'Hey man, this isn’t 2004': Real-time GTO analysis debuts in big Lonis win

It might be a stretch to say that Tuesday night's GGMillion$ final table stream was 'historic.' But it did offer a glimpse into the future of poker coverage, with the introduction of real-time on-screen analysis from GTO Wizard.

That analysis was used sparingly, but it added a fun and insightful dimension, showing the optimal line for each situation before the players got to make their decisions. 

As Joey Ingram said before the cards were in the air, “What would Pads [Patrick Leonard] do? I ask myself that question every day. What would Alex Foxen do? What would Jesse Lonis do?" 

Jeff Gross, the other half of the comms team, picked up the theme. 

"I'm aware of GTO Wizard. I haven’t delved deep into it but it’s something you can’t ignore," he said. "People are studying, people are getting better and you've got to be alert and be aware. It might look a little crazy, a little scary, and a little bit fun, but we’re going to dive in." 

Gross: 'A historic moment'

The first elimination of the night was straightforward. Lonis took the shortest stack out with against . That gave him a big chip lead with more than double the stack of the second-place player.

The first piece of real-time analysis popped up shortly after. With 'Davi Cola' holding on a board reading , GTO Wizard recommended a check (97%) or bet of 240k (3%). 

“A historic moment there,” said Gross, as 'Davi Cola' checked.

The green pop-up window delivered the GTO line ahead of the players making their decisions.

GTO Wizard then recommended 'The Good Doctor' bet 120K into the 240K pot (100%) with his . 'The Good Doctor' did exactly that. 

Then it wanted to see 'Davi Cola' call the bet (98%) or raise to 380K (2%). 'Davi Cola' folded. 

“This is breaking down why it’s important to study and know what is supposed to be done," Gross said, "and as you’ll often see, there’s more than one way to play a poker hand, which takes away a little pressure, right? It’s not always 100% — there are often multiple ways to play. Very cool that we saw the first-ever GTO Wizard pop-up there.”

Lonis on the optimal line

How was the chip leader getting on compared with the GTO Wizard recommendations?

Rokita:
Lonis:

Board:

Roland Rokita checked to Lonis. GTO Wizard recommended betting 330K (91%) or checking (10%). Lonis bet exactly 330,000, which led to Rokita getting a recommendation to call (100%). Instead, Rokita raised to 775,000 and Lonis folded. 

Then a viewer in the chat asked, ‘Why are you promoting solvers?'

"I would look at this as more a tool to better your game and its mathematical solutions," Gross explained. "Hey man, the information’s out there — this isn’t 2004. People know there are opening ranges, things you can learn… There was a period of time when it [using a solver] was overwhelming… Now, if you want to learn and do the work, you can do it.”

The next real-time analysis spot involved Lonis as well, who ‘correctly’ shipped with twos on a flop. The short-stacked 'Davi Cola,' with , had a '100% call' but opted to save his stack and fold. 

It bought him some time, but Lonis still eliminated him in eighth, with sixes doing it again against .

GTO Wizard recommended an all-in on the river here, but Lonis decided to check and MasesNeto took the chip lead.

The next real-time spot for Lonis was interesting. He was now second in chips behind 'MasesNeto.' 

On a flop, 'MasesNeto' bet out 110,500 into the 442,000 pot with . Lonis, with had an easy raise to 430K (99%) with a call just 1% of the time. Lonis raised to 432,000 and 'MasesNeto' called. 

On the turn, Lonis had a check (33%) or a big bet of 940K into the 1.3M pot (67%). He bet 944K and 'MasesNeto' moved all-in. Lonis had to fold. 

What would Jesse Lonis do? Win (100%)

Play stayed five-handed for over an hour, at which point Lonis had wrested the chip lead back. 

And incredibly, it was sixes again for Lonis that saw him eliminate 'MasesNeto' with on a board. Lonis also took out Simon Mattsson with sevens vs. and then he eliminated 'A Tkatschew' with against eights on a board. 

Heads-up, he had 13M to Roland Rokita’s 3M but there was time for one great call from Rokita before the inevitable happened.

On a board, Lonis bet 700,000 into the 1.4M pot with . Rokita had jack-high but called from a stack of just over 2M, getting an acknowledgement from Lonis. He got the stacks close to even before Lonis pulled away again and finished him on the final hand. 

The chips went in on the flop. Lonis had the best of it with and Rokita couldn’t catch up with his .

Lonis took the $315,928 first prize after satelliting into the tournament for just $1K. Not bad for someone playing on his mobile from EPT Monte Carlo after he’d just taken down the Super High Roller Warm-Up there for €449,802. 

Our verdict on the real-time analysis? Welcome to the modern age of poker. One of the toughest asks in poker is to make online streams interesting. This did that and although the stream was light on real-time analysis, it was compelling when it popped up, and it will definitely help demystify GTO play for recreational players. 

Jesse Lonis is crushing at the moment, online and live in Monte Carlo.

GGMillion$ May 6 results