The line between study and cheating, plus 25bb bubble defense and a wet-board c-bet flip.
ThinkGTO
Think Deeper. Play Sharper.
This Week's Read
Where Online Poker Cheating Really Starts
Every few weeks a cheating accusation takes over poker social media, and almost nobody can say exactly where study ends and cheating begins. The line is simpler than the drama: working spots in Solver+ or drilling ranges in GTO Ranges+ between sessions is the legitimate path. Consulting that same solver during a live hand is RTA, and it is banned everywhere. The clock is the line. Our new guide breaks down what RTA, ghosting, and bots actually are, how sites detect them, and how honest players stay clean.
Strategy Spotlight: BB Defense at 25bb on the Bubble
With WSOP season in full swing, this spot comes up every level. At 25bb near the money bubble, defending the big blind versus a button open is three jobs at once. Flat your suited and connected hands (KQs, T9s, 76s, 99 all pure call). Jam the awkward strong hands that play badly flatted (QQ, AKo, A2s, and small pairs like 22 nearly always jam). And split the very top: KK takes a small 3-bet about half the time and jams the rest, while AA pure 3-bets to keep dominated hands in. The grid below is the full solved range.
25bb · BB vs BTN open · ICM near bubble
13×13 preflop range grid: each cell's color band widths show fold/call/3-bet/jam frequencies
Jam · 3-bet · Call · Fold
Cell width = action frequency.
Cell width is proportional to action frequency.
Source: GTO Ranges+ · full 169-combo solve
Every stack depth shifts these regions. The full ICM, PKO, and Spin libraries live in GTO Ranges+, and the bubble dynamics behind them are in Surviving the Money Bubble.
Hand of the Week
100bb Cash · BTN opens, BB calls · Single raised pot
9♥ 8♥ 6♣
BB checks. Now compare this to a dry ace-high flop, where the button bets its whole range small. On a wet, connected, two-tone board the strategy flips hard. The button cannot range-bet here, because the big blind's flatting range smashes this texture with straights, two pair, and big draws. So Solver+ polarizes:
check back → 40%
bet 80% pot → 50%
bet 25% pot → 10%
The lesson: board texture decides your sizing, not your hand. Dry boards want a small range-bet. Wet boards want a check-heavy, bet-big approach. Drill the difference in Postflop+.
Free Tool
Multiway Equity Calculator
Heads-up equity is the easy part. The exact equity of your hand against two or three callers on a given board is where most players guess, and guess wrong. Our free Multiway Equity Calculator runs up to 9 players at once, far more than a standard heads-up tool. Enter exact cards, ranges, or random hands, set any board, and get precise win and tie percentages plus the made-hand breakdown, all in your browser with no signup.
This Week in Poker
The WSOP is in full swing. The series rolls on in Las Vegas this week with the Ladies Championship underway and charity events on the calendar. Bracelets are being handed out daily, and the social feeds are full of bad beats and deep runs. A good reminder that the bubble and final-table spots in this issue are exactly what the field is grinding through right now.
Register early, not late. A theme making the rounds in coaching content: late registration is more expensive than it looks. Entering at the start lets you play deeper stacks against the softest version of the field, bank chips while there is room to maneuver, and avoid being thrown straight into short-stack survival. If the structure is good, the early levels are where edges compound.
Sharpen up for the summer grind
Drill solved spots away from the table, then trust your reads when the clock is running.
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