GTO+ Review 2026: Hands-On Test of the $75 GTO Solver

Since 2017, GTO+ has quietly held its spot as the value pick in the desktop solver world. For the past 18 months, we have used it as our main tool for studying cash games.

We have also run solve-time benchmarks on an Intel i7-12700K (12-core) workstation and compared its output with that of PioSolver Pro and GTO Wizard.

Below you’ll find every feature, real pricing, side-by-side comparisons against PioSolver and GTO Wizard, a hands-on study workflow, and our final rating.

What Is GTO+?

GTO+ is a desktop GTO solver built by Eighty3, the same team behind Flopzilla. It calculates Nash equilibrium strategies for postflop trees in No-Limit Hold’em and Short Deck (6+ Hold’em).

The product launched in 2017 and its main selling point is achieving true Nash equilibrium output at a cost of $75, compared to $249 for the PioSolver Pro and $1,099 for the PioSolver Edge.

This software is designed for cash game players, mixed stakes grinders, and coaches who need a one-time purchase tool that resides on the same machine as their tracker.

The importance of the Flopzilla connection cannot be overstated.

Eighty3 has been shipping poker software for over 12 years, giving it a stability and update cadence that newer solvers can’t match. Most bug-fix releases are shipped within two weeks of being reported.

If you’ve used Flopzilla or another equity/range tool from this team before, then you already know how they develop software: sleek interfaces, precise calculations, and no unnecessary features.

See the broader category in our roundup of the best poker tools for grinders.

GTO+ Pros and Cons

Here’s the honest balance sheet from the 18-month test. The pros section focuses on what the software actually delivers, rather than marketing claims. The cons are the issues we encountered during real study sessions.

The pros stack up well for solo cash game grinders. The cons matter most for Mac users, tournament regs needing ICM, and complete solver newcomers without prior tools experience.

GTO+ Key Features

Unlike PioSolver, this program includes features that serious cash game players actually use. It doesn’t have the academic extras that pad its spec sheet.

We break down the four feature pillars below: the tree builder, solve speed, analysis tools, and the database/scripting layer.

Tree Builder & Customization

The tree builder is its strongest feature. You can set custom bet sizes per street and per position, and the engine allows you to change them later without re-solving the entire game.

Our breakdown of bet sizing fundamentals across streets covers the theory behind these choices.

Branch recalculation is the killer feature. Most solvers force a complete restart when you tweak a bet size.

GTO+ lets you right-click any node, change the size, and resolve only the affected branch, often in under 20 seconds. We use it dozens of times per session.

The card removal toggle is also subtle but valuable. When enabled, it accounts for blockers that the opponent’s range removes from your equity, which produces measurably different mixes on river spots.

Solving Speed & Memory Efficiency

We benchmarked GTO+ on the same Intel i7-12700K (12 cores, 16 GB RAM) workstation referenced above, running Windows 11. The results below cover typical NLHE postflop spots at 100 BB effective stacks.

The 0% Nash distance figure matters because it defines whether you’re studying real GTO output or a fast approximation.

A solver that stops at 0.5% Nash distance can mis-rank river bluff combos by 3% to 6%, which is a noticeable leak at high stakes.

Analysis & Graphing Tools

The software comes with a built-in analyzer that allows you to analyze strategy and expected value (EV) across runouts, hand classes, and bet sizes without exporting to another tool.

The graphing system produces clear visualizations: EV vs frequency heatmaps, range vs range equity grids, and per-hand action mixes.

We use it most often to spot leak patterns in our own play before re-running spots with adjusted ranges.

Custom filter views save the most-used setups. We keep three saved views: “river bluff candidates,” “turn check-raise candidates,” and “flop overbet spots.”

Database & Scripting

The database layer lets you save solved spots in a searchable library. Each spot stores tree parameters, ranges, and solve metadata in a .gto+ file, so you can recall any solution by stake, position, or board texture.

The scripting language automates repeat work. Coaches use it to batch-solve sets of similar spots (e.g., 16 single-raised pot flops grouped by texture).

GTO+ Pricing & Licensing

GTO+ uses a one-time license model with no recurring fees. This is the single biggest reason most cash game grinders pick it over subscription competitors.

The table below shows the full pricing structure as of 2026, including secondary license discounts and the CardRunners EV upgrade path.

The lifetime updates policy is rare in poker software. Every patch since 2017 has shipped free to license holders, including major engine rewrites and the addition of Short Deck support.

Who Should Use GTO+?

GTO+ isn’t the right solver for every player. Use the list below to decide whether it fits your study habits and stake level.

It is a poor fit if you only play tournaments and need ICM-aware solutions.

Pair it with ICMIZER, run quick stack-by-stack equity checks in our free ICM calculator, or move to a tournament-focused tool.

Read our ICM in poker guide first if the tournament math fundamentals are new to you. Mac users without Bootcamp or Parallels should look at cloud options instead.

Short Deck specialists get particular value here, since GTO+ is one of few desktop solvers with native 6+ Hold’em support.

Pair it with our Short Deck strategy guide for a full study loop. Beginners with zero prior tools experience can still use it, but expect 4 to 8 hours of self-teaching before producing useful output.

System Requirements & Setup

GTO+ is light on hardware compared to most desktop solvers. The minimum specs run on a 5-year-old laptop. The recommended specs are a mid-range gaming desktop.

Installation takes under 5 minutes. Download the installer from gtoplus.com, run it, paste the license key from your purchase email, and launch. The first tree build dialog opens with default parameters that are sane enough to test the solve in under 2 minutes.

If you already run a tracker like Hold’em Manager or PokerTracker, GTO+ coexists without conflicts. Our Hold’em Manager 3 review covers how the two tools complement each other in a study workflow.

How to Study With GTO+

Owning GTO+ is the easy part. Using it well takes a workflow that turns solver output into in-game decisions.

Below is our team’s 5-step routine, written around the buttons, panels and file conventions specific to GTO+.

The broader theory of internalising solver output across thousands of spots lives in our GTO poker & solvers guide. This section sticks to what it does differently.

Step 1: Import the Spot Into GTO+’s Tree Builder

Pull a hand from your tracker, open GTO+, go to File → New Tree. The Tree builder panel on the left takes effective stack and pot size in BB or chips.

Stick to one spot per session. Loading 20 in a row defeats the muscle memory the workflow is supposed to build.

Step 2: Configure Bet Sizes and Ranges

Keep bet sizes to 2–3 per street to hold solve time under 90 seconds. The “Copy sizes to all streets” toggle at the top of the panel is the single biggest time-saver: flip it on, set sizes once, then tweak the river row for polar lines.

Drop ranges in via Range Editor. The preset 6-max GTO chart is a fine default unless you have reads. Our reference page on building accurate poker ranges covers what’s worth memorising.

Step 3: Run the Solve and Watch the Nash Distance Counter

Hit the green Solve button. The Nash distance counter in the bottom-right status bar ticks down to 0% as the engine converges. Expect 60 to 90 seconds on an 8-core CPU for a standard single-raised pot flop.

Stop only when the counter reads 0%, not when it looks “close enough.” If you change a bet size after the fact, right-click → Recalculate branch on the affected node instead of re-solving the whole tree. That’s the software’s killer time-saver and usually finishes in under 20 seconds.

Step 4: Switch Between the Strategy and EV Tabs

The two tabs above the main grid matter at this stage. The Strategy tab shows the optimal mix (e.g., bet 40%, check 60%). The EV tab shows the dollar value of each action.

Beginners stare at EV numbers and miss the takeaway: the mix is what you remember at the table, not the dollar EV.

Use the Filter dropdown above the range grid to drill into hand classes (“all top-pair-good-kicker”) instead of reading 169 cells at once.

Step 5: Save the .gto+ File and Write a One-Line Summary

Save via File → Save with a clear filename: BTNvsBB_SRP_KQ7r_100bb.gto+. It packs everything (tree, ranges, solve metadata) into that one file, which is why the 10–35 MB filesizes work.

Every solve is portable to a second machine on the $40 secondary key. Then write one sentence in your notes app: “On KQ7 rainbow, BB checks polar, BTN c-bets 40% small.”

The summary is what carries into the next session. The file is just the receipt.

For pre-solve equity checks, open our poker equity calculator in a browser tab and run the matchup in under 10 seconds.

A misconfigured opening range will waste 90 seconds on a junk solve, so this 10-second check pays off every session. For per-street math while you’re reading the solver output, our pot odds calculator handles the call-vs-fold price in two clicks.

GTO+ Verdict & Rating

We strongly recommend GTO+ for any active cash game player who uses Windows. We gave it an overall rating of 9.0/10, deducting half a point for lack of Mac support and native ICM.

At $75 one time, it pays for itself in the first month compared to a $129 monthly subscription. Add in true Nash convergence and the reputation of the Flopzilla team, and you have a tool that no serious grinder will regret buying.

Weights reflect what matters most for the target buyer (an active cash game studier on Windows): price and accuracy carry the most weight, ICM coverage the least.

Skip it only if you’re a Mac-only player without virtualization, a pure tournament reg needing ICM, or someone who studies fewer than 2 hours per month and would rather pay for cloud convenience.

Everyone else: $75 is the cheapest serious GTO study tool on the market in 2026. Buy once, study forever, and stop leaving rakeback-style money on the table by overpaying for solver access.

Frequently Asked Questions About GTO+