What is Game Theory Optimal in poker?

GTO (Game Theory Optimal) describes a strategic approach where a player acts according to a Nash equilibrium, balancing the frequencies of their actions so that no opponent can profitably exploit them, regardless of how the opponent adjusts. GTO play serves as a strong theoretical foundation and defensive baseline, but in live games it is often more profitable to deliberately deviate from GTO in order to exploit weaker players who make predictable, non-optimal mistakes.

Game Theory Optimal (Game Theory Optimal) belongs to the Advanced terms group of poker terms and shows up in almost every hand of Texas Hold'em. If you are starting out, read the poker rules and the hand rankings first, then come back here. To practise risk-free you can play against our AI right on the site.