Saving & opening solutions
A solve takes minutes; opening a saved solution takes seconds. ARTGTO saves finished solves as .art files, the app's own solution format. This page explains how to save and open them, what is stored inside, and which versions can read which files.
Saving a solution
When a solve is done, save it with either:
- the keyboard shortcut
Ctrl+S, or - the menu item
Save Solution as .art…in the•••menu in the top bar.
A standard file dialog opens so you can choose the name and folder.
.art files are compact — typically around 10–30 MB per solved spot. The format compresses the data and stores the strategy in a space-saving way (details below), which makes files roughly 90% smaller than the older full-precision format.
Jobs screen instead of saving one spot at a time.Opening a solution
Open a saved file through the Open Solution… dialog. The board, ranges, tree, and strategy load, and the strategy browser is ready to use — no re-solving needed.
.art files works even without a license. Viewing is always available; only solving and exporting need an active license.Flop is baked into the loaded solution — click "New spot" in the top bar to start a fresh solve. Use ✚ New spot (Ctrl+N) when you want to leave the loaded solution and set up a new board.What is stored, what is recomputed
An .art file stores exactly what is needed to browse the solution, and nothing more:
| Data | In the file? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Board | Yes | Baked in; cannot be changed after loading. |
| Both ranges | Yes | |
| Game tree (bet sizes, stacks, pot) | Yes | |
| Strategy (action frequencies) | Yes | Stored as compact 8-bit values. |
| Iteration count | Yes | |
| Solution metadata | Yes | |
| EVs | No — recomputed | The app recalculates EVs when you browse a node. |
| Equity | No — computed on demand | Calculated for the node you are viewing. |
| Solver internals (regrets) | No | Needed only while solving. |
Two consequences of this design:
- Files stay small. EVs and equity would multiply the file size, and the app can rebuild them quickly from the strategy.
- You cannot resume solving a saved file. The solver's internal state (regrets) is not saved. If you need a more refined solution, run the spot again with a lower target or more iterations, then save the new result.
Strategy precision
Each action frequency is stored as an 8-bit value, so the rounding step is 1/255 — about 0.39% per action. The frequencies for each combo are rounded so they still sum exactly to 100%. For studying strategies this is far below the level that changes any decision.
16-bit compress cannot refine below roughly 0.2% exploitability on tough, polarized boards. Solves that needed the Low-memory fallback group similar river hands into buckets (flop and turn keep full detail, showdowns are exact) — those solutions are labeled river-bucketed @ N in the status display. The fallback only engages when the spot could not solve at all otherwise.Saving vs. exporting
These are two different actions with two different purposes:
| Action | Shortcut | Output | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
Save Solution as .art… | Ctrl+S | .art file | Your working file. Re-open it in ARTGTO to keep studying. |
Export solution… | Ctrl+E | .artgto (CBOR — companion-app format, single file) or JSON folder (legacy — not read by the viewer) | Files for the viewer and companion app. |
Save for yourself; export for the viewer. Exporting requires a license.
Version compatibility
.art files are versioned, and newer builds keep reading files from older builds.
If a file fails to open, first make sure you are on the latest version — Settings → About → Check for updates.
Where to go next
- Strategy browser — studying a loaded solution.
- EVs and equity — why EVs are recomputed, and what they mean.
- Keyboard shortcuts —
Ctrl+S,Ctrl+E, and the rest.