Play decisions against five opponents modeled on real players and one GTO-style opponent. Read the tendency, choose the exploit, and get immediate feedback without risking a buy-in.
You're on the early-access list.
We received your signup. We'll email your invitation when early access opens.
We couldn't add you right now. Please try again. Email support@pokrshark.com if the problem continues.
Free during early access. No credit card.
Three hands · no signup
Which adjustment would you make?
Choose your play against three opponent types. Get an explanation after each decision and a suggested practice focus.
Read the example explanations
The Calling Station: Fold to a passive player's rare raise
They have called 14 of your bets and raised twice. Both raises turned over two pair or better.
A passive player's rare raise means strength. On a dry board like this it raises only two pair or better and never raises a draw, so top pair is behind.
Recommended action: Fold
Both raises you saw tonight were two pair or better, and this is the same raise. Top pair is behind, so folding saves the $48.
The Maniac: Raise for value against a wide opener
When 3-bet, they folded four times and called with K-9 suited and 7-6 suited.
This opener folds about two thirds of the time to a 3-bet, and most hands that call are behind ace-queen.
Recommended action: 3-bet to $26
They open wide and fold most of it to a 3-bet. The hands that call, like the K-9 and 7-6 you saw, are behind ace-queen.
The Nit: Size bluffs up against a player who folds more to bigger bets
They have folded to about half of your flop bets, and more often the bigger you bet.
This player folds more as the bet gets bigger. Here a pot-size bet folds about 79% of their range, against 65% for $7.
Recommended action: Bet $13
They fold more to bigger bets: about 79% of their range folds to $13, against 65% to $7. With six-five and no pair, the bigger bluff earns more.
Hand 1 of 3
Turn · Pot $156
The Calling Station · Loose PassiveCalls often. Rarely raises.
VPIP 42%
PFR 7.6%
AF 1.3
Your hand
A♥J♣
Board
J♠8♦4♥6♣
Positions
You: BTN. Opponent: BB.
Effective stack
$200 each at the start of the turn; you have $178 behind after betting.
The turn started with $64. You bet $22. The big blind raises to $70, making the pot $156. Calling costs another $48.
Tonight: They have called 14 of your bets and raised twice. Both raises turned over two pair or better.
Your choice
Recommended action
Fold
The read: A passive player's rare raise means strength. On a dry board like this it raises only two pair or better and never raises a draw, so top pair is behind.
Adjustment:
Hand 2 of 3
Preflop · Pot $9
The Maniac · Loose AggressiveOpens wide and folds most of it to a 3-bet.
VPIP 66%
PFR 24%
AF 4.2
Your hand
A♣Q♦
Positions
You: SB. Opponent: BTN. Big blind still to act.
Effective stack
$200 before the hand at $1/$2 blinds.
The button opens to $6 for the fifth time in a row. You have posted the $1 small blind; calling costs $5.
Tonight: When 3-bet, they folded four times and called with K-9 suited and 7-6 suited.
Your choice
Recommended action
3-bet to $26
The read: This opener folds about two thirds of the time to a 3-bet, and most hands that call are behind ace-queen.
Adjustment:
Hand 3 of 3
Flop · Pot $13
The Nit · Tight PassivePlays few hands and folds more as bets get bigger.
VPIP 13%
PFR 9.5%
AF 1.9
Your hand
6♥5♥
Board
A♣K♦4♠
Positions
You: BTN. Opponent: BB. Heads-up on the flop.
Effective stack
$200 before the hand at $1/$2 blinds.
You opened the button to $6, the small blind folded, and the big blind called. The big blind checks the ace-king flop.
Tonight: They have folded to about half of your flop bets, and more often the bigger you bet.
Your choice
Recommended action
Bet $13
The read: This player folds more as the bet gets bigger. Here a pot-size bet folds about 79% of their range, against 65% for $7.
Adjustment:
Your suggested practice focus
These three hands suggest what to practice next. They do not measure your overall skill or identify your biggest leak.
A GTO solver balances your whole range so that no opponent can exploit
it. Real opponents do not play equilibrium poker. Equilibrium leaves
their mistakes undefined. Poker Shark starts from the opponent instead:
six opponent styles, each a distinct and common playstyle. Our Best
Response Engine finds the play with the highest expected value against
that style. Every recommendation comes with the range the Best Response
Engine assumes, along with the EV computed for every action, so you can
be confident running your next three-barrel bluff or value betting
thinly on the river.
GTO trainers teach you the play no one can exploit. An exploitative
trainer teaches you the play that exploits the player in front of you.
That is the core idea behind exploitative poker strategy. At low and mid stakes the second skill is worth significantly more,
which is why this page pairs with realistic poker practice in a single loop. It is also the habit that separates a poker shark from the rest of the table.
GTO trainers
Drill the play no opponent can exploit
Adjusting to a real opponent means node locking by hand: slow, easy to get wrong, and every unlocked node still assumes perfect play
Balance is the goal, so the opponent's mistakes go uncollected
Assumes the opponent plays perfectly, which nobody does at your stakes
Poker Shark
Find the play that earns the most against the player in front of you
Adjust to each style's specific leaks, street by street
The opponent's mistakes are the target, including the ones that show up later in the hand
Five opponent styles modeled on real players, plus GTO
Live cash games are where the player leaks and tendencies are easiest to
spot and most expensive to misread. The tight-passive player who
suddenly bets big is usually protecting a strong hand and does not want
a draw to get there. The loose-passive player who calls two streets with
top pair is not folding the river either. Some regulars continuation-bet
every flop, or use one size for value and another for bluffs, and the
sizes tell you what they are trying to do.
Poker Shark trains those reads at cash-game stakes from $1/$2 to $500/$1,000, at 100 and 200 big blinds deep, against the
same six styles you meet in the room. You practice the decision, study
the range behind it, and learn to crush the table.
It is a trainer for before and after the session, never during a hand.
Using it, or any tool like it, while you play breaks the rules of every
site and card room.
The arena is structured as a 12-level progression from $1/$2 to
$500/$1,000, built around the step-by-step exploitative framework. Each level is led by one opponent type.
L1-2
Loose Passive
Calls too much, rarely raises
L3-4
Loose Aggressive
Wide ranges, early-street pressure
L5-6
GTO
GTO-style, only small leaks
L7-12
Advanced
200bb deep, then the Regular and the Adaptive
Replay any hand. Take over any decision.
Every hand is saved automatically. The replay system lets you step
through each action and see exactly what happened. The takeover
feature lets you branch into an alternate line at any decision
point.
Poker Shark tracks 19 leak stats and measures each
against a baseline. It tells you how far off you are, how confident the
signal is, and how severe the leak.
Overfolds to 3-bets
Baseline: 45%Flag: >60%
MAJOR
C-bets too wide
Baseline: 55%Flag: >80%
MODERATE
Never bluffs river
Baseline: 25%Flag: <5%
MODERATE
Scout your opponents before you exploit them
The scouting panel shows each opponent's key stats as you play.
Confidence levels tell you when you have enough data to trust the
read. As you accumulate hands, the picture sharpens.
Play 10-15 hands before a session. Get your reads sharp and your
decision-making calibrated without risking money before you're in
the zone.
Studying between sessions
Review your hands, branch alternate lines, and work on specific
skills. Thirty minutes of focused training teaches more than three
hours at a play-money table. See how Poker Shark compares to other training apps.
Moving up in stakes
Before you risk bigger buy-ins, train against tougher opponents.
Levels 7-12 play 200bb deep. The Regular leads levels 9 and 10, and
the Adaptive, who studies your saved hands, leads levels 11 and 12.
It depends on the question you want answered. If you want equilibrium charts and balanced-frequency drilling, GTO tools do that well. Poker Shark answers a different question: what is the strongest play against the specific player in front of you? You get hands against six opponent archetypes with measurable tendencies, hand replay with takeover, and automatic leak detection, so you practice finding and punishing each type's leaks.
Is poker training worth it? +
Yes. Learning only at real-money tables means paying for every mistake. Practicing against realistic opponents gets you the same reps without the cost.
What's the difference between training and coaching? +
Coaching gives you someone else's analysis of your play, typically $100-300/hour. Training gives you the reps and feedback to develop your own reads and instincts. Both have value, but training builds the pattern recognition that coaching alone can't replicate.
How is Poker Shark different from GTO trainers? +
GTO trainers teach you to play a balanced, unexploitable strategy. Poker Shark teaches you to exploit opponents who aren't balanced, which is nearly everyone at low and mid stakes. You face opponents with specific, measurable tendencies and learn to adjust your strategy to profit from their patterns.
What is the best poker training for cash games? +
Training that reproduces the decisions cash games actually present: deep stacks, no blind pressure, and opponents who stay the same for hours. Poker Shark is built only for cash games, six-max at 100 to 200 big blinds, against five opponent styles modeled on real players and a GTO opponent.
Is Poker Shark a free poker trainer app? +
Poker Shark runs in the browser on desktop and phone with nothing to install, and it is free during early access. No credit card.
Can I use a poker trainer during a live game? +
No. Card rooms and online sites forbid real-time assistance, and Poker Shark is built for study before a session and review after it. Using it, or any tool like it, while you play breaks the rules of every site and card room.
Train the skills that win at real tables.
12 levels. 6 opponent types. Every hand saved. Leaks detected.
Early access opens October 9, 2026.
You're on the early-access list.
We received your signup. We'll email your invitation when early access opens.
