Performance improvements, new viewer features and a bugfix June 11, 2015 23:34

Today's release is a small one a bit outside of our usual release schedule. It brings some very exciting news though. We are adding some new features to PioViewer to make scripts generation easier as well as making Range Explorer more powerful. We are also making experimental PioSOLVER 1.4 available to our edge customers. This solver brings huge memory and performance improvements. 

The 1.4 version will be available to our pro and basic customers once it's feature complete and the interface is stable. We expect it to be in 5-6 weeks from now.

Without future ado, here is the list of improvements:

Experimental solver 1.4:

1)Big performance improvements. As tested on 3 year old i7 quad (i7-3770) which should represent typical not too new/not too old hardware:

• For full ranges: 1.2x speed, 1.2x memory
• For 75% ranges: 1.42x speed, 1.55 memory
• For 50% ranges: 1.8x speed, 2.2x memory
• For 25% ranges: 3x speed, 3.9x memory
• For 15% ranges: 4.5x speed, 5.7x memory
• For 8% ranges: 7.2x speed, 8.5x memory

This means many real life cases now only need about 2 minutes to solve and some even below 1 minute. For example this one or this one.
The situation still isn't that rosy for huge HU cases but the improvements there are significant as well.
This is especially good news for users with 8GB of RAM as many more trees will be now possible to solve.
All the benchmarks on the website will be updated once 1.4 version is available for everyone.

New features in PioViewer

• Saving/loading scripts from the viewer in addition to script generation. Running multiple trees never has been easier.
• Equity realization is now available in Range Explorer. It's also possible to show it by category or arbitrary selected subset of hands. See GIF.
• Strategy by hand category is now shown. This should be very useful for understanding ranges better. This feature is connected with the one below. See the GIF in the next point.
• It's now possible see not only a whole range in Range Explorer but also betting/calling/folding ranges specifically. See GIF.

Bug fixes:

• some glitches in 125% screen mode fixed (useful for small laptops)
• a minor bug in range parser fixed
• error check to rebuild_tree is added - it no longer crashes on incomplete trees
• a bug in set_strategy (introduced in 1.3 but not present in 1.2) is now fixed
• scripts now stop working after first encountered error

  The release schedule is usual and starts today. You will get email notification once it's ready to download. Stay tuned!

PioSOLVER 1.3 June 7, 2015 00:01

Today we are releasing a minor PioSOLVER and PioViewer updates. This is mainly a bugfix release which nevertheless contains some new features.

You will find a new version in your download folder. The schedule is usual:

• edge version users already have it in their download folder
• pro version users will get it tomorrow
• basic version users will get it either tomorrow or in 2 days
• free version will be updated later next week

Summary of the changes:

FEATURES:

1. Range explorer now calculates pre-flop equity in addition to post-flop one: CLICK
2. Default for weighted range presentation is now changed from proportional rectangles to "glass filling" view. LIKE THIS.
3. More parts of the viewer are now resizeable to fit trees with more bet sizes
4. It's now possible to copy strategy and EV as CSV. This way it's very easy to export those to Excel/Libre Office etc. CLICK to see a GIF.
5. There is now a script generator which makes running multiple trees very easy. CLICK
6. There is now an option to execute arbitrary solver command from the viewer. This comes in handy when you want to do something which isn't yet possible from GUI. See HERE.
7. There is now an option to limit huge over bets when adding all-ins to the tree. This makes them smaller and faster to solve. CLICK.
8. Poker site detection is improved to comply with likely changes in Poker Stars policy. The solver will automatically close after 30 seconds if you run a blacklisted poker client (as before) and it will not start at all if the client is already running. The viewer displays similar behavior (although closes after 45 seconds)
9. Selecting specific suits in a range selector is now EASIER.
10. There is now a button to clear tree parameters
11. Positions of all opened windows (range selectors, browser windows) are now remembered (which is useful if you frequently open a lot of spots in separate windows)
12. Build button can be changed into build&go to save mouse clicks and time (as requested by some very busy users). CLICK.

Solver and UPI changes:

1. Clear_lines is now an alias for free_schematic_tree and the latter is deprecated.
2. Cut_line command is now available (see .pdf docs).
3. Calc_ev_line is now available to make aggregation stats easier to compute.
4. Show_version command is now available

Bugfixes (not exhaustive list):

1. Set_strategy, lock_node, unlock_node now produce errors (instead of crashes) when done on incomplete tree.
2. Cache behavior after node locking/setting strategy is now fixed (it caused incorrect EVs being displayed after using node locking feature and withotu recalculating the tree)
3. Build tree doesn't crash anymore with the solver running.
4. It's not possible to forget the whole tree (so rivers for river tree, turns for turn tree); an attempt to do so now produces an error.
5. Rare bug which caused solver to print nonsense with many threads running is now fixed.
6. Multithreading bug which caused the solver to hang when browsing the tree during solving is now fixed. You can safely browse the tree during solving again.
7. Minraise/minbet logic is improved in tree-building.
8. "Add all-in" checkbox now doesn't add all-ins for OOP player in the lines which are disabled for that player.

While this is mainly maintenance release we are working on some bigger things. The preliminary results are very promising so stay tuned!

Small saves, range explorer and more May 12, 2015 23:39

We are pleased to announce PioSOLVER update. This is the biggest update so far and it brings many new features. The schedule for the release is as follows:

1. Edge version users have it already in their Dropbox folder and got email notification from us
2. Pro version users will get it tomorrow
3. Basic version users will get it tomorrow or in 2 days
4. Free version will be updated later this week

Next release cycle will be focused on polishing new features introduced in this one and making plug-in system more friendly for programmers. Some tools based on PioSOLVER are already in development which is very exciting for us. Our goal is to make plug-ins accessible for hobbyist programmers as well.

Below is the list of new things and changes. As the list is long the links to explanation GIFs and pictures are provided as links so it's easier to read:

 1)Small saves

There is now an option to save incomplete trees. You can save the whole thing, flops+turns or flops only. Flop+turn is the recommended option. Those saves are about 50x-150x smaller than full trees (depending on the tree) so they load very fast and the delay when browsing and calculating rivers on the fly is barely noticeable. You don't need to click anything or worry about anything when browsing. Recalculating of missing parts of the tree happens automatically. You can configure desired accuracy for on-the-fly solving as well.

CLICK to see a GIF explaining how to make a small save.

2)Range explorer

Range explorer is a simple equity calculator/hand grouping tool. You can open it with ranges at any point in the tree or you can insert your own. The range vs range equities (or range vs any chose subset) are calculated instantly and exactly.

CLICK to see a GIF

3)Node locking

PioSOLVER now offers strategy setting and node locking functionality. You can stop the solver at any point, set the strategy in given node, lock it and resume solving. You can lock/unlock as many nodes as you please and stop/resume the solver at any time.

CLICK to see a GIF

4)Equity added to the tree browser

In addition to strategy, ev and current range you can now see equity of every combo (against current range of the opponent) at any point in the tree:

CLICK to see a GIF

5)Aggregation reports

There is now an option to see frequencies/evs/equities not only for currently viewed line but also for all similar lines but with different turn/river card. For example you can ask for a report for 2nd barrel and PioViewer will generate a spreadsheet with all 49 turn cards and frequencies of 2nd barrel on them. You can also do that on the river which results in 2352 runouts (49 * 48). You can you then sort the spreadsheet by for example EV or betting frequency to see which cards/runouts are the best for given player.

You can generate such report by choosing: Plugins->Aggregation->Runouts aggregated frequencies analisys

CLICK to download an example of such spreadsheet

6)Plugin infrastructure

It's now possible to write plug-ins for PioViewer. Aggregation reports are implemented as a plug-in and there will be more examples/docs in our public Github repository

7)Caching of the results

The solver now caches the results for EV/MES which makes all the calculations instant (with the exception of 1st one).

8)Tree parameters are now saved along with .cfr files

The parameters are saved in corresponding .txt file. If you load a .cfr file the viewer will automatically restore the settings which were used for creating that tree.

CLICK for a GIF demonstrating this

9)Speed improvements in both the solver and the viewer.

Solver's speed improvements are modest (15%-20% for most machines). PioViewer is way faster and almost everything should refresh instantly while you browse.

10)Storing the solver adjustments in the tree.

PioSOLVER now remembers the adjustments when stopped. The adjustments are also saved with the trees. This way it's possible to stop/resume solving without problems (in the past it sometimes took a lot of time for the solver to adjust back and exploitability could actually increase at the beginning)

11) Specific suit selection in the Range Selector.

It's now possible to select specific combos. Suited hands or offsuit with chosen suits. The interface is dead simple: you choose the suit for higher card and lower card and the selector displays only those combos for you to select from. 

CLICK for a GIF demonstrating specific suit selection.

12) "refresh on change" checkbox

This option makes the viewer update results immediately when browsing the tree. You don't need to click to refresh anymore. As both the solver and the viewer show the results instantly now, the process is very smooth.

CLICK for a GIF demonstrating "refresh on new selection" checkbox.

13)Improved solver logic for EVs in dead branches.

EVs are now reported even for hands with weights 0 (for ones which never reach given branch) as long as strategies for that hands exists. The hands don't disappear anymore and you can benefit from seeing the results for hands even if they never choose specific actions. This is useful to see "what if" scenarios.

14)Improved input in tree building tab.

It's now possible to omit actions in tree building form and the tree is built correctly. Like HERE.

15)hero/villain are now IP/OOP everywhere, including scripts (console usage only, in UI these are still customizable)

16)Normalization in the viewer

For small ranges it's often useful to zoom them without losing information about relative frequencies of hands. This is now possible with a simple checkbox.

CLICK for GIF showing the normalization feature.

17)An option to change display settings to proportional

There are two options. One is for the value displayed as EV and the second one is for how the square is drawn. If "bars width proportional to weight" is chosen specific combos will share space in the square proportionally to how often they are in a current range.

18)Improved behavior of the viewer on actions which takes time:

The window is not blocked anymore (you can move/minimize). Visual cues for when the viewer is working on calculation intensive task are added as well.

19)Line description when opening spots in new window.

Very simple but makes it easier to find your way with many windows open.

20)improved behavior for 125% settings

On some smaller laptops Windows works in 125% font settings by default. That used to cause display problems and made some options invisible. It works better now.

21)Effective stack is now visible in the browser tab

22)An option to choose between change on hover or change on click for the zoom view

Refreshing on hover made some users dizzy. The option is HERE.

23)An option to show local frequencies instead of weights.

It was commonly requested to add an option to show local frequencies. This is now available in Tools->Configuration

24)Ftp/Stars warning is now hard-coded.

As per Poker Stars request using the solver when having Stars/FTP client open will now be impossible. The detection is hard coded and you will have 30 seconds to close the clients before PioSOLVER terminates. The annoying lousy pop-up is still there. You can still configure names of other poker sites if they change their policy.

25)Memory restrictions are now lifted.

We wanted to reduce the use of the solver on big work station. We decided on better way to accomplish that (core limit). You can now use as much RAM as you have even in a basic version. PRO version is limited to 13 threads (so hexa cores will be fine).

26)Suit colors in the zoom view.

This is optional as it's hard to read for some users.

27)Copy to clipboard" in tree building view. 

You can now just copy tree parameters and paste them on forums/Skype. Those are also possible to paste without creating a file in TreeBuilding folder (Tools->paste tree building config from clipboard)

UPI specific changes (not yet in GUI or only relevant for scripts):

-set_mes is now available
-rebuild_all and solve_all_splits restores the full tree from a small saves
-ev/eq functions now return ev/matchups instead of wins/matchups
-node_count now produces nice report with details abot node types/streets
-solving/exploitabitliy calc functions are now available for chosen nodes

Bugfixes:

-PioViewer sometimes opened outside the visible area. This is now fixed.
-stdoutredi/load_script now accept file names with spaces

 That's quite a long list. Next release cycle will be focused on improving/polishing existing tools and features. PioSOLVER is now one step closer to becoming the ultimate poker tool. We hope you have a lot of fun with all the new features!

Poker Stars policy, a review and a Skype group March 30, 2015 01:31

Hello all,

This is a quick update about ongoing things:

1)Poker Stars policy

Poker Stars put PioSOLVER on the list of programs you can't run simultaneously with Poker Stars client. This is only understandable as other popular analytic programs like ICMIZER or CoffeeCalc are already on the list. While it's impossible to use PioSOLVER during real time play (the solutions need few minutes to arrive at) the decision is consistent with Poker Stars policy. 

We will be working on automatic warnings so you don't let PioSOLVER running accidentally when starting Poker Stars client. We are already communicating with Poker Stars about the best way to do that.

2)Our user reviewing PioSOLVER

The reviewer goes over some major functionality of PioSOLVER. The reviewer is still a bit skeptical and asserts PioSOLVER is not an ultimate oracle for Holdem yet. While we are working on improving the situation and proving him wrong you are welcome the check out the video :)

3)Skype gruop

Some PioSOLVER users put together a Skype group which is already getting some nice daily traffic. If you are interested in sharing your analysis, asking questions or just chatting about poker theory it's great place to join. Check out PioSOLVER on Skype or drop us an email so we can add you manually.

Things are going very well for us this first month and we have a lot of new things coming in near future. Be sure to keep checking in every few days or so!