PocketSolver | Game Set Up

Setting up a game in PocketSolver ensures accurate GTO solutions. Configure game tree, player ranges, bet sizes, and settings for precise, efficient solving

1. Introduction

Setting up your game in PocketSolver is the foundation of accurate and efficient GTO solutions. This guide walks you through configuring your game tree, player ranges, bet sizes, and game and board settings — ensuring your simulations produce precise and meaningful results.

The goal of the setup menu is to specify the settings you want to use when building the Game Tree.

Post-Flop Set-Up Menu

2. Creating a New Game

When PocketSolver starts, the setup menu should open automatically. You can also open it manually by clicking New near the top-left corner, next to the Solve button.

Game Details Panel

Select Your Desired Settings

Choose the settings for your game:

Game Settings: Define pot size, stack size, board cards, and more.
Player Ranges: Set weighted ranges for both the OOP (Out of Position) and IP (In Position) players.
Bet Sizes: Configure the bet and raise sizes your game will use.

Click View Tree or Solve

View Tree builds the game tree without solving.
Solve builds the tree and begins solving immediately.

3. Estimating Tree Size

One of PocketSolver’s most useful features is the ability to estimate your game tree’s size. You can do this by clicking Estimate Tree Size in the top-right corner of the setup menu.

Adding more bet sizes or deeper branches can cause the tree to grow exponentially — consuming more RAM. Regularly checking your estimated tree size when adding new settings helps ensure your system remains stable during solving.

The left number shows the estimated RAM required (in GB).
The right number shows your system’s total RAM.

⚠️ It’s recommended to keep usage below 80% of your available RAM to prevent instability.

💡 Tip: Regularly estimate tree size while adjusting bet sizes or stack depths.

4. Tips for Reducing Tree Size

If your tree is too large to solve efficiently, consider these optimizations:

📝 Decrease SPR (Stack-to-Pot Ratio): Smaller effective stacks reduce possible bet sequences and overall tree depth.
🧠 Simplify Your Tree: Remove unlikely actions or reduce the number of bet sizes to dramatically improve performance.
⚙️ Increase Merging Threshold: Merge similar bet sizes into one action to simplify the tree.
💾 Adjust All-In Threshold: Replace very large bets with all-in actions to reduce branching complexity.
🔍 Limit Max Actions: Lower the maximum allowed actions per node to force simpler, more manageable trees.