Short answer: Poker solvers are commonly used for off-table study, but using software, charts, databases, or another person to advise a decision during play can become prohibited real-time assistance (RTA). The boundary depends on the poker room’s current rules. Keep solving and training separate from active play, and verify the policy for every platform you use.
This guide summarizes public operator policies as of July 14, 2026. Rules can change and wording differs by room. It is not legal advice or a substitute for the terms that apply to your account, event, or jurisdiction.
What Is Real-Time Assistance in Poker?
Real-time assistance is external help that influences a decision while you are playing. The help can come from software, a website, a mobile app, a chart, a database, a physical reference, or another person. Moving the tool to a second screen or phone does not change what it does.
A poker solver itself is not the whole issue. Timing and use matter. Running a solve after a session to understand a marked hand is study. Entering the live board, ranges, or action into a tool while the decision is pending supplies real-time advice.
The phrase “while playing” also needs care. Some policies apply while the poker client is open, not only while the action is on you. That is why the safest workflow closes the poker client before opening advanced study material.
Study Tool or RTA? A Practical Boundary
| Timing | Example | Practical risk |
|---|---|---|
| Before a session | Drill Button opens, review a solved flop family, or write a short study note | Usually ordinary study, subject to the room’s rules about software running with its client |
| During play | Look up the current hand, consult a chart, ask an assistant, or run a solver before acting | High risk; major rooms prohibit external decision assistance |
| After closing the client | Reconstruct a marked hand, compare actions, extract a rule, and drill related spots | The clearest separation between play and study |
Do not treat this table as a universal whitelist. An operator may allow one category of basic reference and prohibit another, or define “during play” more broadly than an active hand. The current operator policy controls.
What PokerStars Says About Solvers and RTA
PokerStars’ current prohibited programs, tools, and services policy says players must make decisions without external advice and identifies real-time advice as cheating. It distinguishes limited basic tools from material that gives advanced strategic recommendations.
The policy allows some basic reference material, including certain static preflop information, but restricts tools that calculate or recommend advanced ranges, ICM, Nash-equilibrium strategies, or other sophisticated advice while the PokerStars software is running. The exact limits and examples matter more than the label on a product. Calling something a “chart,” “calculator,” or “trainer” does not make every use acceptable.
PokerStars also publishes an explanation of its approach to detecting real-time assistance. Its broader terms of service remain part of the agreement, so read the current policy and terms together before playing.
What GGPoker Says About Solvers and RTA
GGPoker’s Security & Ecology Policy, version 20260313 when reviewed, defines RTA broadly. It says each decision must be made without external assistance and includes software, apps, websites, and physical or digital reference material in that restriction.
The policy specifically says charts of any kind are prohibited during play. It also describes serious enforcement outcomes, including permanent bans and possible confiscation of funds. Do not assume that a static chart allowed under one operator’s limited conditions is allowed on GGPoker.
If a chart is part of your study plan, move it into a separate practice block. The preflop trainer guide shows how to review a range, close the answer, drill it from memory, and revisit weak spots later.
Why Room Rules Differ
Poker rooms protect game integrity with different technical systems, game formats, and enforcement standards. One may permit a small unopened-pot chart while another bans all charts during play. A live tournament can also have rules that differ from an online client.
Three principles prevent most mistakes:
- Read the operator’s own policy. Forum summaries, old videos, and tool-vendor claims can be outdated.
- Check again after policy updates. A tool that was permitted last year may be restricted now.
- Ask support when the wording is unclear. Describe the exact tool, feature, timing, and device. Save the written response, but continue to follow later policy changes.
A Safer Off-Table Solver Workflow
- Mark the hand without seeking advice. Use the room’s permitted hand-history or note feature if available. Finish every live decision yourself.
- End the session and close the poker client. This creates a visible boundary and avoids policies tied to software being open.
- Reconstruct the spot. Confirm positions, effective stack, action, sizes, board, pot, rake, and plausible ranges. A wrong input can produce a precise answer to the wrong game.
- Study the range, not only your cards. Compare action frequencies and EV across the whole range. Note which hands mark the strategic boundary.
- Write one conditional rule. Use “when, then, because” language instead of copying an exact mixed frequency.
- Drill related spots later. A trainer can test whether you remember the concept without exposing an answer during play. Use the EV-loss leak review workflow to rank recurring post-session mistakes.
If you are learning the tools, our solver-versus-trainer comparison explains their different jobs, while the poker solver study guide covers inputs, outputs, and review.
Common RTA Misunderstandings
“It is only a chart, so it must be allowed.”
No. Policies classify both the information and the timing. GGPoker’s published policy prohibits charts of any kind during play. PokerStars describes narrower conditions for limited basic material. Check the exact room.
“The solver is on my phone, not my poker computer.”
The device does not remove the assistance. If a phone, tablet, second computer, printed sheet, or person helps choose the live action, it can fall within a broad RTA rule.
“I already know what I want to do; I am only confirming it.”
Confirmation still supplies external decision support. Make the decision unaided and review it after the session.
“I am between hands, so advanced study is fine.”
Not necessarily. PokerStars restricts categories of advanced tools while its software is running. Other operators may define the relevant period differently. Close the client before advanced review.
“A tool advertises itself as compliant.”
The operator decides what is permitted on its service. A vendor cannot grant permission on behalf of a poker room, and a compliant off-table feature may have a prohibited live use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are poker solvers legal?
“Legal” and “allowed by a poker room” are different questions. Off-table solver study is widely available, but local law and platform terms vary. Check the rules for your jurisdiction and service rather than treating this article as legal advice.
Can I use a poker solver while playing online?
Do not use a solver to advise active decisions. Major rooms prohibit real-time external assistance, and enforcement can affect your account and funds. Keep solving to a separate study session.
Can I keep a preflop chart open?
It depends on the room. PokerStars permits some limited basic reference material under defined conditions; GGPoker says charts of any kind are prohibited during play. The lowest-risk practice is to close all references and make each decision yourself.
Are HUDs the same as RTA?
They are related integrity topics but not identical. Some operators allow limited HUDs, some restrict their features, and others prohibit them. Check the current room-specific policy rather than extending a solver rule to every tool.
Can I use GTO Gecko during a poker session?
GTO Gecko is designed for educational, off-table solver study and training. Do not use it, or any other solver or trainer, to obtain advice during active play. Close the poker client first and follow the operator’s current rules.
Keep Study and Play Separate
The clean rule is simple: make poker decisions yourself, then use solvers and trainers after the session to understand them. That separation protects game integrity and produces better study notes because you can inspect the full configuration without a clock running.
When the client is closed, you can open a GTO Gecko study session to reconstruct a spot, compare strategies, and drill related decisions. Recheck your poker room’s policy whenever its rules or your study setup changes.
Disclosure: GTO Gecko publishes this article and makes educational solver and trainer software. We do not operate PokerStars or GGPoker. Their linked policies are the authoritative sources for their services.
Sources
- PokerStars — Prohibited Programs, Tools and Services (accessed July 14, 2026)
- PokerStars — Detecting Real-Time Assistance (accessed July 14, 2026)
- PokerStars — Terms of Service (accessed July 14, 2026)
- GGPoker — Security & Ecology Policy, version 20260313 (accessed July 14, 2026)