So, I've recently moved to 100nl on Global recently. It has a 3.5bb cap, but the rakeback is 30%, which, having done the math, is certainly much better than the 2.5bb cap on Stars (Not sure if there is rakeback on there), but, this leads me to believe that Global has a softer rake structure at 100nl, than at other sites in general.

Have recently purchased a subscription on GTOw, as there are tons of spots that I'm either 1)Not sure about, or 2)Am playing suboptimally. I have GTO+ as well, but it has been quite daunting for me to use. My question is:

So I'm, trying to submit to a study routine. I want to use either program, but lets talk about GTOw first.

Given the rake structure, can I use the 500nl option ? I am planning on possibly transitioning to live, since apparently, 2/5, and/or 5/10 games seem to possibly be more lucrative than 2-tabling 100NL? But this poses doubts, as if I were to (use the 500nl option on GTOw), then I'm not sure how
the given solutions would account for rake structure in live games ? Basically, I want to keep my learning quite efficient.

So, I decided to use the 500nl charts on GTOwizard. Am quite convinced that it will be a decent option. Is this a wise choice ?

Also, have another inquiry:




So Gtow is recommending that I bet small, 10% of the time, but then doing so against btn would only net 5.48 chips on average. How come its recommending that action a particular % of the time, when simply checking would net 5.5 chips on average ?

Don't worry too much about rake structure. It kind of matters, but in practice everyone is playing different strategies anyway and even gtoish online players will be using a variety of charts/ranges, so it's more important to be solid than perfect. With that said, learning some of the key strategy changes between low and high rake environments is a good idea.

Regarding your second question, when there are super fractional differences you often see this sort of thing. Sims are solved to some nash distance. The difference between 5.48 chips and 5.5 chips is 0.2% of the pot. What this most likely means is if the sim was solved more accurately, both options would converge to the same ev. It's not worth thinking about.

If you see mixing happening with large ev differences, it likely means you're in a 0% node (node that should never happen) and either you or your opponent made a blunder somewhere in the hand.

The answer above answers all of your questions really well and I would like to add some miscellaneous information.

When you are looking at the rake structure it will mainly affect the preflop ranges. Higher rake = tighter preflop ranges and more 3betting. Lower rake = looser preflop ranges and more calling. So you can stick with the 500NL rake, but if you are playing 100NL the more accurate option will be the 50NL rake. It will mainly affect the preflop chart.

When it comes to the sim itself, I have one word of advice for you if you are starting with solvers - specific decision with a specific hand in a specific spot is much less important than having a good grasp on the overall strategy and dynamic in that spot. So in other words, instead of looking at specific hands and specific percentages of a decision for each combo, I would have a look at the overall range split (how much do we raise, how much do we call, etc.) and also check similar board textures. This will teach you the spot dynamic much better for future similar scenarios.