Reading solver output with the math you have
The grid, the EV view and the range explorer are our starting-hand matrix, our expected value and our range breakdown, wearing different clothes.
7 minute read
A solver's main screen is the 13 × 13 matrix from the starting-hand lesson: pairs on the diagonal, suited hands above, offsuit below. Each cell shows the action mix for that class, usually weighted by how many of its combinations are still in the range. Three views of the same grid are worth learning: strategy, EV, and EV difference.
- Strategy: the frequency of each action per cell. Colourful, and the least useful view on its own.
- EV: the expected value of the hand at this point, in big blinds or chips. This is the expected-value lesson with future streets included, which is the part you cannot compute by hand.
- EV difference (EVΔ): what the second-best action would have cost. Near zero means the choice does not matter; large means a real mistake.
EV of a river call
equity × (pot + bet) − bet
On the river the solver's EV is exactly this. On earlier streets it adds the value of everything that can happen next, which is why it needs a computer.
The range explorer, equity buckets and hand-class breakdowns that solvers show are the range-vs-range and breakdown tools on this site. The equity distribution tells you which player's range is stronger and where; the solver's aggression follows it. A range that holds most of the strong hands on a board bets more, sizes bigger, and defends less against a bet.
Click a slot to change the board.
Player 1
—Player 1's range
12.0% of hands · 119.9 live combos (39.3 blocked)
Paint the matrix, or type ranges like 22+, A5s+, KTs-K7s, AA:0.5. Enter applies.
Player 2
—Player 2's range
35.0% of hands · 366.1 live combos (98 blocked)
Paint the matrix, or type ranges like 22+, A5s+, KTs-K7s, AA:0.5. Enter applies.
What to look at first
Not the frequencies. Start with EVΔ to find the decisions that cost something, then ask why with the tools you have: pot odds, equity, blockers, the value-to-bluff ratio. A frequency you can explain will survive at the table; one you memorised will not.
- Estimate your equity before the solver reveals it. That is the trainer here, applied to solver spots.
- Read patterns across a range, not single combos. A 55 / 45 mix on one hand is noise; a whole region betting is signal.
- When a spot surprises you, change one input and watch what moves. The sensitivity is the lesson.
Quick check
The solver shows a hand betting 55% and checking 45%, both at the same EV. You always check it. How big is the mistake?
Show answer
None in expected value: the actions are indifferent. What you give up is unexploitability, which costs nothing until an opponent notices you never bet that hand.