Strategy Guide
How to Use Poker Solvers — A Guide for Serious Players
PioSOLVER, GTO Wizard, MonkerSolver — what they're for, what they're not, and how to study with them
What a solver actually is
A poker solver is a piece of software that approximates the Nash equilibrium for a specific spot — a defined preflop range against another defined range, on a defined board, with defined stack depths. It outputs frequencies and sizes that, if both players executed them perfectly, neither could exploit the other.
That last sentence matters. Solvers do not tell you 'the right play.' They tell you a baseline. The job of a player — and a good coach — is to translate that baseline into actual decisions against actual opponents who will not be playing equilibrium.
PioSOLVER vs GTO Wizard vs MonkerSolver
PioSOLVER is the original heads-up postflop workhorse. It's powerful, fast, and the standard for deep custom work. The cost is the learning curve and time per simulation.
GTO Wizard is the modern cloud-based front end. Pre-solved spots, fast lookups, training drills. Best for breadth — getting a feel for many spots quickly without setting up sims yourself.
MonkerSolver handles multiway and ICM situations PioSOLVER can't. It's the right tool for tournament late-game work, ICM-aware ranges, and 3-handed dynamics.
How Thomas teaches solver use
The mistake most players make is memorizing solver outputs instead of internalizing the why. Memorized lines crumble against players who deviate from equilibrium — which is everyone you'll ever play.
In Group Coaching, the workflow is: identify the spot, study what the solver does, ask why it does that, then build the exploit branches for opponents who deviate. The solver is a tool for understanding pressure, equity, and range structure — not a script to follow.
A simple study workflow
Pick one spot per week — for example, BB defense vs CO open at 30bb. Spend an hour with the solver. Write down the three things that surprised you. Drill the spot live for a session. Review.
Compounded over a year, that's 50 spots deeply understood. Most players have studied 500 spots shallowly. Thomas's students do it the first way.