range is very strong, as in 3-bet pots.

So, to move towards GTO, simply make smaller bets.

You can get close to 50% of the pot, and in extreme cases, it makes sense to bet around 30-40% of the pot.

This usually happens on the river. Let’s say you call your opponent’s bets on the flop and turn, and he checks on the river. Now that you’re betting, it’s hard to bluff. It probably makes sense to bet with almost every hand in your range and use a very small sizing: perhaps 30-40% of the pot.

Let’s imagine that you are playing Texas Hold’em.
There are 100 chips in the pot on the river, and your opponent bets 50.
For your strategy to be GTO, you should call about 33% of the time and fold 67% of the time.
Why is that?
Because if you call more often, your opponent will be able to bluff less often and make money.
If you call less often, they will be able to bluff more often and make a profit.
GTO balances these situations, making you unexploitable.
Obviously, your opponents are unlikely to stick to a completely optimal strategy, but if you’re not careful, they may still be able to choose a strategy that is better than yours! You should choose a strategy that will prevent your opponent from exploiting you.

Big bets and raises for the sake of winning

In poker mathematics, poker researchers decided to apply the best strategy for three post-flop streets when you have the nuts. What was the strategy? Put all your money in before the river, making 3 bets of equal size relative to the pot.

For example, if you have the nuts and you bet the pot, the pot, the pot, and go all-in on the river, that’s how it should be! If you are in a pot with one raise, then overbets are usually made on each street in order to put all your money in.

At the moment, overbetting is not a typical solution and can lead to unpredictable actions from your opponent, so be careful when using this strategy in practice. Just understand that the theoretical method does offer this option.

There is another surprising thing about big bets. The bigger your bet, the more bluffs you can (and should) have in your range. The article mentioned using a 60/40 bluff to get value when playing technique #1. If you bet the size of the pot or overbet on the flop, then you can bet more than 75/25! Note that these are the hands you would have folded, and now they are making you money.

And the last thing you need to remember when you get to the river is that if your range should have a percentage of bluffs, most of your range should have value. With a bet the size of the pot on the river, for example, 2/3 of your bets should be for value, and only 1/3 should be bluffs.

Advantages and limitations of using GTO in the game
The GTO strategy in poker and the use of GTO in play against opponents has a number of practical advantages.

GTO-based play is difficult to exploit.

GTO play allows you to show consistent results regardless of your opponent’s style.
However, this strategy has a drawback: the play will not always be the most profitable, since GTO does not take into account

Active play with large bets to achieve a win.

In poker mathematics, poker researchers decided to apply the best strategy on three post-flop streets when you have nuts. The strategy was to invest all your capital before the river, making three equal bets relative to the pot.

For example, if you have the nuts and you bet the pot, the pot, the pot, and go all-in on the river, that’s how it should be! If you are in the pot with one raise, then overbets are usually made on each street in order to invest all the money.

There is another surprising thing about big bets. The bigger your bet, the more bluffs you can (and should) have in your range. The article mentioned using a 60/40 bluff to get value when playing technique #1. If you bet the size of the pot or overbet on the flop, then you can bet more than 75/25! Note that these are hands you would have folded, but now they are making you money.

Advantages and limitations of using GTO in the game

The GTO strategy in poker and the use of GTO in the game against opponents has a number of practical advantages.

GTO-based play is difficult to exploit.
GTO play allows you to show consistent results regardless of your opponent’s style.
However, this strategy has a drawback: the play will not always be the most profitable, as GTO does not take into account your opponents’ tendencies.

Problems with GTO strategy

No-limit hold’em is still an unsolved puzzle for poker players, so there is no correct and accurate strategy. No matter how well-balanced you think a strategy may be, there will always be weaknesses that can be exploited.

Even if the GTO strategy in poker were known, it would be virtually impossible to use it without a computer and high-quality software. But no-limit hold’em is too complex a game for that. At the moment, the best you can do is simulate GTO play and try to make it non-exploitable based on known theoretical concepts.

Let’s sum up

Nowadays, the GTO strategy in poker is very popular, but many people do not fully understand its essence, as well as how and why it should be studied. But you need to learn the basics of the GTO strategy! Knowledge of game theory concepts will enable you to find the right strategy that allows you to exploit your opponents, play optimally, and become winners.

Is it permissible to play GTO online?
Yes, the use of GTO strategy elements is completely legal and does not violate the terms of use of poker sites.

GTO and exploit