Advisor

The Advisor is a computer player that sits over your shoulder, providing advice on how to play your hand and why.  The advisor can use the style of play defined by any Player Type, including those of your design.  You can even use a Player Type as a starting point and customize it from there.  By changing the advisor strategy during the game, you can see how different types of players would handle a given situation.  The Advisor can be found in the DD Dashboard during practice games.  By default, the Advisor will employ the strategy defined as 'Solid'.  The Player Type used by the Advisor can be selected from the context menu that can be accessed by clicking on your cards.  Advisor strategy can be further refined from the Advisor Information pop-up screen described below.

See the opponents section in the Options help for more information on Player Types.

When the Advisor dashboard item is collapsed, the Advisor will simply display the action it suggests; Fold, Check, Bet, or Raise. When the dashboard item is expanded, a more specific indication of the strategic move being suggested is displayed, along with a range of suggested appropriate bet amounts, if applicable.  In addition, the expanded dashboard item contains two buttons:

Click the Details button to bring up the Advisor Information pop-up screen. There are two tabs of details, Summary, and Strategy. See below.

Click the Do It button to act upon the advice of the Advisor.
 
Dashboard Advice

Bet Range

The advice displayed in the expanded dashboard Advisor includes a range of suggested bet amounts.  It is appropriate to vary your bet amounts in order to conceal your strategy;  if your attempts to steal the blinds always involve a small raise and your raises for strength always involve a large raise, your opponents will quickly learn to call your small raises with weaker hands, and get out of the way when you bet big.

Bet sizes are expressed relative to one of several amounts, depending on the circumstances.
 

Big Blind
 		Bet range is expressed in multiples of the big blind.  This method of expressing bet size is used for initial betting before the flop, when the amount of information you have about your opponents' hands is limited.
Pot Size
 Bet range is expressed as a percentage of the pot size.  Pot-relative betting is important in pot and no limit games because by betting in terms of the pot size, you can control the odds your opponent has to call, and the pot odds you're giving yourself, given the chances your opponent will call.  This method of expressing bet size is used primarily after the flop, but also before the flop late in a tournament when the blinds get large compared to the average number of chips each player has.
Stack Size
 Bet range is expressed as a percentage of the number of chips in your stack.  Stack relative bets are suggested in rare circumstances where special considerations apply, such as the need to keep enough chips to make a meaningful bet in a future round.
All In
 When you have so few chips that you are unable to place a minimum bet or raise, or doing so would effectively commit all of your chips, your only choice may be to push all your chips into the pot.  The advisor may also suggest that you go all in with a very strong hand, or as an intimidating bluff.

In all cases, the range is also translated for you into a range of actual chip values, and if you press the Do It button, a bet size is randomly selected from within the recommended range.

Action

In order to improve your play, it is important to understand the strategic motivation for the advisor's suggestions.  For instance, if the advisor tells you to raise before the flop, it is helpful to know if this is because the advisor considers your hand to be strong, or if the advisor just thinks you have a good chance of stealing the blinds.  As a result, the advisor dashboard item, when expanded, may be more specific than "Fold", "Check", "Bet", or "Raise" when indicating recommended actions.
 
Check-Raise
 Check, hoping that another player will bet, so that you can then raise.  This is most often suggested in situations when you have a very strong hand, and a reasonable expectation that one of your opponents will bet.
Slow-Play
 Check, hoping that another player will bet, so that you can then call (keeping your opponent in the pot to bet into you again on the next round).  Most often suggested in situations when you have an extremely strong hand, and a reasonable expectation that slow-playing is the best way to maximize your profit.
Limp
 Call the big blind before the flop.  Most often suggested with marginal or drawing hands at a table where the big blind is rarely raised before the flop, often in response to very favorable pot odds.
Open Pot
 Enter the pot first before the flop, with a raise.
Steal
 Bet or raise with the expectation that all of your opponents will fold.
Semi-Bluff
 Bluff with a hand that is probably not the strongest, but has a reasonable chance of improving.
Trap
 Make a small bet with a very strong hand, hoping that another player will make a large raise.
Continuation Bet
 Bluff after the flop, having previously bet before the flop, even though the flop didn't help your hand.

Details - Summary Tab

The Summary tab provides information regarding the motivations behind the advisor's suggestions.

Situation

This provides a brief description of some important aspects of the current situation:
 
First/Last
First to Act You are first to act when none of your opponents has entered the pot voluntarily this round, giving you the opportunity to be first to show strength.  Before the flop, this means that all of the players to your right have folded rather than calling or raising the big blind.  After the flop, it means that all of the players to your right have checked.  Though being first to act is often a disadvantage, it may also provide opportunities for bluffing plays, when there are few players left to act after you, or none, and there is reason to believe that a bet will win the pot immediately. 
Last to Act You are last to act when your action can end the round of betting.  If you are last to act then you can be sure that by calling a bet or raise, you will end the betting, and won't have to face the decision to put any more chips in the pot in this round.
Position
Button
Pre-Flop 		The dealer button is in front of your seat, making you late to act before the flop, and last to act after the flop.  This is a very good position, and weaker hands can be played due to the amount of information available before deciding to call before the flop, and the additional pot stealing opportunities after the flop.
Small Blind
Pre-Flop 		You posted the small blind, making you second-last to act before the flop, if none of your opponents raises.  A call of the big blind may be tempting at half-price, but you will be first to act on each round after the flop, so conservative hand selection is wise.
Big Blind
Pre-Flop
 You posted the big blind, and will be last to act before the flop, so you may have the opportunity to play a completely random hand without putting any chips in the pot voluntarily.  This can provide opportunities to win large pots with unexpected holdings, if your opponents are not paying close attention.  Good ones will be, and will rarely let you sneak into a hand this way.
Early Being in early position is almost always a significant disadvantage, as it forces you to make a decision without any information about what your opponents will do.
Middle
 In middle position, you have some information about the strength of your opponents, but with players left to act you must be careful, since a bet here might be answered with a raise, to which you might have to fold without a very strong hand.
Late In late position, you are near to the end of the betting order, so you have a lot of information from your opponents.  Players in late position can often bet weaker hands, with greater certainty that they are best, or steal pots from players who have showed weakness by checking.
Last
Post-Flop
 Being last to act is often a significant advantage.  If all of your opponents check, you may be able to steal the pot.  If one of your opponents places a bet, you have the opportunity to cheaply fold a marginal hand with which you might otherwise bet, only to be raised by the bettor.
Hand Strength
Pre-Flop The strength attributed to your hand before the flop is based on the hand selection scheme that is currently effective, given the Player Type you have selected to act as your advisor, and the number of players at the table.  This strength also takes into account the position of various sliders in the advisor's Player Type.  For instance, if your advisor is configured to strongly prefer suited aces, it might consider A8s a strong hand even if your hand selection scheme might otherwise consider it weak.  See  AI Options for more information on hand selection and play style sliders.
Post-Flop After the flop, the strength of your hand is harder to quantify, and is estimated based mainly on:
  • Cards on the board.
  • Number of players left.
  • Opponent betting activity.
The behavior of other players is considered in order to determine the relative likelihood they hold a particular hand.  For instance, a player who plays very few hands is more likely to be strong, and a player who didn't raise before the flop is less likely to be holding pocket aces.
Pot Status
Big Blind has been called by n limper(s).
 Before the flop, if there has been no raise, this indicates the number of players who have called the big blind in an attempt to see the flop cheaply.  The more limpers, the higher the pot odds and, for example, the more likely a drawing hand like suited connectors is to be profitable.  On the other hand, the more limpers, the larger the pot that can be stolen by a player in late position, from a bunch of players who have shown marginal strength at best.
Pot has been Raised.
 Indicates there has been an opening bet (post-flop) or raise (pre-flop).
Pot has been Re-Raised.
 Indicates there has been a re-raise.
Players Left
The number of players left in the hand, and how many of them are still to act after you.  If any players are all-in, this is also indicated, as all-in players may still beat you for the portion of the pot they are eligible to win, potentially affecting the value of otherwise good pot odds.

Decision Factors

When deciding what to recommend, the advisor considers a number of possible outcomes, described in the Dashboard Advice section.  The outcomes that were considered are listed in descending order of "strength", so the final recommendation will be listed first. Outcome colors indicate relative strength, with bright green being the strongest, bright red being the weakest.  Dim colors are more neutral in value.

Factors that influenced each outcome are also listed in descending order of "strength", with strong positives being bright green, and strong negatives being bright red.

It is not possible to enumerate here all the details of the process by which these factors are considered and scored. Many are influenced by past betting activity in the current hand and previous hands, the position of play style sliders in the advisor's Player Type definition, and other details of the situation.  It is also beyond the scope of DD Poker to provide in-depth explanations of the reasons that these factors are important.  We leave that to the excellent and ever-growing body of poker literature.

Below is a list of the factors that currently appear in support of the advisor's recommendations:

Situational Basics:
 

Default Action
 In most situations, there is an outcome that will be recommended unless there is sufficient reason to recommend another.  For instance, by default the advisor will recommend that you fold before the flop, unless the situation and/or strength of your hand suports a decision to play.
Position Your position in the betting order.
First Action You are first to act.
Left To Act Number of players left to act after you.
Players Left Number of players left in the hand.
Bet to Call Amount of the bet to call.
Pot Odds
 Size of the pot in relation to the amount to call.
Raw Hand Strength Basic measure of the strength of your hand.
Biased Hand Strength Adjustment to the strength of your hand considering the number of opponents and the hands they are likely to be holding.
Hand Potential
 Estimated probability that your hand will improve to win.
Risk of Being Outdrawn
 Estimated probability that your opponent will draw out on your currently winning hand.
Implied Odds Estimate of additional chips in the pot from future betting rounds.
Steal Potential Estimated probability that you can steal the pot with a bet.
Probe Bet Extent to which a probe bet to test the waters seems like a good idea.

Tournament Strategy:
 

Stack Size
Size of your stack.  When the blinds are large and your stack small, your strategy must change.
Blind Coming Soon When short stacked, as the blinds get closer, you can't be as choosy about hands.
Raiser Stack Size Size of the raiser's stack.  Short-stacked raisers are a small threat and have low credibility.

Tendencies:
Aggression Relative aggressiveness of the advisor, as defined by the Aggression slider.
Tilt Effect of steam from a recent bad beat, subject to influence by the Tilt slider.
Boredom
 Extent to which hand selection is loosened up by cold cards.
Flush Draw
 Effect of Drawing Hands sliders on the perceived value of flush draws.
Straight Draw
 Effect of Drawing Hands sliders on the perceived value of straight draws.

Continuation Betting:
Pre-Flop Position
 Your position before the flop.
First Pre-Flop Raiser
 You were the first raiser before the flop.
Last Pre-Flop Raiser
 You were the last raiser before the flop.
Only Pre-Flop Raiser
 You were the only raiser before the flop.

Opponent Play:
Steal Suspected Extent to which the raiser is suspected of trying to steal the blinds.
Opponent Bet Frequency Frequency with which the bettor has been observed opening the pot after the flop.
Opponent Raise Frequency
Frequency with which the raiser has been observed raising the pot.
Opponent Overbet Frequency
 Frequency with which the raiser has been observed overbetting the pot after the flop.
Opponent Bet-Fold Frequency Frequency with which the bettor has been observed to bet after the flop but then fold to a raise.
Raiser Position
 Position the raiser is in.
Re-Raiser Position
 Position the re-raiser is in.
Checked Around Prior Round(s)
 Extent to which one or more rounds with no action is considered a stealing opportunity, or indicates your marginal hand may be a winner.

Details - Strategy Tab

The Strategy tab allows you to alter the current Player Type being used as the advisor and view the Recommendation Matrix of hands. The Recommendation Matrix shows you what the advice would be in the current situation for every hole card combination you could hold by mousing over each block in the matrix.  The matrix is color coded, so that you can see at a glance the relative strength of your position, and what types of hand look good to the advisor.  A general rule of thumb is that green means bet/raise, yellow means check/call, and red means fold, with the darker colors generally indicating deceptive moves.

Before the flop, any pair, suited, or unsuited hand is equivalent to every other of the same rank, regardless of suit, so the matrix is broken into a 13x13 grid, with AA at the upper left, and 22 at the lower right.  Blocks in the upper-right portion of the matrix represent suited hands, and blocks in the lower-right represent unsuited hands.

After the flop, it starts to matter which particular cards you're holding. For instance, if there are two hearts on the board and you have top pair, ace kicker, it makes a difference if your cards are both hearts. So on the upper right, or suited portion of the matrix, each block is broken into four squares, one for each suit. On the lower left, or unsuited portion of the matrix (including the pairs), each block is broken into sixteen squares, each representing a different combination of cards. Post-flop matrices are further complicated by black spaces for suited combinations on the unsuited portion of the matrix, pair combinations that would mean two of the same card, and hands that would include a card that's already on the board.

Example Pre-Flop Matrix

Example Post-Flop Matrix

Once a matrix is complete (instantaneous pre-flop), mouse-over will bring up the specific hands represented and the recommended play in the help area. The matrix is useful for seeing that a better kicker or suited cards would improve the value of your hand, for spotting strong hand possibilities you may have missed, and things like that. They're also useful for seeing how the sliders affect AI/Advisor play. They're mainly a rough visualization though; for getting a general sense of how the advisor would play in a situation.

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