Glossary

Key terms used in ARTGTO, defined for poker players.

.art file

The app's native solution format. A compact binary file that stores the board, ranges, game tree, and strategy for one solved spot. Typically 10-30 MB.

16-bit compression

A storage mode that represents solver values in 16-bit integers instead of 32-bit floats. Cuts memory use roughly in half so you can solve larger spots. Accuracy loss is negligible for most boards.

CFR (Counterfactual Regret Minimization)

The family of algorithms ARTGTO uses to find a Nash equilibrium. The solver repeatedly plays out the game tree, tracks how much it "regrets" not taking each action, and gradually shifts the strategy toward actions with less regret. Over many iterations, the strategy converges to GTO play.

Convergence

The process of the solver getting closer to a Nash equilibrium over successive iterations. A solve has "converged" when exploitability is low enough that the strategy is practically optimal.

DCFR (Discounted CFR)

A variant of CFR that down-weights older iterations so the solver forgets early mistakes faster. ARTGTO's default algorithm is HS-DCFR, a tuned version that converges in fewer iterations than standard DCFR.

Donk bet

A bet made by the out-of-position player into the player who was the last aggressor on the previous street. For example, the big blind leading into the preflop raiser on the flop. Donk bets are part of the game tree when enabled in the bet-sizing profile.

EV (Expected Value)

The average amount a hand expects to win (or lose) over all possible runouts and opponent actions, in chips or big blinds. Positive EV means the hand is profitable on average.

Equity

The share of the pot a hand would win if all remaining cards were dealt with no further betting. Expressed as a percentage. A hand with 60% equity expects to win 60% of the pot at showdown.

Exploitability

A measure of how far a strategy is from a perfect Nash equilibrium, expressed as a percentage of the pot. Lower is better. At 0% the strategy is unexploitable. For practical study, anything below about 0.5% is more than accurate enough.

GTO (Game Theory Optimal)

A strategy that cannot be exploited — no opponent adjustment can profit against it in the long run. In poker, GTO play is a Nash equilibrium of the game. ARTGTO computes GTO strategies for postflop spots.

Iteration

One full pass of the CFR algorithm through the game tree. Each iteration updates the strategy for every decision point. More iterations mean lower exploitability.

Nash equilibrium

A set of strategies (one per player) where neither player can improve their expected value by changing their own strategy alone. In two-player poker, a Nash equilibrium is a GTO solution.

Pot odds

The ratio of the current pot to the cost of a call. If the pot is 100 and you must call 50, your pot odds are 3:1 (you risk 50 to win 150). You need at least 33% equity to break even.

Raise cap

The maximum number of raises allowed on a single street in the game tree. Higher raise caps produce larger, more detailed trees but use significantly more memory and solve time.

Regret

In CFR, regret is how much the solver "wishes" it had taken a different action at a decision point, measured in expected value. Actions with high regret get played more often in future iterations. Over time, regret accumulates toward equilibrium.

River bucketing

A memory-saving technique where similar-strength river hands share one strategy instead of each having its own. Engages automatically via the Low-memory fallback when a spot does not fit in RAM otherwise. Flop and turn keep full per-hand detail; only river play is approximated.

SPR (Stack-to-Pot Ratio)

The effective stack size divided by the pot size at the start of a street. A low SPR (e.g. 2) means stacks are shallow relative to the pot; a high SPR (e.g. 10+) means deep stacks and more room to maneuver. SPR strongly influences GTO strategy.

Strategy

The complete set of action frequencies for every hand at every decision point in the game tree. For example, "raise 65% / call 30% / fold 5% with AKo on this flop facing a bet."