Equity calculators (equilators)
Equilators quickly and accurately calculate a hand’s equity (value) in a particular situation. It will also help you get a feel for specific situations and help you improve the decision-making process.
The most popular equilators:
Equilab (free google app)
Flopzilla ($25)
PokerRanger ($79)
Also, if you wish, you can easily find equalizers for smartphones.
Equilator is relatively simple software, but it is fundamentally essential in poker. With an equalizer, you can calculate the equity of one hand (or range of hands) against another hand (or range of hands). This can be done both preflop and on some given board.
For example, let’s say you have a hand on the flop and your opponent bets all-in for $100 into a $100 pot. Based on pot odds, you need 33.3% equity to call.
Once you have an eye on your opponent’s range, you can open the equilator and see if your hand has enough equity to make a good call. We’ll use Equilab in this example.
For instance, let’s say you think Villain would shove here with sets, OESD and strong top pairs (QJ +). Here is what this range would look like in Equilab
Additional Equilator Functions
Some equilators have additional and beneficial features.
For example, Flopzilla automatically calculates and shows how a specific range hits a particular flop. You can see how often you flop the top pair, middle pair, straight, etc.
In short, equalizers are a basic but very useful tools, especially for beginners. They will help you develop intuition about how your hands/ranges stack up against your opponent’s hands/ranges in a given situation.
Tracking software (Database + HUD)
The most popular poker trackers on the market:
The tracking software database is one of the most powerful tools available to a poker player. They have three main functions:
• Tracking and saving played hands
• Calculation of statistics
• HUD on opponents
A database with a vast set of filters opens up great opportunities for you to study and analyze the game, which is extremely important for any online player.With the help of the database, you can not only find your weaknesses and eliminate them, but you can also analyze the game of other successful players to copy them later.
GTO solvers
The most popular poker solvers are as follows:
The prices for each solver vary greatly, so research all the options before buying one.
GTO solvers are the best way to learn optimal poker game theory.
The first available on the market and still the most well known GTO solver is PioSolver, released in 2015. The advent of solvers has radically changed the whole approach to understanding poker strategy.
Solvers offer the user solutions based on the Nash equilibrium, given specific input parameters that the user initially enters. Among which include:
• Preflop ranges
• Bank size
• Effective stacks
• The betsize on the flop, turn and river
• Raise sizes on the flop, turn and river
The solver runs a vast number of simulations to search for the optimal solution. It uses the different strategies of one player against another (assuming that both players know each other’s strategy).
Note: You must understand that the theoretically optimal strategy is not the most profitable in practice against any player. If you know any specific weaknesses in your opponent’s game, you can deviate from the GTO and increase your EV.
An important and helpful thing in solvers is the “Nodelock” function. It allows you to fix certain lines and actions in the game tree, after which the solver recalculates the optimal strategy, taking into account these “freezes”. In other words, Nodelock lets you know how to adapt to certain weaknesses of real players.
Final thoughts on Intelligent poker software
If you want to play online poker and stay competitive, the above software will help you significantly. Even when playing live, equalizers and solvers will give you a competitive edge and a deeper understanding of the game.
Auxiliary poker software is an integral part of any professional poker player’s arsenal, so it should not be neglected.
