Texas Hold'em GTO Terms: EV, Equity, Range, and Mixed Strategy
Short Answer
The four core terms for GTO study are EV, equity, range, and mixed strategy. Equity describes the chance of winning the pot. EV describes long-run expected value. A range is every hand a player can hold in a line. A mixed strategy splits the same hand across actions by frequency.
When This Matters
If you read solver output as “bet this hand” or “check this hand,” you will miss the point. Solver output is a range-level strategy. It shows how a player distributes hands across actions, sizes, and frequencies under a defined game tree.
Core Concept
Equity is not EV. A suited ace draw may have strong equity, but its EV can fall if betting exposes it to raises from a stronger range. A range is not just a chart of starting hands; it is the set of combinations that reach the current node. Mixed strategy is not random guessing. It protects a range when two or more actions have similar value.
Decision Steps
- Define position, stack depth, and previous action.
- Think in ranges before judging one combo.
- Separate equity, realization, pot odds, and EV.
- When a solver mixes, identify which part of the range needs protection or pressure.
Common Mistakes
Players often treat high equity as automatic aggression, copy a single frequency without its context, or memorize one hand instead of the range structure. The fix is to explain every action through position, range advantage, nut advantage, and future street pressure.