How Does the New HoldemResources Calculator Compare with Simple Preflop Holdem?
May 05,
2024 Gareth James
In his latest video, Gareth James😊 takes a look at the brand new
HoldemResources calculator, and comparing it with the Simple Preflop Holdem tool. He
runs😊 through a spot analysing ranges from both tools, looking at the differences and
similarities
In October last year I wrote an😊 article and made a video called 'BB
Defence Strategies' and compared HoldemResources Calculator (HRC) and Simple Preflop
Holdem (SPFH). At😊 the time, I was concerned that some well-known, respected poker
players, authors and streamers seemed to be suggesting that it😊 can give you good
opening ranges and responses to those ranges including good, solid BB defence
strategies.
I was concerned because😊 I knew that HRC cannot do these things as it
doesn't factor in postflop betting and/or equity realisation.
Check out PokerNews'
😊 collection of 10 Poker Range charts that will help give you a clear overview of
starting hand ranges.
So when I😊 was approached by Helmuth Melcher from HoldemResources
Calculator, who had seen that original video, to test out a beta version😊 of an
integrated postflop solver that allowed much more accurate solving of flat calls and
liimping spots I jumped at😊 the chance.
In my latest video for my YouTube channel, I do
a side by side comparison of the two programs😊 once again.
The spot I look at is where
it folds to Hero on the Button playing around 20bb effective against😊 both blinds and we
want to work out which hands we should jam and which hands we should minraise. Later😊 on
I look at the SB and BB responses to a Button minraise.
Read More: Check out the
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Button Opening Range
The two
solutions are very similar, with the suited wheel aces, small pairs, some offsuit😊 Ax
and suited hands like T9s, JTs, QTs and K9s and offsuit hands like KQo and KJo making
their way😊 into a jamming range. The opening ranges are also very similar, which bodes
well for the rest of the analysis/review.
Small😊 Blind response to a Button
minraise
Once again we see some similarities in the hands we want to call and jam.
😊 Hands like AA, K9s and A2o are calls in both models, while 22-QQ, a lot of Ax, most
broadway hands😊 and some suited hands like J9s and T9s are jams.
Big Blind response to a
Button minraise
Finally, I take a look😊 at the BB response, which is something that the
old version of HRC got really wrong. It would have us😊 playing 100% of hands, mixing
between jamming and calling. Yeah, that meant calling hands like 72o and 83o. In my
😊 last article and video comparing these two programs, I talked about how you could be
the best player in the😊 world postflop, but still not be able to play 72o profitably.
In
the old version, there was no integrated postflop solver😊 so it believed that once the
hand ended preflop, it was just going to get checked down to showdown. Now😊 we know
that's not something that happens very often in poker.
Well HRC is now giving us a very
similar solution😊 to SPFH, which is very exciting! Once again we're seeing a lot of
similarities with the really weak hands like😊 72o and 83o now folding and hands like
ATs+, most offsuit Ax, some lower suited Kings, T9s and almost all😊 pairs going for the
jam, a consistent response that we can see in both models.
As the old version of HRC
😊 was not able to properly calculate the EV of a call preflop, it would often suggest
jamming hands like KQs😊 and KJs rather than flat them. In the new version, it goes for a
call with these hands as they😊 have tremendous equity realisation and both software
programs show that calling outperforms jamming.
Conclusion
Back in October I said that
HRC was😊 good for many things, especially push/fold in cEV andR$EV situations at 8bb and
under, but it can't give you solid😊 BB defence strategies that you can use in your own
game so please don't use it for that. Obviously, I😊 now need to go back on that and
start recommending the software because it *can* give you solid opening ranges😊 and
responses to those ranges. Coupled with the fact that it can also give you ICM and
bounty solutions away😊 from the final table (something that I don't believe SPFH can do
yet), I think there are a lot of😊 reasons to get excited about this new version and I
would highly recommend HoldemResources Calculator for your preflop solutions.
Gareth
James😊 is the head coach and founder of MTT Poker School and the lead instructor for MTT
Game Changer, an interactive😊 group coaching program and course aimed at part-time poker
players looking to compete with the pros. For more information, click😊 here.
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Gareth James compares two key poker calculators that help him break down ranges
