Building a work plan
From diagnosis to measurable progress.
Gandalf
Co-founder of Poker Sciences
After six chapters of tools, we finish with a short chapter on method that is mostly common sense.
The Leak Finder is a complex tool.
So I think it's worth saying a few words about how to approach it with a progression mindset.
This last chapter gives you a few tips to turn those observations into better decisions.
Without a method, the most likely way you'll use the Leak Finder is to check the numbers regularly, make a mental note:
Huh, I fold too much in the BB.
And then go back to playing exactly as before.
So let's look at a few methods to prioritize your leaks, move step by step from macro to micro inside the tool, 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 firmly in mind is that not all your leaks are equal.
Exactly like not all spots are equal, some situations and some leaks are more important than others.
Trying to fix everything that shows up 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 weigh 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. Preflop, look at how far the mistake is from the threshold. 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 whole SB strategy)? |
The right first leak to attack is the one that maximizes (Volume × Impact) and that can be sorted out fairly quickly. That's what gives you a fast return on the effort invested and keeps the motivation going.
Often, preflop leaks on common situations fall into that category, especially if you stray a long way from the reference charts.
For most players, the concrete solution is to go and 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 the general to the specific.
Starting by reviewing random hands to guess what's wrong can make you waste time.
A recommended path, in four zoom levels:
| Level | Tool | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Macro | Summary views (Preflop, Postflop, Global EV) | Where are my biggest leaks? In order of importance: preflop, Global EV, postflop. |
| 2. Targeted tab | Preflop, Postflop or Global EV | Within that 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 those specific hands, what happened? Did I fall into the same pattern every time? |
The macro level is the Summary views: the first entry in the sidebar of the Preflop, Postflop and Global EV tabs, which pulls all of their situations together into a single table. Here is the order we suggest:
- Start with the Preflop Summary, especially if some situations there show an accuracy below 80%.
- Then look at the Global EV Summary: do you have any vs GTO deltas in red (and reliable)?
- Finish with the Postflop Summary. Look at the c-bets first, then the 2-barrels, sticking to common situations.
Once your biggest leaks are identified, click that row: each Summary view switches straight to that situation, so you can look at things in a bit more detail.
On top of that, the Overview tab lets you keep your key stats (and the pool's) in front of you as you progress.
The classic trap
Jumping straight to level 4 (reviewing random hands) because it feels more concrete. Without zooming through levels 1, 2 and 3, you spend time on spots that don't explain your real leaks. You put in the work, but you don't progress.
Conversely, staying at level 1 (looking at the aggregated scores without ever drilling down) is just as ineffective.
You know there is 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 is not the same depending on whether we're talking preflop or postflop.
Preflop, it's binary: right or wrong. You're trying to understand why you got it wrong, or whether your mistake can be explained by a particular context.
Postflop, you have to reason. If you're short on c-bet, look at the times you checked: could you have c-bet?
Play the hand back in your head, reason with the opponent's range, and try to understand your decision in its context.
The interpretation step is of course crucial, but it takes time to master. Go at it little by little, step by step.
3. From diagnosis to strategy: stepping outside the tracker
This point has come up all through the module and it deserves its own section here, because it's also the one many players skip.
That's normal: it's the most complex part, the one that takes experience and time.
The tracker measures, it does not build the strategy.
Before going further, you need to understand that the Leak Finder actually makes two types of leaks visible, and they call for different actions:
| Type of leak | Where to see it in the tracker | What you do with it |
|---|---|---|
| Your leaks (Hero) | • Red rows in the Summary views • Low preflop accuracy • Frequencies deviating from the reference charts (Preflop) • Negative CEV delta vs GTO (Global EV) | Understand why you get it wrong and fix your own strategy. |
| Your 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 exploitative strategy that takes advantage of those deviations. |
In both cases, the tracker stops at observation. Building the strategy, on the other hand, happens 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 have to dig with a solver, online resources or a coach.
Or the Poker Sciences Postflop Pack, the day it's available. A lot of you are waiting for it, and it will get here in the end!
2. Exploit your opponents' leaks
Before the procedure, one important point to understand:
Not exploiting your opponents' leaks is, in itself, a leak in your game.
The natural reflex is to put all your attention on your own mistakes (the red zones of 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, exploit is how you go and grab that extra bit of EV to reach the best possible winrates.
Poker Spin Tracker makes your opponents' leaks visible, but that data is worth nothing 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 for building the strategy
Whether you're fixing your own leaks or building an exploit, the same families of tools come back. None of them is built into the Leak Finder (for now):
| Tool | What it does in the workflow |
|---|---|
| Solvers (GTO Wizard, HRC) | Analyze the optimal theoretical response to an observed opponent range or to theory. Build your own exploitative charts or strategies. |
| Guides/resources | To understand the spot and the strategy to apply (Preflop Pack, Postflop Pack to come). |
| Coach or peer review | Validation from other players who may bring an interesting point of view. Note: it's all worth taking in, what matters is to think and stay critical. |
| Trainer | Repeated training on the problem situation to automate the right decision before going back to the tables. |
Instead of building your strategies yourself, you can also use strategies already built for you.
Today, Poker Sciences offers the charts of the Preflop Pack and Strategy Guides. The Postflop Pack is coming soon.
Tomorrow in Poker Spin Tracker
Our long-term goal is for all of these analyses to be doable directly inside the tracker, with no juggling between solvers, guides and external tools. The "tracker measures / external tools build" boundary will gradually fade as those features arrive.
4. Key takeaways
This chapter closes Module 6, devoted to the Leak Finder.
Three big principles structure the work: prioritize your leaks, go from macro down to micro inside 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: go after the leaks that are high-impact, frequent, and quick to fix first.
Macro → micro: start from the Summary views, drill down into the situation involved, 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 reached the end of Module 6! What comes next will be a bit calmer!
Safe travels, see you in the next module.
