Poker GTO terms, explained

GTO (Game Theory Optimal)

A GTO strategy is one that cannot be exploited: it mixes value hands and bluffs at frequencies where no opposing strategy can beat it in the long run. In poker it is the unexploitable baseline a solver converges toward, and the default when you have no specific read on an opponent.

Preflop range

A preflop range is the full set of starting hands you play a given way from a given position — for example, every hand you would open-raise from the cutoff. A solved range specifies not just which hands but the frequency and action (raise, call, or fold) for each of the 169 starting hand combinations.

RFI (Raise First In)

RFI, or 'raise first in,' is your opening range when everyone before you has folded and you would be the first player to enter the pot with a raise. RFI ranges widen as position improves — tightest under the gun, widest on the button — because fewer players remain to act behind you.

3-bet and 4-bet

A 3-bet is the third bet in a preflop sequence — a re-raise of an opening raise (the big blind counts as the first bet, the open as the second). A 4-bet re-raises a 3-bet. Solved 3-bet and 4-bet ranges balance value hands with bluffs, often chosen for their blocker value.

Exploitability

Exploitability measures how much a perfect opponent could win against a strategy, usually in big blinds per 100 hands or as a percentage of the pot. A truly GTO strategy has zero exploitability; a low-exploitability solve is close enough that any leak an opponent could target is negligible.

ICM (Independent Chip Model)

ICM converts tournament chip stacks into real-money equity based on the payout structure. Because chips won are worth less than chips lost near the money, ICM makes correct play more risk-averse than a chip-EV (cash-game) approach — which is why tournament preflop ranges tighten in high-pressure spots.

Push/fold (open-shove)

Push/fold is short-stack strategy: at low stack depths (roughly 15bb and below) your only sensible preflop options are to move all-in or fold, since a smaller raise commits too much of your stack anyway. Solved push/fold charts tell you exactly which hands to shove from each position and depth.

Ante

An ante is a forced bet every player (or the big blind, in the 'big blind ante' format) posts before the hand. Antes grow the preflop pot, improving the reward for stealing and widening correct opening and calling ranges. Modern tournaments commonly use a 12.5% big-blind ante.

Rake

Rake is the fee the cardroom takes from each pot. Because rake makes marginal pots less profitable, it slightly tightens correct preflop ranges — which is why accurate solves are computed for a specific rake structure, such as the '500z' structure common in online 6-max cash games.

Stack depth (big blinds)

Stack depth is your stack size measured in big blinds (bb) rather than chips, because strategy depends on the ratio, not the absolute amount. Deep stacks (100bb+) favor more post-flop play and wider 3-betting; short stacks (under ~25bb) shift toward push/fold. Correct preflop ranges change at every depth.

Blocker

A blocker is a card in your hand that reduces the strong combinations an opponent can hold. Holding an ace, for instance, makes it less likely they have AA or AK — which is why solvers often choose bluff hands (like A5s as a 3-bet bluff) specifically for their blocker value.

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