Quick start

This page takes you from a fresh install to your first solved spot. It should take about ten minutes.

1. Check your computer

ARTGTO runs on Windows. It needs a CPU that supports AVX2 instructions. Almost every CPU made since around 2013 has AVX2 (Intel Core 4th generation and newer, AMD Ryzen and newer).

Why this matters: the solver uses AVX2 to evaluate millions of poker hands per second. The program is built for this instruction set and will not start on older CPUs.

See System requirements for full details on CPU, RAM, and disk.

2. Install ARTGTO

Run the installer and follow the steps. The current version is 0.9.13-beta.

After installation, ARTGTO keeps itself up to date. You can check manually at any time: open Settings (the gear icon in the top bar), go to the About section, and click Check for updates. Updates download in the background, verify their integrity, install silently, and relaunch the app on the new version.

3. Accept the EULA

The first time you start ARTGTO, it shows the End User License Agreement. Read it and accept it to continue. If the agreement changes in a future version, the app will ask you to accept it again.

4. Activate your license

Without a license, ARTGTO runs in viewer mode. You can open and browse solution files (.art / .artgto), but you cannot run the solver, export solutions, or use batch features. The ▶ Run Solve button is disabled and shows a hint when you hover over it.

To activate:

1. Open the activation window. It appears automatically when you try to use a licensed feature.
2. Enter a name for this machine. This helps you recognize the machine later if you manage several activations.
3. Your operating system information is filled in automatically.
4. Submit the form.

Your license is stored on your computer in %APPDATA%\artgto\. You do not need to enter it again.

5. Run your first solve

When ARTGTO opens, you are on the Solver screen. This is the main workspace. The top bar has three screens: Solver, Jobs, and Library — for your first solve you only need Solver.

Pick a board

In the left panel, find the board picker. It has slots for the flop (three cards, required), the turn (optional), and the river (optional).

1. Click a card slot. A card picker opens, with suits shown in color.
2. Pick three flop cards. For a first test, a simple board like 2s 5d 9h works well.
3. Leave the turn and river empty. The solver will then solve the full game from the flop, covering every possible turn and river card.

Set the ranges

Below the board picker are two range editors: one for the OOP player (out of position) and one for the IP player (in position).

You can either:

• Type combos directly into the editor, or
• Click the dropdown arrow to browse your range library and load a saved range. Loaded ranges show as Loaded: <name>.

Both players need a range before you can solve.

Choose a bet sizing profile

Select a bet sizing profile from the dropdown. A profile defines which bet and raise sizes the solver is allowed to use on each street. ARTGTO ships with built-in profiles such as SRP (single raised pot) and 3-Bet Pot, so you do not need to create one for your first solve. See Tree building to understand how sizes shape the game tree.

Check the solver controls

The solver controls show:

The defaults are good for a first solve. Leave them as they are.

Start the solve

Click ▶ Run Solve in the top bar.

Watch the status bar at the bottom left. It walks through these stages:

1. Building game tree… — the solver lays out every possible action sequence.
2. Precomputing showdowns… — it pre-calculates which hand wins on each runout.
3. Solving — iter 5/250 · exploit 2.567% — the main work. The iteration counter rises and the exploit number falls as the strategy improves.
4. Done — 250 iters in 2:34 · exploit 0.143% — finished. The final number tells you how close to perfect the solution is.

If something goes wrong, the status shows Failed: followed by an error message.

6. Read the results

Results appear in the center panel, the solution browser. It has two tabs: Strategy (the solved strategy, where you will spend most time) and GameTree (the raw decision tree).

In the Strategy tab you see a grid with one row per action:

Click an action row to follow that line deeper into the tree. A breadcrumb path shows where you are. Click a cell to pin it — the inspector panel on the right then shows the full per-hand breakdown for that spot: strategy, EV, equity, and the combo list.

At the bottom of the center panel, four view buttons switch what the hand grid displays: Strategy, EV, Equity, and Played %.

7. Save your work

• Save Solution as .art… (Ctrl+S) saves the solution so you can reopen it later.
• Export solution… (Ctrl+E) exports it for the companion viewer.
• ✚ New spot (Ctrl+N) clears the board and the solve so you can start the next spot.

Useful shortcuts

Next steps

• System requirements — tune the Solver cores setting for your machine.
• How the solver works — understand iterations, exploitability, and the algorithm choices.
• Tree building — learn what makes solves big and how the memory guard protects you.