5 Solver Strategies That Crush in Theory (and Crash in Real Life)

If you’ve spent any time studying with solvers, you know how powerful they are. Tools like Upswing’s Lucid Poker can break down any hand, show you what your range should do, and tell you exactly where you went wrong.

But here’s the truth: solvers live in a world that doesn’t exist. They assume both players are perfect and know each other’s strategies inside and out. That’s not your $200 online pool, or 2/5 at the casino, or your Friday night home game.

So while solvers are incredible for learning concepts, some of their advice can actually lose you money in the games you play every day.

That’s exactly what Upswing’s own Mike Brady and Gary Blackwood dig into in the video above. They cover five solver strategies that work in theory but fall apart in practice. Below, I’ll break each one down and show you what to do instead.

Note: Lucid Poker is free to play starting November 10th, so there’s no better time to dive in and see what real solver work looks like. Fire it up, test your lines, and find out where you’re actually leaving money on the table.

Solver Strategy #1: 3-Betting with a Polarized Range from the Big Blind

This strategy sucks against players who don’t fold to many 3-bets.

What solvers recommend:

Solvers love 3-betting from the Big Blind with a polarized range. This means they include all their best hands (like Aces, Kings, Ace-King, and Ace-Queen) and some of their weaker hands (like offsuit Ace-x and broadway hands, Q6s, K3s, 85s, and other suited trash). Many of the stronger middling hands (like QJs, KJs, KQo, and suited Ace-x between AJs and A5s) just call versus a Button open.

Why it works in theory:

This approach lets the Big Blind maximize fold equity with weak hands, force opponents to give action to its strongest hands, and still maintain a strong flatting range to play postflop.

Why it fails in reality:

It’s a brilliant strategy, but it depends on one thing from your opponent: they have to fold an appropriate amount. If opponents underfold, hands like A7o or 96s are in big trouble going to the flop against players calling with ATo, T9o, or QJo.

The fix is easy.

Instead of polarizing your range preflop, condense it and start 3-betting more of those strong hands you might have normally flatted.

For example:

• KJs and KQo can simply be pure 3-bets that dominate in-position’s calling range.
• Your preflop calling range becomes a bit weaker, but you win more money by turning these strong calling hands into dominating 3-betting hands.

Key takeaway:

The solver’s polarized 3-bet range works against disciplined opponents. Against real-world players who love seeing flops, it’s lighting money on fire. Tighten up, focus on value, and make them pay for every call.

Solver Strategy #2: Playing 3-Bet or Fold Preflop

This strategy sucks when you’re in a game full of weak players (especially if those players are in the blinds).

What solvers recommend:

There are all sorts of reasons to 3-bet preflop in position. You can avoid paying rake when you take the pot down immediately. You can build bigger pots and get to act last postflop. In general, the benefits of 3-betting in position vastly outweigh those of flatting preflop. It’s great, and there’s no way around it.

Why you should deviate:

However, there are specific times when you should absolutely incorporate flatting preflop. The biggest reason is that you’ll make more money with many hands by flatting an open and letting weaker players in the blinds overcall.

You can 3-bet with your Kd Td (or even JJ) from the Button against a reg opening from the Cutoff, folding out the recreational players in the blinds, or you can just call and let them come along.

You’re going to win more money when you let that weak player in.

Where the solver gets it right:

There are caveats, of course. For example, with AA and KK, you simply win so much more on average when you 3-bet and have the chance to get stacks in preflop that the benefits of letting recreational players tag along are quickly outweighed. But for a large portion of the hands you reflexively 3-bet, you’ll gain EV by taking a look to your left and seeing if any recreational players are itching to get in the mix.

Key takeaway:

The 3-bet-or-fold preflop strategy is perfect in solverland. In soft, passive games where nobody squeezes light, it’s leaving piles of money on the table. Don’t be afraid to call and play pots in position against weak blinds.

Solver Strategy #3: Checking Back Aces and Kings on Certain Flops

This strategy sucks against players who won’t do the betting for you on the turn.

What solvers recommend:

Solvers often check back overpairs like AA and KK on coordinated low flops. These are boards such as 8c 7d 5s, 6s 5d 4h, or 9c 4d 2s. The idea is to protect their checking range and control the pot on textures where the out-of-position player has a lot of strong hands. After all, they have many straights, sets, and two-pair holdings, while you just have the best pairs.

It makes sense on those connected boards where the out-of-position player has so many strong hands. There will be plenty of runouts where the board gets ugly for your overpair, and bloating the pot on the flop isn’t in your best interest. Keeping the pot small to medium until at least the turn can make sense.

But on dry boards like 9c 4d 2s, against most real-world opponents, this approach is pure handcuffing and stunts your ability to maximize EV.

Why it fails in reality:

When you check back on those dry boards, you rely on opponents to take the lead and bet turns and rivers with wide ranges full of bluffs and thin value bets. Against opponents who don’t bet aggressively with a robust range, however, you simply win less money than you would by betting your hand yourself.

How to attack your opponents who don’t check back overpairs:

There’s also a flip side to this: if your opponents never check back strong hands like AA or KK, that gives you a bright green light to attack their checking ranges. 

• They’re capped to hands like Jh 9d; if they’re not checking overpairs, they’re not likely checking their best top pairs either.
• When your opponent is obviously capped like this, it’s time to start betting often and betting big because their range simply can’t withstand the heat.

So don’t deflate your overpair’s EV by checking on these boards, because it’s likely you are the only player at the table capable of taking advantage of this knowledge gap.

Key takeaway: Solver-style pot control with overpairs works great versus thinking opponents. Against passive, low-aggression players who rarely bluff turns, it just costs you value. Bet your monsters, take your equity now, and make them pay to see another card.

Solver Strategy #4: Leveraging Blockers for Big River Bluffs

This strategy sucks against players who don’t like folding rivers.

The scenario:

We’ve all encountered this spot, and we’ve probably all made the same mistake. You bet flop and turn against a recreational player, the flush gets there on the river, and you hold the Ace of that suit. You shovel it in and get snap-called by two pair (and they don’t even have a flush blocker!).

“That’s absurd,” you mutter to yourself. “That’s a clear fold in equilibrium,” you say with disgust.

The adjustment:

Well, against weak and inexperienced players, you can throw “equilibrium” out the window. There’s no such thing when you’re playing against opponents who are just playing their own hands however they feel like in the moment. While there are plenty of player types you can run big bluffs against at low stakes, this particular class of player isn’t one of them.

Against these players, the exploit is clear:

• Stop bluffing them in big pots and start printing.
• If you know your opponent is a calling station, it’s completely fine to be wildly unbalanced.
• Bluff less (or not at all) in big river spots, widen your value range, and hammer them with bets they’ll pay off.
• Save your bluffs for smaller pots where their ranges are weak and they seem disinterested.

How to maximize EV against these players:

This doesn’t mean you should only bet very strong hands. Against calling stations, you can apply plenty of pressure with thin value bets. Don’t stop betting, just make sure you’re doing it with the right hands (and don’t fool yourself into thinking the Ace of diamonds is going to buy you that pot when the flush gets there).

Key takeaway:

If your opponent hates folding rivers, don’t waste mental energy constructing perfect blocker bluffs. Save those for tougher games. Against calling stations, ditch balance, widen your value bets, and get paid.

Solver Strategy #5: Block Betting Rivers with Very Strong Hands

This strategy sucks if your opponents aren’t likely to raise.

What the solver recommends:

Block bets are one of the most valuable concepts solvers have taught us. Out of position on the river, you can put pressure on your opponent’s range with small bets in the 30–33% pot range. Instead of only being able to value bet strong hands and letting your opponent dictate the action and pot size with a big in-position bet, you can take control with thinner value hands (think second pair, weak kicker; or even thinner in late-position versus Big Blind configurations) and dictate the size of the pot yourself.

Ultimately, you want to size your bets to fit the size of pot your hand wants. It’s not always easy, especially against skilled opponents, but it’s the solver’s way of taking back control and crafting the way it gains EV.

Why it works in theory:

One of the ways the solver protects these thin value and weak hands is by occasionally including very strong, nutted hands in its blocking range. After all, if your opponent realizes you never have a hand better than second pair, top kicker when you block bet, they can start raising aggressively for both bluff and value and make your life miserable. So, to protect those block bets and capture extra EV with its strongest hands, the solver mixes in some nutted combos at the same sizing.

Why it fails in reality:

This is the perfect strategy against strong and aggressive players. It does not work against weak players who don’t attack block bets aggressively. Against these players, you have to bet big yourself with your big hands to get their full value. You can’t rely on them to raise, so this is where you need to blast away.

Another benefit of facing weak players in this scenario is that if they’re not raising enough, they’re calling too much.

• That means you can bet thinner for value than you’d expect with a big size.
• Against weak opponents, err on the side of betting big with lots of hands that are simply good, along with your great ones.
• Don’t waste time or EV by block betting and hoping your opponent will do the work for you.

Key takeaway:

The solver’s river block bet with strong hands works only if your opponent bluffs and raises correctly. Most players don’t. When you’ve got the goods, don’t trick yourself into betting small. Bomb the pot and let them make a big mistake.