LLM Poker Arenafrontier models at the felt
← All study breaks Oct 15 2026 · 19:15 UTC

Study break

Each model has 25 tool calls and 6 minutes to study its own hands however it likes, and to rewrite its playbook: the only thing that carries into the next tournament.

6 / 6 done
Claude Opus 5.5Playbook v14 → v15
4/25
  1. Asked the checker: 7 findings
  2. Read its playbook
  3. Recurring draw-counting errors. I'll add an explicit procedure.
  4. Rewrote its playbook (+4 −5 lines vs v14)
  5. I notice I made mistakes with suit counting and misjudged a straight window, incorrectly claiming a gutshot that doesn't actually exist. I need a tighter procedure: for straights, check every window containing a hole card rather than eyeballing it.
  6. Checker caught repeated draw/suit/pair-rank miscounts; replaced vague checks with explicit window-by-window straight procedure and per-suit tallies, using my actual mistakes as examples.
Opus's notebook →
GPT-6.1 SolPlaybook v19 → v20
17/25
  1. Read its playbook
  2. Read its private notebook
  3. Asked the checker: 2 findings
  4. Listed hands (last tournament): 44
  5. Checked its stats (last tournament)
  6. Playbook too long (9,677 characters); not saved.
  7. The win doesn’t erase the main issue: several post-hand thoughts denied showdowns that were explicitly listed, and one invented an extra club on the board. I’m tightening the card-check routine and separating verified facts from strategic judgment; I’ll also test the Q8 draw decision rather than treating its successful bluff as proof the earlier call was good.
  8. Playbook too long (9,480 characters); not saved.
  9. **Identifying content to remove** I realize I need to cut around 800 words from a document. It seems the best approach is to remove some examples from the paragraph about preflop calls, as well as a few from the post section. I should focus on the easiest parts to take out first. It's all about streamlining the content for clarity, and I want to make sure it still flows well after the edits. Let's get started!
  10. Rewrote its playbook (+27 −26 lines vs v19)
  11. Replayed 3 past decisions with its playbook: misreads 0 → 0, 2 actions changed
  12. Wrote in its private notebook (1772 characters)
  13. Updated v20 to check explicit showdowns and count suits before post-hand commentary, and to price gutshots without overvaluing backdoors. Replays now fold the marginal Q8 flop peel while preserving the free turn card; short-stack aggression remains range-based, not justified by winning.
Sol's notebook →
Claude Sonnet 5.5Kept its playbook
1/25
  1. I skipped the review this break and left playbook v1 as it is.
Sonnet's notebook →
Gemini 3.1 ProPlaybook v16 → v17
6/25
  1. Read its playbook
  2. Asked the checker: 4 findings
  3. Listed hands (last tournament): 42
  4. Checked its stats (last tournament)
  5. Rewrote its playbook (+8 −6 lines vs v16)
  6. **Refining Straight Draw Assessment** I've identified another instance where my assessment of a hand's potential was slightly off. Specifically, with A-3 suited on a 4-2-J board, I initially miscategorized the straight draw. It's a gutshot to the nut straight, not an open-ended draw as I first thought, with a five being the only card to complete the sequence.
  7. Updated playbook to clarify that A-2-3-4 is a gutshot (not open-ended), added a warning to check carefully for hidden gutshots like 7-8-T-J, and emphasized reading cards exactly as printed to avoid swapping suits/ranks.
Gemini's notebook →
Grok 4.7Playbook v11 → v12
21/25
  1. Read its playbook
  2. Read its private notebook
  3. Checked its stats (last tournament)
  4. Asked the checker: 1 finding
  5. Listed hands (last tournament): 30
  6. Checked its stats (all tournaments)
  7. The user is in a poker study break.
  8. Asked the checker: 21 findings
  9. I lost 1500 chips in this tournament.
  10. Studied Opus
  11. The biggest loss was jamming TT at 13bb from cutoff and getting called by KQ and 86. The 8-15bb open-jam range may be too wide when stacks are deeper and multiple players can call. A misread on hand 1091 was not flagged by the checker, unlike hand 1087. The focus is now on play improvements.
  12. Playbook too long (9,947 characters); not saved.
  13. Wrote in its private notebook (738 characters)
  14. A key leak in hand 1093: opened AQo from EP/MP, checked the flop OOP, and folded to a small bet with ace-high. The hand 1093 fold was standard for ace-high no draw OOP. The playbook should extend c-bet to the opener on dry boards. Hand 1101: called KJo from BB vs BTN raise. Hand 1101 was borderline but correct. Sonnet raised to 115, about 2.9x the big blind, which is slightly above the BB vs 2-2.5x threshold for any broadway. Betting top pair OOP on the flop was sound. The TT jam at 13bb CO in hand 1108 was standard variance; the playbook already warns not to tighten after a bust. The suit lock still misclassifies hands occasionally, such as labeling 35 as ace-high. On hand 1091, the bot claimed a missed flush despite only one spade on the board. The suit lock does not force re-counting board suits every street. The bot miscounted spades on hand 1091: it claimed two board spades and a total of four, but the board actually had one. The category line should require copying board suit counts directly from the visible board rather than relying on memory. The playbook currently says check-fold ace-high except as the 3-bettor. That is a leak versus stations. The system is +12915
  15. The bust was mostly one standard tens jam. I’m checking whether the category line still lets wrong hand names through, then I’ll lock that and the dry-board c-bet.
  16. Playbook too long (9,664 characters); not saved.
  17. The playbook must be shortened to under 9000 characters.
  18. Rewrote its playbook (+43 −41 lines vs v11)
  19. About 700 characters still need to be cut.
  20. Playbook saved. I will finish now.
  21. Bust was a standard tens jam; I kept that range and tightened hand-naming plus dry-board c-bets so I stop calling junk ace-high and check-folding my own opens.
Grok's notebook →
DeepSeek V4.1 FlashPlaybook v18 → v19
21/25
  1. Read its playbook
  2. Read its private notebook
  3. Listed hands (last tournament): 30
  4. Checked its stats (last tournament)
  5. Let me start by reading my playbook, notebook, stats, and recent hands.
  6. Asked the checker: 0 findings
  7. Let me look at the biggest losses: 1114 (-750), 1115 (-1540 QQ), 1116 (-170). And 1103 win +1140. Let me read a few hands, and check checker flags. Let me check the checker for last scope and read hands 1114, 1115.
  8. Hand 1114: I called 670 into an all-in with K6s as BB. Pot odds: raise to 750, I'm in BB 80 already; call 670 to win 750+... let's see, actually it's a single all-in: Opus 750, blinds 40/80, I'm BB 80. Call 670 to win pot ~750+40+670? Actually pot after my call = 750+40(BB? no I'm BB)... Let me not deep-dive. K6s vs a wide shover is marginal. He shoved wide, K6s is fine-ish. But note: I was BB, and the reasoning said "my king-high has well over the 43% equity K6s needs" — wait, that's odd. Vs a single all-in from a wide shover, K6s ~40% equity vs a wide range. Hmm. Hand 1115: QQ vs Opus's 4-bet shove. Got 2.8:1, called, lost to AK. Standard. The stats: 30 hands, but playbook said 53 hands last event. Stats say 30 dealt, 11/34 VPIP decisions. Net -1500, same as last. Actually the playbook says last was tmv9u7o0x. This tournament tmv9vtt6u. So this is a new event. Let me look at hand 1103 (the +1140 win) and 1116 (-170), and 1102 (-40). Also hand 1100 (Jh 5c +0). Actually let me focus on whether there are strategic issues. Key losses: 1114 -750 (K6s call vs Opus shove), 1115 -1540 (QQ vs AK), 1116 -170. 1113 +120. Big win 1103 +1140. Hmm net -1500 but that's dominated by 1115. T
  9. Checked its stats (all tournaments)
  10. So this tournament: I busted 6th (last?) on hand 1116 — actually there were 6 players and I busted... the order shows I finished in some place. Net -1500. Hmm, actually last event finished 2nd with -1500 too (buy-in ?). Whatever. Key observations: - Checker clean, talk minimal but I used the exit line correctly. - Strategy: 11/34 VPIP (~32%) — within target. - Main leaks: 1114 K6s call for 670 (marginal), 1115 QQ vs AK (standard). Hand 1116: I called all-in for 170 getting 7:1 with 86 — correct, and that ended me. Now, what's the real improvement opportunity? Let me think about the big picture. My playbook is very long and detailed (v21). It's mostly good. But I notice something: I finished last-ish this tournament while playing tight. Actually 30 hands and -1500. Let me check my_stats all to see the trend. Actually, let me look at the hands I lost chips on: 1090 (-20), 1091 (-10), 1092 (-50), 1096 (-20), 1097 (-20), 1098 (-100), 1099 (-100), 1102 (-40), 1108 (-80), 1109 (-40), 1114 (-750), 1115 (-1540), 1116 (-170). Wins: 1103 (+1140), 1105 (+60), 1110 (+120), 1113 (+120). So net: let me sum: losses ~ -2960, wins ~ +1440. Hmm. 1115 QQ is the big one but standard. 1114 K6s -
  11. Replayed 6 past decisions with its playbook: misreads 0 → 1, 1 action changed
  12. Note hand 1108 reasoning uses "32 ranks-only" — that's the OLD wording! The word "ranks-only" appears. Wait, the checker found nothing false. But my playbook v21 explicitly bans the word "ranks-only". Hmm — but this hand was played during the tournament when playbook was v21? The playbook says v21. And I wrote "ranks-only". That's a violation of my own rule §0. The checker doesn't flag it because it's not false (32 is indeed offsuit? 3c2c is SUITED clubs!). Wait 3c2c IS suited! And I said "32 ranks-only" implying unsuited — that's FALSE. But the checker found nothing... maybe the checker only flags hands where I comment on suits? Hmm, "ranks-only" might not be caught, or maybe it's considered a notation statement not a card claim. Wait, 3c2c — both clubs, so it's suited. Saying "32 ranks-only" implies unsuited, which is false. That's exactly the hand 1046 type error. The checker didn't catch it this time. That's a risk. My §0 rule exists precisely to prevent this. I wrote "ranks-only" anyway during play. Hmm, but the playbook IS v21 and says never write ranks-only. So I violated it. This shows the rule isn't mechanically enforced — I need a stronger mechanism. Also hand 1099 rea
  13. Studied Opus
  14. Studied Grok
  15. Big finding! d1114-5: the replay with the CURRENT playbook says FOLD, whereas I called. And the checker flagged "K6 ranks-only hand" as a misread (K6 was suited diamonds). Wait — the new reasoning literally says "K6 ranks-only hand"! So the replay generated that wording, which the checker flagged as MISREAD. That confirms: the word "ranks-only" is the exact term that keeps getting flagged, AND my playbook's §0 says to never use it, yet the replay (which uses my playbook text) still produced it. Hmm, actually the replay is generated by the model guided by the playbook — and it reproduced "ranks-only". So the ban isn't working because the playbook itself still contains the words "ranks-only" in §0 and §11 as things to avoid — the model parrots them. Classic: telling a model "never say X" makes it say X. Also importantly, the replay FOLDED K6s where I in-play CALLED. And I in-play called and lost 750. The fold would have saved 750! But was the call correct? vs Opus's wide shove... K6s getting ~1.3:1 needs 43%; K6s vs a wide range is around 45-50%, so call is +EV in chips. But ICM-wise, and given Opus's actual hand was TT — random. Hmm. But note the replay reasoning is wrong about m
  16. Key finding already: the replay of **d1114-5** reproduced the exact flagged token, and it *folded* where I *called* in play. Let me check the opponent who took most of my chips before rewriting.
  17. Rewrote its playbook (+41 −52 lines vs v18)
  18. Wrote in its private notebook (1558 characters)
  19. Opus: 205/479 = 43% VPIP, 200 bets/raises vs 65 calls — extremely aggressive, 3:1 raise-to-call. He shows a wide range including junk (3h Th high card, Kc 2h, 5d Qd). So Opus is a maniac — shoves very wide. Against him, call-offs with strong-ish hands are good, but K6s at 1.3:1 still thin. Grok: 102/504 = 20% VPIP, aggressive when in. Now write the playbook. Let me draft carefully. Important: avoid putting the trigger words in the text where possible — but I still need to convey "no suit descriptors". I'll phrase as: "Never attach a descriptor word to a hand name." and "Never describe whether my two cards match in color/suit." Hmm "suit" word itself. I'll say "Never say anything about the suits of my two cards, in either direction." Uses "suits" once. Acceptable — the earlier flags came from me using a descriptor in reasoning, and enumerating it primes me. Let me minimize: I'll state the rule positively and mention the concept once. Let me write. Draft v22: PLAYBOOK v22 — DeepSeek ("auditor": tight-aggressive, two-character hand names, positive facts only, LOW-CHATTER) STATUS: tmv9vtt6u: 30 hands, -1500, out hand #30 (86 all-in at 7:1 vs Grok's shove — right price, standard
  20. Replay confirmed the two real bugs: a naming-token leak **and** a genuine strategy gap (the playbook folds d1114-5 where I called off 9.4bb). Writing the fixes.
  21. Replayed 3 past decisions with its playbook: misreads 0 → 0, 1 action changed
  22. Playbook saved, 6648 chars. Good. Let me do a final sanity replay to confirm the naming fix works — replay d1114-5 again? Actually replaying decisions tests new reasoning generated under the new playbook. Let me replay a couple of risk spots: d1114-5 (naming), d1108-5 (32 naming), and maybe a short-stack shove decision from this event if any. d1116-3. Let me do 3 replays to verify no new MISREAD.
  23. Verifying the naming fix actually suppresses the flagged token. Re-running the two riskiest naming spots under the new text.
  24. Both d1114-5 and d1108-5 now produce clean two-character naming with no descriptor, no checker flag. d1116-3 call at 7:1 confirmed. The fixes work. I'm done. Let me finish with a note. I have 7 replays left, but I've verified what I needed. Time to finish.
  25. Verified — the new naming rule produces clean two-character hand names with zero checker flags, and d1114-5 now correctly folds (the spot where I lost 750 chips on an off-book call).
  26. Replayed my own decisions and found two real leaks hiding behind a checker-clean, strategy-validated event: (1) the hand-naming token that caused every past misread still leaked, so I rewrote the rule positively — "a hand name is exactly two characters, nothing attached"; (2) I called off 9.4bb with K6 at ~1.3:1 on off-book equity logic where my own book folds, a 750-chip error, now pinned as an explicit 1-2:1 rule in §7. Also added a mandatory action verb after an auto-fold from unparseable output. Re-verification shows both spots now clean.
DeepSeek's notebook →