How to Use GTO+ Part 1: Navigating the Interface & Setting Up Game Trees

[@modeob88]

Amazing im starting working with GTO+ First time i see someone starting with the very beginning. Thanks a lot !!

[@isaacpalmer6249]

Soooo helpful! Thanks so much for making these. Really surprised these videos aren't linked by GTO+ , they are much more appropriate to new users than the current ones they have linked.

[@chicagorealtynow]

This is an extremely well thought out video. The detail and setup explanations are easily the best I've seen.

[@SolverSchool]

Thanks for the kind words

[@edwinburnett2496]

Best video for quality information involving poker on the internet...and it is free!

[@160calories]

Truly incredible video. Not only very insightful but it seems you did the entire thing in 1 take..

[@Radford999]

What a great video. Just recently purchased GTO+ and this is exactly the video i needed. Thanks.

[@SolverSchool]

Thanks very much!

[@redbaronlast]

Thanks for making this series! I'm looking forward to watching them all! Keep the GTO+ stuff coming :D

[@markwhite2563]

Awesome video. I have been playing with GTO+ since Solve for Why's April Home School. I've gotten pretty comfortable and confident with using it but you taught me a couple of new things I didn't know that will help me in building my scenarios and trees moving forward. I look forward to the other videos

[@SolverSchool]

Thanks Mark. Glad you were able to pick up new things. Next one is coming out soon!

[@prestidig]

I need some help building trees in GTO+ and that was exactly the video I needed. I'm looking forward to watching the rest of your series. Thank you

[@bmorleyca]

Really great video Michael. Having used GTO+ for a while, there were a couple of options that I was unfamiliar with and are now clear. Thanks!

[@SolverSchool]

Thanks Bob!

[@Alex-Bunin]

Great video! Just what I needed. More GTO+ plz :)

[@stephenburke6168]

Nice tutorial mate! Definitely the clearest and comprehensive one out there.

[@kpan93]

Excellent content. Can't believe this is for free. Thanks

[@Drawn_Cup]

Thank you SO MUCH, exactly what I am looking for to learn the ins and outs. Very much appreciated & God bless!!

[@johnbalboni9010]

Just ordered GTO+ and I am starting to dive into solver work. This also coincides with listening to you on a few podcasts. Thank you for doing this. Can you let me know how many videos are part of this GTO+ series. Thanks again.

[@SolverSchool]

4 videos. This is a good high level overview to get started. If you really want to deep dive, you can head to www.solver.school. I am launching a 9-module masterclass on solvers this month.

[@AceInRed]

AceInRed: This is great stuff! Very well done!

[@gheudro3000]

Supreme stuff, increbile value, that's just great man! Amazing job!

[@dannyshen424]

i found this series vedio very helpful and incentivate me to start use GTO+ as my tool to study poker. for the preflop range txt file where can i get one , preferabbly for 6max cash table ?

[@SolverSchool]

Thanks for the kind words. I sell a set of 100 BB and 200 BB preflop ranges along with some preflop tree configurations within my Solver School Starter Pack product. It's also included with a Masterclass package. I'm sure with enough online detective work, you could probably also find some other ranges around that could serve a variety of study purposes.

[@mightypensword]

I have a question: How do you indicate that you are the preflop raiser for OOP? Does it have to do with the donk option? the capped range? does it even matter? great vid!

[@SolverSchool]

Great question. It actually doesn't matter! The solver is indifferent to who had the initiative from the prior street. You can force a check if you like for OOP by putting 0 in the bet sizes box. And on future streets, you can force a check after the prior street went x/b/c by clicking the "don't donk" button. But otherwise, the solver will account for the positional disadvantage in its calculations.

[@mightypensword]

@@SolverSchool Awesome, thank you!

[@roundingagain5771]

Thank you for making this, Michael 👍🏻

[@DecemberJonathan]

Outstanding! Thank you so much for taking the time to make this content.

[@danielchan9401]

Awesome video! You went over how to create ranges and such, but how do I categorize them? When I create ranges, I am unable to create categories to put the ranges into.

[@SolverSchool]

Thanks! To categorize, there's a button called Add Category. It's a way to create folders. When you want to save a range to that folder, make sure the category is highlighted when you have a range that's created and click "Add Range"

[@DiamondForevah]

Great video! But everytime I run a sim do I have to write the customized bet sizes or can I save them? Because with the trial it doesn’t save mine

[@SolverSchool]

Thanks! You can save your tree configuration. I'm not sure if you're able to using the trial or not, but in the full version, you have the option to save the configuration and load it later.

[@TheEnfernuz]

Thank you for this wonderful explanation!

[@alexpsish]

very nice video thanks man!Also what a monster pc !!!!

[@merkourioskatsimpris1563]

thanks a lot man. this saved me a crazy amount of time! well done

[@ErikAkerman]

Just a great video.. Thank you for taking your time making this.

[@bloodyelbowest]

Good job, very infomative and pedagogical! Thank you!

[@vladbcom]

21:00 why not just do it in BBs, what difference would it ever make? I don't understand...

[@SolverSchool]

I agree -- I always use BB myself. But some people prefer to do it in the chip denominations like dollars or tournament chips.

[@maciejg7060]

great video and explanation, thx mate !

[@lostmagicdude888]

on 21:00 does anyone know if cap should be at 2 or 3 for heads up? I assume 2 but idk if it means what I think it means and I see most people have theirs on 3

[@SolverSchool]

This refers to the maximum amount of rake that will get taken out of the hand. This is only relevant when you account for rake in your calculations. When your rake is set to 0%, it won't matter what you put in there.

[@lostmagicdude888]

@@SolverSchool ahh okay thank you sir! so if I have my solve for 100bb single raise like stacks 97.5 and the pot 5 then if I wanted it like pokerstars which has 5% rake up to 1 dollar I would put the fap at 2 since I am playing 0.25/0.5 so two big blinds are 1 dollar

[@xxChacaronXX]

how can you have 4 or 5 bets starting from the flop? 23:30 ... bet 1 = flop, bet 2 = Turn, bet 3 = River?... thanks!

[@SolverSchool]

There can be multiple bets per street. A bet and a raise on the flop is 2 bets.

[@xxChacaronXX]

@@SolverSchool oh oh I see, thanks!

[@keithjackson5531]

This is excellent, thanks. If only I had a good enough pc do do some solves, to date I had the trial version with just one flop, and just get insufficient memory, ah well we live in hope.

[@roundingagain5771]

Michael, when creating ranges - I’m attempting to enter Upswing’s for instance, can you/how do you mark/enter a hand that has a multiple options. For instance the orange shaded hands in Upswing’s chart - you can call or raise... the light blue can be call/raise/or fold... the pink is 3Bet or fold... etc.? I’m not sure using the weight function is applicable? For instance, BB vs BTN open I can raise or call with KQs... if I were to weight it, I’m under the impression I’m actually reducing how often I’d play that hand as opposed to weighting my action where I’d continue with it in some fashion (call/raise) 100%. My goal is to also be able to use the range drill feature - so I’m hoping I can assign multiple actions to one hand as is shown in the Upswing charts. Can this be done? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[@roundingagain5771]

I think I found the answer - www.gtoplus.com/groups-in-predefs/

[@SolverSchool]

Yep that's the answer! Sorry for the delayed response.

[@Willow-uk-1]

Hi very nice video mate, just a quick question. I have just downloaded a free trial off gto+ and I only see tabs for cash and sng. Dose the paid version have mtt

[@SolverSchool]

The solver is not specific to MTT or SNG or cash. The SNG option is kind of poorly worded, but it's there to help account for ICM as an additional data point. Most solvers can't perform ICM calculations reliably for a field size greater than 18-27 people, so it's not really going to be that helpful for ICM scenarios. That said, you can setup any solve for an MTT the same way you would for a cash hand and analyze it without ICM easily.

[@Willow-uk-1]

Thank you for getting back to me so fast. Could you do a 5min review using gto+ like you would when reviewing a mtt hand (if u could do 6hr one that would be better) 🤣 but I'll settle for a quick one. Thanks again and there's video are excellent mate and I have just finished there's 5 now about to start the next 4. Keep up the good work my man.

[@Konnecta-kb9gg]

Thanks for these... much appreciated

[@keithrawson9739]

Great video. I grabbed GTO+ after I watched your video series. How do I load ranges into the software? You mentioned this in one of the videos.

[@SolverSchool]

You need them already in Flopzilla, GTO+, or PioSolver. If you have ranges in these formats already, you can use the importer in the Settings drop down menu at the top of the screen. If you don’t, you will have to create your ranges and save them manually within the software.

[@alejomunoz12]

Thanks very much !! Very well explained!!

[@isaacpalmer6249]

does anyone know where I can find standard, fairly solid game tree inputs for 3-bet pots 100BB? I'm starting to do my own solver work but worried the results will be pointless if I'm incorrectly setting up the betting options. Can't find anything clear online. Just want something that will give me reliable overall patterns to study, doesn't have to be loads of bet sizings each street etc.

[@SolverSchool]

I sell a starter pack on my website with ranges and tree configurations: solver.school/ On there it contains 100 BB and 200 BB ranges based on equilibrium preflop solves. It also contains 12 different single-raised pot and 3-bet pot tree configurations.

[@isaacpalmer6249]

@@SolverSchool that looks absolutely great at $99. I'll be picking that up later! Thanks for the reply

[@isaacpalmer6249]

@@SolverSchool Have purchased and already set-up studying in GTO+. Wish I'd known about this earlier!

[@SolverSchool]

@@isaacpalmer6249 Great to hear! Let me know if you have any questions. You can email them to me directly at [e-mail]

[@nunu7797]

Hi, thanks a lot for the video. Could you please tell me how you got all of those range packs (upswing, splitsuit,snowie etc.) in gto+ ? Did you just manually add them in one by one or is there a way to import ranges into gto+?

[@SolverSchool]

I manually added some ranges. I also have made some friends over the years that have shared ranges with me that I’ve imported into GTO+. You can also import Pio ranges directly into GTO+ so you don’t need to add them again.

[@nunu7797]

@@SolverSchool Thank you for your answer. How do you import the Pio ranges directly into GTO+ ?

[@SolverSchool]

@@nunu7797 There's an option in the range import menu (in the top drop down) to choose the format of input files. One of the options is for Pio ranges. I believe there's documentation about the specifics on the GTO+ website.

[@David-bm2tj]

Does anybody know how to put 2e sizing into GTO+? Thanks for response.

[@SolverSchool]

Hi David - go to www.gtoplus.com/treebuilder for all the syntax. You can use gX for geometric sizing. In your case, you'd type g2.

[@javi5862]

Hi! Thank you for the whole series, it is very helpful. I have bought GTO+ and I cannot prevent the tree from donk bet (unless I edit the tree manually and eliminate the bet option, which affects the result): actually, I replicated your input for the tree building in this video and, when I hit be "BUILD TREE" button, at the top I still see the option for the solver to bet the flop. For instance, I'm trying to study 3Bet Pots IP and,despite selecting the "don't donk"· option, the OOP does not check his whole range and it has consequences when I run the solver (different frequencies, etc. compared to forcing check from tree editing). Furthermore, it even excludes some combos from the range in the solution (for instance, a set which is bet in flop, when OOP check-raises it, there is a lack of the full combo). It would be great if you or someone else could help me in this regard. Thanks in advance,

[@SolverSchool]

You have to go into the tree and edit it. Keep watching the series and I'll likely get to it! :)

[@dosa5819]

I am in the same situation. Please help us out.

[@jasonduran7788]

Great content. Where can I get some of these pre flop ranges?

[@SolverSchool]

You can find preflop ranges in a lot of places. I've acquired mine through a lot of different sources over the years, or just made my own. But you can start with a place like Upswing or PokerCoaching - they have good base ranges to use for various types of games.

[@JohnnyVHS]

I keep getting different result whenerver i make tiny changes on the trees, how can I know if I'm getting a good strategy and not just some random results?

[@SolverSchool]

It's tough to say definitively without seeing your tree input, but in general, this is normal. Small changes can lead to really big output changes sometimes. There's also a margin of error associated with your solve that you set at the beginning (usually ~0.5%-1%). This means that the solver output will stop whenever neither player can be exploited for that amount of the pot. There are A LOT of possible outputs that will fulfill those conditions. GTO+ has a good algorithm -- so you don't have to worry about getting random results. But the results might differ a bit depending on the settings.

[@willypaul3514]

Fantastic video, thanks!

[@stevemacaok3]

When putting in the effective stacks which stack do you put in..for instance if i have 150 and my opponent has 95 what do i put in for effective stack?

[@SolverSchool]

You’ll use the 95 since that’s the total that can be at risk.

[@stevemacaok3]

@@SolverSchool thanks....are there only certain poker rooms this works with?

[@SolverSchool]

@@stevemacaok3 the solver is not tied to any rooms. You can put details from any hand - live or online - in here.

[@johndeyeso4411]

Just found this video. Great work, One question, what is a reasonable RAM to execute GTO+. I have an older 8GB Laptop, that's not going to cut it. Thinking I need to go to 32 or 64GB RAM. Thoughts?

[@SolverSchool]

32GB should be plenty. 16GB is honestly fine in a lot of cases. RAM is really only needed to increase the complexity of the trees.

[@enricobernucci3527]

I'm trying the trial version and i have a problem: i gave IP 4 possible cbet sizes on T96ss flop and he uses only one. Tried with less bet sizes, more accuracy ecc... and i have always the same result = he uses only 1 size. I know for a fact that if you give a solver multiple options he tries to balance all the combos in his range between all sizes... am i doing something wrong or is a limitation for the trial version? Maybe is because flop solutions are influenced by the future branches you'll give him on turn and river (i didn't customize turn and river)? I was testing the sotware choosing to buy it or not.

[@SolverSchool]

Yeah that's a limitation of the trial version. You can only use the one preconfigured tree. When you buy the software, you can build any tree for any amount of bet sizes that your PC can handle.

[@enricobernucci3527]

​@@SolverSchool Ty for the info!!! Last question: i downloaded trial version to test my hardware. So, even if i can't see the real output of the solve (as far as i understand on your response), are the estimated RAM needed for solving my example trees and the time needed to run solver accurate enough?

[@SolverSchool]

@@enricobernucci3527 I'm not sure to be honest since I don't have the trial version. That's a good question to email the GTO support though!

[@johnnycal164]

Hey guys I have crap laptop 8gb ram can that run gto+ only using 3 gb for threads in case of crashes

[@Creamy6oodness]

I have a really stupid question; How do I create expandable folders in the ranges tab? I want to have multiple folders that will contain sub folders for various ranges. My range tab is getting very cluttered and difficult to navigate

[@SolverSchool]

Definitely not a stupid question as it can be confusing. There's a button labeled "Add Category". Click on that and name it something. Then you can drag/drop your ranges into that folder. You can also nest folders within there. Sometimes the UI can be a bit finicky when you're trying to move folders around, but that's the general idea.

[@Creamy6oodness]

@@SolverSchool hi thanks, for the reply. I received your email also. Finding a way to "nest" the folders was the problem I was having, but I've figured it out now. Great software btw, especially for a beginner like me 👍

[@kylehachnikov3538]

bravo mate ! very clear !

[@SolverSchool]

Thanks a lot!

[@gillesc9194]

thanks for this intro, nice job. I've a question , maybe the answer is in subsequent videos. Corcerning the storage of trees. is it possible to save a tree, which has some changes in the edit tree menu. It's seems that the profile menu only save the matrix of "advanced build decision tree" template

[@SolverSchool]

Yeah that's correct. Unfortunately, you can't save the editing of trees as a template. You can only save the base configuration (bet sizes, etc.).

[@pokerandphilosophy8328]

@@SolverSchool One possible workaround for that, I guess, just is to save your complete solve as a gto file, in the normal way, and when you need this exact tree configuration again, open the gto file and edit the board and ranges. (Bummer! I just tried that and when I rerun the solver GTO+ asks me if I want to rebuild the tree or use the current tree. If I choose the former, the customized tree nodes are lost and, if I choose the latter, the modified ranges and board are disregarded!)

[@pokerandphilosophy8328]

OK, there exists a workaround, after all. I asked the developer, "scylla", in the 2+2 forum GTO+ support thread. Here is the simple procedure he provided: If you ever want to use this tree again for a different flop/ranges/other: 1) Load the savefile 2) Make any changes as you see fit 3) Go to "Build tree" 4) Select the tab "Rebuild" 5) Click on "Rebuild with current settings" I tested it and it works fine.

[@SolverSchool]

@@pokerandphilosophy8328 Thanks for sharing!

[@zavy0901]

what is that prizes field for in the game tree section for Sitngoes or MTTs? And can u use BB? thx

[@SolverSchool]

The prize tab can be used on the Sit and Go tab to simulate ICM. The general concept is that, unlike cash games, each individual chip is not worth the same amount in terms of dollars since winning all the chips (getting first in the tourney) does not give you all the money in the prize pool. GTO+ isn't the best tool out there to incorporate ICM, but you can do so for some simpler calcs.

[@grahamzug7344]

Wonderful, thank you so much

[@reidb9422]

how do i save the ranges in the secondary window. i created some and when i open it up theyre gone

[@SolverSchool]

I'm not sure I understand specifically what secondary window you're referring to.

[@reidb9422]

@@SolverSchool at 9:29 you refer to it as the secondary window. I created a bunch of preset ranges but when i open gto+ back up they are gone. Will it only save them if they are imported or am I missing something?

[@SolverSchool]

@@reidb9422 Ahhh, thanks for the clarification. I have had some instances where I saved things there and it didn't save when I opened up a new config. I'm not sure why it doesn't save sometimes. Did you save your game tree? I think you actually have to save the game tree you're working on first for it to stick.

[@reidb9422]

@@SolverSchool nevermind was just some confusion. I did save the game tree but when I went to open up gto+ again it wasnt shown the first time. next time I opened it up it was there though. Thanks

[@basketballmaven1454]

what is cap at 22:20

[@SolverSchool]

If you want to include rake in the calculations, you can set a rake %. At most places, that amount gets capped at a certain threshold.

[@sincityinfinity6255]

How do I use GTO+ to find leaks and plug the leaks?

[@SolverSchool]

That's a pretty loaded question and tough to answer in a YT comment. It's not going to help you find leaks by itself. GTO+ is essentially a calculator that will help you find the equilibrium solution based on the input parameters you provide it. Watch the rest of the How-to series and you'll get a better sense of how to use it to improve your own game.

[@keesdejong5712]

how can i import sulotions? where do i sftore the files?

[@SolverSchool]

Usually you store files in the same drive as the directory for any imports. But you can email support -- they are usually pretty fast at answering specific questions.

[@monkee9385]

Dude thank you so much!

[@SolverSchool]

You’re very welcome

[@marcofio69]

continue my studies.. after the video on flopzilla more clear video... thanks grazie :-) ciao

[@schmonk]

Thank you so much, this is great

[@wurmtron]

Just amazing.

[@nicholaswoodward4265]

Where can I download various types of ranges?

[@SolverSchool]

You can find plenty of preflop ranges online at various sites (Poker Coaching, Upswing, etc.)

[@thomasmatthews80]

Amazing

[@hanzohanzo1639]

I Want to buy a solver. Should I go with GTO+ or pio solver?

[@SolverSchool]

Depends on your needs. If you’re new to solvers, I’d recommend GTO+. It doesn’t have the scripting or some advanced functionality that Pio does, but the UI is great and it’s far more affordable.

[@xxChacaronXX]

I really wished solves had a feature where you can simplify the strategy by having them bet 100% of combos or checking 100%... I know this would be kind of easy to know someone strategy but it would be a solid start.... What I'm going to do is see how many combos are bet and build my own 100% range from there.

[@SolverSchool]

They do have that capability through node locking. Check out my Part 3 on this series and I demo that functionality.

[@xxChacaronXX]

@@SolverSchool Thanks, will do!

[@TheJayFeeney]

THanks man!

[@kertanas]

Its a very nice video but i dont understand how we put in 3bet pots

[@SolverSchool]

A 3-bet pot is only a function of the range and stack size. There is no delineation between limped, single-raised, 3-bet, 4-bet, etc. pots in the software.

[@kertanas]

@@SolverSchool When I fill up the ranges for example btn open and sb 3bets..In sb range I put only the 3bet range and in the btn range I put the 3bet calling range ? And then how I proceed with the betting on the tree? I put in the gap oop lead the sizings I assume he bets in a 3bet pot ?

[@SolverSchool]

@@kertanas Yes, you just put in the ranges that get to the flop (e.g. SB 3b range for OOP and BTN call range vs 3b in IP). So your BTN range should theoretically have less top-end hands since many of them would 4-bet. Your starting pot size would reflect the starting pot of a 3b pot so the SPR would be lower. Then you put whatever bet sizings you think makes sense for a 3b pot in the scenario you want to model.

[@MK-uz1yf]

Time stamps would be GTO, but great video!

[@mattbrick1246]

i can't import preflop ranges for some reason

[@SolverSchool]

I'd recommend reaching out to the GTO+ support. They can help you.

[@louiswalsh70]

How to import ranges brudda?

[@louiswalsh70]

Just found out I have to manually import them, this is going to be annoying

[@SolverSchool]

Yeah unless you already have them in the GTO+ or Pio formatting, you have to do it manually.

[@Senorzilchnzero]

How does one get 128GB of memory?

[@SolverSchool]

There are plenty of 128 GB RAM kits on Amazon or Newegg

[@changshaaawang1707]

how come theres no optimal play for turm and rover? i tought gto and its useless

[@SolverSchool]

You have to click forward to turns and rivers. I think you are misunderstanding what "GTO" is. GTO, or Game Theory Optimal play, is an idea that's unattainable in practice. It's also not going to maximize EV, as you'll leave some exploits against your opponents on the table. But game theory concepts underlie all of this game of poker, and dismissing them as useless will be a major detriment to your development as a poker player.

[@stu_gahtz1740]

Youre part of the solve for why team tight?

[@SolverSchool]

Hi Stu - I’ve done work with Berkey and team in the past, and I’m a subscriber of their awesome content. But I’m not a member of the S4Y team on their payroll.

[@stu_gahtz1740]

@@SolverSchool do you offer coaching?

[@SolverSchool]

I do coach - mostly focused on solver-related work. Email me at [e-mail] if you want to discuss details.

[@bebla8381]

THANK U SIR

[@chemonro]

is 8gb of ram enough ?

[@SolverSchool]

It’ll work for a small-medium sized tree but you’ll struggle when you start adding multiple bet sizes, particularly on flops. I’d recommend 16 GB min.

[@chemonro]

@@SolverSchool oh dam. i just bought a new laptop with only 8gb ram :/

[@SolverSchool]

You’ll be fine with basic trees. It just might be a bit tough to run complex ones.

[@chemonro]

@@SolverSchool thanks for the replys mate

[@matthodges5960]

so slow and boring

[@matthodges5960]

i put it on 1.25x speed and still slow af

[@SolverSchool]

@@matthodges5960 Thanks for sharing

[@Radford999]

Quick question. I'm a tournament player. For the starting stack would it be in big blinds and not in tournament chips?

[@SolverSchool]

You could use either, as long as you're consistent in units throughout your entire solution when you enter stack sizes and pot sizes.