Building a work plan
From diagnosis to measurable progress.
Gandalf
Co-founder of Poker Sciences
After six chapters of tools, we close this module with a short chapter on method that comes down mostly to common sense.
The Leak Finder is a complex tool.
It therefore seems useful to say a few words about how to approach it in a progression-focused way.
This final chapter gives you a few tips to turn these observations into better decisions.
Without method, the most likely way you'll end up using the Leak Finder is to look at the numbers regularly, mentally note:
Huh, I fold too much in the BB.
And then go back to playing exactly the way you did before.
Let's go through a few methods to prioritize your leaks, gradually move from macro to micro in the tool, and then how to step outside the tracker when it's time to build a strategy.
1. Prioritize: not all leaks are equal
The first thing to keep in mind is that not all your leaks are equal.
Just as not all spots are equal, some situations and some leaks are more important than others.
Trying to fix everything that's in red at the same time is not a good idea.
It's the best way to fix nothing at all.
It's important to assess three criteria before getting into your work plan:
| Criterion | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Volume | How often does this situation come up in your game? Preflop mistakes on common spots come up far more often than frequency mistakes on ISO river pots. |
| Impact | What weight does this mistake carry? Impact is measured relative to the average pot and the average EV loss. In preflop, look at how far the mistake is from the threshold. In postflop, at how far the frequency is from what's expected. |
| Feasibility | Can you fix this leak quickly, or is it a multi-month project (for example: rebuilding your entire SB strategy)? |
The best first leak to tackle is the one that maximizes (Volume × Impact) and can be fixed fairly quickly. That's what gives you a fast return on the effort invested and keeps motivation up.
Often, preflop leaks on common situations fall into this category, especially if you stray far from the reference Charts.
For most players, the concrete solution is to train on the specific preflop situations or Charts where you deviate the most, for example with a Trainer.
2. From macro to micro: zooming in properly
The Leak Finder can be approached in several ways, but the approach we recommend is to go from general to specific.
Starting by replaying random hands to guess what's wrong can make you waste time.
A recommended path, in four zoom levels:
| Level | Tool | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Macro | Analysis tab | Where are my biggest leaks? In order of importance: preflop, Global EV, postflop. |
| 2. Targeted tab | Preflop, Postflop or Global EV | Within this area, which specific situations are responsible? |
| 3. Situation | Grid or panel of the situation | Which combos, which actions, which sizings, vs which opponent? |
| 4. Concrete hands | Hand List + Replayer | On these specific hands, what happened? Did I fall into the same pattern every time? |
Concretely, on the Analysis tab, here is the order we suggest:
- Start with the preflop spots, especially if your score is below 80%.
- Then look at Global EV vs GTO: do you have situations in red?
- Finish with postflop. If your overall score is below 80%, look first at the c-bets, then at the 2-barrels, sticking to common situations.
Once your biggest leaks are identified, open the corresponding tab to look at the situations in a bit more detail.
The classic trap
Jumping straight to level 4 (replaying random hands) because it feels more concrete. Without the zoom through levels 1, 2 and 3, you spend time on spots that don't explain your real leaks. You work, but you don't progress.
Conversely, staying at level 1 (looking at aggregated scores without ever drilling down) is just as ineffective.
You know there's a problem, but you don't know which one exactly. The real work happens at levels 3 and 4, not at level 1.
Level 4 (maximum zoom)
Once you've drilled down to level 4, the analysis isn't the same depending on whether we're talking about preflop or postflop.
In preflop, it's binary: right or wrong. You try to understand why you made the mistake, or whether your error can be explained by a particular context.
In postflop, you need to reason. If you're missing c-bet, look at the hands where you checked: could you have c-bet?
Replay the hand in your head, reason through the opponent's range, and try to understand your decision in its context.
The interpretation step is of course crucial but takes time to master. Take it step by step, little by little.
3. From diagnosis to strategy: stepping outside the tracker
This point has been repeated all through the module and it deserves its own section here, because it's also the one that many players skip.
That's understandable: it's the most complex part, the one that takes experience and time.
The tracker measures, it doesn't build the strategy.
Before going further, you need to understand that the Leak Finder actually makes two types of leaks visible, which call for different actions:
| Type of leak | Where to see it in the tracker | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Your leaks (Hero) | Red zones in the Analysis tab, low Hand Accuracy / Precision scores, frequencies that deviate from reference Charts (Preflop), negative Global EV vs GTO. | Understand why you make mistakes and fix your own strategy. |
| Opponents' leaks (Regs and Fish) | Frequencies observed in the Fish/Reg panels of the Postflop tab, opponent ranges in the Preflop tab, data by situation and by stack. | Build an exploit strategy that takes advantage of these deviations. |
In both cases, the tracker stops at observation. Building the strategy itself is done outside, with specialized tools.
1. Fix your own leaks
For your preflop deviations, the most direct solution is targeted Trainer practice on the Charts where you stray the furthest from the references.
For your postflop leaks or more complex situations, you'll need to dig in with a solver, online resources or a coach.
Or the Preflop Pack of Poker Sciences the day it becomes available. Many of you are waiting for it, it will eventually arrive!
2. Exploit opponents' leaks
Before the procedure, one important point to understand:
Not exploiting opponents' leaks is, in itself, a leak in your game.
The natural reflex is to focus all your attention on your own mistakes (the red zones in the tracker) and to forget the other side of the equation.
Every time you play "standard" against an opponent who has an exploitable leak, you leave EV on the table.
On Spins, where the margins are thin, it's through exploit that you'll go grab a little more EV to reach the best possible winrates.
Poker Spin Tracker makes opponents' leaks visible, but this data is useless until you've built the strategy that takes advantage of it.
The procedure then looks something like this:
01Identify
Spot a leak in your opponents (regs or fish) via the Leak Finder.
02Build
Build the exploit strategy with a solver, or use a strategy already prepared for you.
03Drill
Drill the situation in the Trainer to automate the decision.
04Apply and measure
Play the strategy at the tables and measure the result in the tracker over the long run.
Measuring uncovers new leaks and the cycle starts over.
The tools to build the strategy
Whether you fix your own leaks or build an exploit, the same families of tools come back. None of them are available (for now) in Poker Spin Tracker:
| Tool | Role in the workflow |
|---|---|
| Solvers (GTO Wizard, HRC) | Analyze the optimal theoretical response to an observed opponent range or to theory. Build your own exploit ranges or strategies. |
| Guides/resources | To understand the spot and the strategy to apply (Preflop Pack, Postflop Pack coming soon). |
| Coach or peer review | Validation by other players who can bring an interesting point of view. Note: anything is worth taking, what matters is to think and have a critical mind. |
| Trainer | Repeated training on the problematic situation to automate the right decision before going back to the tables. |
Instead of building your own strategies, you can also use strategies that have already been built for you.
Today, Poker Sciences offers the Charts of the Preflop Pack and the Strategy Guides. The Postflop Pack is coming soon.
Tomorrow in Poker Spin Tracker
Our long-term goal is that all these analyses can be done directly inside the tracker, without having to juggle between solvers, guides and external tools. The "tracker measures / external tools build" boundary will gradually fade as these features arrive.
4. Key takeaways
This chapter closes Module 6 on method.
Three main principles structure the work: prioritize your leaks, go from macro to micro in the Leak Finder, and step outside the tracker to build the strategy.
And one central point to take in: the Leak Finder makes two types of leaks visible, yours and your opponents'.
The first ones, you fix. The second ones, you exploit. Not exploiting is, in itself, a leak.
Prioritize: tackle first the leaks that are high-impact, frequent, and quick to fix.
Macro → micro: start from the Analysis tab, drill down into the relevant tab, then finish on the concrete hands.
Two types of leaks: your own get fixed, your opponents' get exploited.
Build the strategy: when the tracker shows the problem, use solvers, resources, a coach or the Trainer to turn the diagnosis into an automatic decision.
There you go, you've finally made it to the end of Module 6! What follows will be a bit more relaxed!
Safe travels, see you in the next module.
