Quote:
Originally Posted by aner0
GTO is the strategy that results from 2 perfect players exploiting each other while mitigating how much they get exploited as much as possible.
The most functional way in which people use the word GTO is in opposition to the word Exploitative, in this dichotomy:
GTO: Every aspect of a strategy that uses its range composition to deceive Villain from knowing the hand we're holding.
Things like using the same sizing with certain parts of your betting range on a given spot, being careful to neither bluff too much nor too little, being careful to not station nor overfold... are all ideas that could be seen as "GTO oriented".
Exploit: Every aspect of a strategy that uses Villains range composition, Villains strategy at a given point in time, and the hand we're holding at that time, to calculate the maximum Expected Value line.
Ex: Villain has a lot of top pair here. He likes calling with top pair a lot. I have a set -> Betting is higher EV than checking.
After giving some thought to your answers to my questions, I think I have a better understanding of what GTO is. Please read and tell me what your opinion:
The Nash equilibrium is an older concept involving two astute players trying to outwit each other until they reach an equilibrium, an impossible task considering the complexity of the game and the limited human lifespan. But in recent years, with the advancement of computing power, it became possible to run a simulation that could eventually archive all the possible poker moves and make them available for analysis, leading to a whole new strategy that is unbeatable on long term, and rivaled only by itself. That is GTO, “The Wholly Grail”.
Even though the GTO library is not finalized yet, there is plenty of data already available, included in the so called solvers, so a player could input a particular situation from the table into a solver and see what the optimal next move would be according to GTO, and learn from that. Also, from the data analysis resulted conclusions and patterns, available for study in books and articles.
And, solely for the purpose of categorization, the kind of poker moves/actions designed to exploit your opponent are called “exploitative”, and the actions designed to protect yourself from being exploited are called “GTO”, which IMHO is such an unfortunate choice and was the root of my whole confusion. Since the exploitative moves are just as much part of the GTO library as the protective ones, why call the protective moves “GTO” instead of “protective”, and avoid all the confusion?
One last thing: When Daniel Kates said in an interview “I'm playing closer to GTO now than a few years ago”, he most likely meant he is now playing in a way that is harder to be exploited by his opponents, not that he is actually playing in a way that resembles a computer using GTO software, correct?