What is Hand Analysis
Hand Analysis
What is Hand Analysis?
Hand analysis is a training tool that gives feedback on past hands you’ve played and offers suggestions on how the hand might have been played better. It analyzes every action taken throughout a hand and shows how close to game theory optimal (GTO) the actions were. Hands that are folded before putting any additional chips into the pot will not be analyzed.
Which hands will be analyzed?
If you have a positive Hand Analysis balance in your wallet, any time you play a hand (specifically, voluntarily putting Chips in the pot), the Hand Analysis tool will automatically use a Hand Analysis balance and populate the tool with feedback for that hand. If you fold a hand (even if you posted one of the blinds or a straddle), then the tool will not use a Hand Analysis.
With each purchase of Hand Analyses, you’ll also get “Chips” that you can use to play the games on ClubWPT Gold. You can use Chips to play poker for real cash prizes at ClubWPT Gold. The Hand Analysis tool allows you to get feedback on all of the hands that you play.
If you have zero Hand Analyses in your balance, the hands you play while your balance is at zero won’t be analyzed. You can’t go back and have these hands analyzed even after you purchase more Hand Analyses.
Icons & Hand Score
The icons denote our Hand Analysis rating system, and you’ll get grades for each action you take in a hand compared to a Game-Theory Optimal (GTO) strategy. This is the grading system from best to worst:
Solid
Close
Lacking
Summary & Analysis
When you click on a hand in the Hand History section, you’ll see the following options appear on the right side of the page:
Players
Pre-Flop
Flop (if the hand reached a flop)
Turn (if the hand reached the turn)
River (if the hand reached the river)
Results
These sections display the details of what happened during the hand and offer feedback on the actions you took based on ClubWPT Gold’s GTO recommendations.
Table
This graphic shows the position abbreviation for each player where their username would ordinarily be. These distinct position names and abbreviations are used by poker players because it makes it easy to communicate accurately about what action occurred in the hand and how to play poker more optimally since strategy is contingent on position.
SB (Small Blind): After the flop is dealt, the Small Blind is always the first person to act if they’re still in the hand. If not, then the next active player to the left of the SB acts first. All remaining positions act next in the order listed below (which is, notably, in the clockwise direction). Note: in the pre-flop round, the action begins with UTG and moves along clockwise from there, so the SB acts after the BTN.
BB (Big Blind): Big Blind always acts after the Small Blind, and is typically the last player to act pre-flop.
STR (Straddle): When playing a ring game with a straddle, it functions as an additional blind (for 2x the BB) to raise the stakes of the game. When a straddle is posted, this position always acts after the Big Blind, and therefore, the Straddle is the last person to act pre-flop. Note: the Straddle only applies to ring games, not tournaments.
UTG (Under the Gun): This player always acts first pre-flop. Post-flop, UTG acts after the blinds and the straddle.
UTG1 (Under the Gun +1): The player to the direct left of UTG in an eight-handed game.
HJ (Highjack): The Hijack is two players to the right of the Button if there are six or more players at the table.
CO (Cutoff): The Cutoff is to the direct right of the Button.
BTN (Button, denoted by the dealer or “D” button): In each betting round after the flop is dealt, the Button is generally the last player to act.
Optimal poker strategy changes based on your position at the table. The advantage of being in later positions is having the additional information of what actions players have taken before you, including whether or not they’ve folded their hands.
Pre-Flop/Flop/Turn/River
All of the hands you’ve played will have a Pre-Flop section. If you continue playing the hand through to the Flop, the Turn, and/or the River, those sections will appear as well.
Each section will show all players’ actions, including yours, during that street of play. Your action is highlighted, and to the right of it, you’ll also see what rating your action was assigned by ClubWPT Gold’s GTO analysis. Clicking anywhere on that row will expand the Action Overview.
Action Overview
- Action Overview shows the potential actions you could have taken during the hand and what the expected value of profit (EV) is by taking that action.
- The title of the cell is the action, e.g., Call, Fold, etc., that you could take. When the action is Raise, it shows the percentage of pot you’d raise at that point in time, e.g., Raise 50% means you’d raise by 50% of the current pot value.
- Underneath the action, there are two numbers: a percentage and an EV. The EV simply represents the amount of chips you win by taking that action on average, over time. The percentage represents the frequency you should be taking this action whenever you’re faced with this exact same spot. In other words, you’re not supposed to take the same action all the time; otherwise, people would always know how strong your hand is and whether you’re bluffing. Mixing your actions is an essential part of a high-level strategy, and skilled players mix their actions to disguise their strategy and keep people guessing.
Results
How long does it take to analyze a hand after it's played?
It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to up to two hours for the Hand Analysis tool to execute the complex process of analyzing your hand.
Does the training tool analyze all of my Ring Game and Tournament Hands?
The Hand Analysis tools is only available for Ring Game hands for now. Tournament hands will be added in the future.
What is GTO?
How did you come up with these recommendations?
Game Theory Optimal, or GTO, strategies are developed by computers simulating many, many games of poker and tracking which hands and actions yield the highest profit (expected value) over time.
The results aren’t specific to you or to the other players at your tables, and they are generated using pre-defined bet sizes.
For this reason, you should use the information as a foundation for correct game play, but as you continue on your poker journey, you’ll learn scenarios in which it can be profitable to deviate from GTO. A few examples of when good players might adjust their strategy:
When you’re playing against someone who is substantially tighter or looser than what GTO recommends.
When you encounter bet sizes that are substantially larger or smaller than our recommended sizings.
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