If you’re looking to learn poker today, things have changed quite a bit compared to 10 or 15 years ago. We’ve moved on from watching videos and reading coaching materials to a much more hands-on approach that involves a variety of poker tools.
These range from simple collections of preflop charts that you can always have ready on your phone to complex solvers that cater to the most studious of players who can spend hours looking at different scenarios and node locks for specific situations.
Depending on your level, your ambition, and where you’re at in your career, you may or may not need all of these, but we bring you an overview of the top poker training tools in 2026. You can use it as a starting point on your poker improvement journey.
Preflop Charts
Once upon a time, poker preflop charts were mostly static images that you would keep in folders and try to organize in a way where locating your 30 big blind push-fold chart didn’t take forever. Luckily, technology has advanced, gifting us with a significant update to this most basic of poker tools.
Nowadays, you can find charts that are fully interactive, allowing you to set up parameters and get an instant result. Instead of going through dozens of individual images, you move a few sliders around and get exactly what you need.
Upswing Poker’s Preflop Prodigy is a quality solution for all your preflop charts. It offers a web-based interface and a phone app, so you can always have access to the charts.
The interface is quite intuitive. First, you choose your game type (tournaments, live cash, or online 6-max cash games), and then you can simply choose your and your opponent’s position as well as a scenario (raise first in, facing a 3-bet, etc.). The chart you need is generated instantly, and all outputs are fully solver-based.
The best part is that you can actually get full access to Preflop Prodigy for free. You just need to register an account with Upswing Poker, which you can do with an email address, and you’ll get immediate access.
Of course, other poker training sites have preflop charts, too, but they may not be as easy to navigate. Octopi’s Poker Preflop Viewer is a good alternative worth checking out, and you will get access to it with a free membership.
Top Poker Preflop Charts Apps in 2026
- Preflop Prodigy by Upswing Poker – free preflop charts web-based app
- Preflop Viewer by Octopi Poker – another web-based preflop charts app available with a free membership plan
Poker Equity Calculators
By definition, poker equity calculators belong in the group of basic poker tools, but they, too, can vary in terms of complexity and capabilities.
In its most basic form, they provide information about your equity in a hand, i.e., the percentage of the pot that mathematically “belongs” to you. However, some of these tools are capable of more advanced calculations, too, such as accounting for ranges, specific board textures, and more.
For your basic needs, Equilab is your top choice. This tool has been around for what feels like forever and, in its free version, will give you access to basic equity calculations. The software also has some more advanced features that you can unlock with a payment. PokerStove is a very similar tool that you can also download for free.
If we are talking more advanced calculators, you have your Flopzilla. This tool is far more complex than your average calculator, with options to assign different ranges, board textures, and runouts, and look into various hand frequencies.
So, for beginners, simple calculators will tell you what you need to know — what is your equity with pocket queens against AT or how suited connectors really stack up against big pocket pairs. Once you reach a more serious stage in your poker journey, a tool like Flopzilla can help you take things to a new level, where you can analyze a variety of different runouts and how your hand equity changes based on different types of flops, turns, and rivers.
Best Poker Equity Calculators of 2026
- Equilab – free equity calculators with all the basic functions & more advanced paid features
- PokerStove – a free basic equity calculator
- Flopzilla – an advanced equity calculator that allows you to work with textures & board runouts
Poker Solvers
When we talk about modern ways to learn poker, it’s impossible to even begin the discussion without the word solver popping up. Poker solvers are advanced tools that are designed to tell you a mathematically correct move (known as Game Theory Optimal) in pretty much any situation. From preflop decisions to figuring out the right continuation bet size and frequency to river decisions, a poker solver will give you an answer for almost any situation imaginable.
Although they work best for heads-up pots, new generations of solvers are also capable of tackling multi-way spots.
By their very nature, solvers aren’t particularly beginner-friendly, as you need to have a certain level of understanding of the game to be able to use them. Once you reach that level, though, they can be extremely useful.
There is certainly no lack of options out there, but GTO Wizard has long been considered the best of the best in the poker world. It has a massive database of presolved solutions and makes it very easy to upload and analyze your own hands to see how your play aligns with the GTO strategy.
You can access the software at different price points, from a free version to the one designed for casual players all the way to the most serious of professionals. At the highest membership level, you can even access multiway and custom solutions, which is pretty much as advanced as it can get for a poker solver.
Of course, there are other options out there.
One of the more recent additions to the poker training space, Octopi Poker has its own solver, which offers some pretty cool features not found elsewhere. It is also a full-fledged training platform, with videos, training scenarios, and more, so it’s not just a solver you’re signing up for.
PioSolver and MonkerSolver are considered high-level tools for players who want to study very specific spots and nods, and who need even more flexibility. If you’re wondering whether you need this, the answer is probably no. The kind of analysis these tools offer is for advanced players, and when you reach that level, you’ll know it.
Best 2026 Poker Solvers
- GTO Wizard – the golden standard of poker solvers
- Octopi’s Poker solver – some cool features & full poker training platform
- PioSolver & MonkerSolver – advanced GTO solvers for high level players
ICM Calculators
If you are a tournament player, you’ll probably want to have an ICM calculator handy. These tools use the Independent Chip Model to tell you what your stack is worth in monetary terms at a certain point in a tournament.
ICM calculators are most useful at final tables, whether you’re negotiating a prize pool deal or simply want to get a better idea of what your current stack is worth and use that info to make strategic adjustments. However, they can come in handy at other stages of a tournament, too.
ICMIZER 3 is the most powerful one in this group of tools. This isn’t a simple calculator. It is also a training tool that allows you to analyze your own hands and check for any push/fold mistakes when ICM considerations are added to the mix. The tool is not free, but you can get a free seven-day trial to see how you like it.
If you need a straightforward ICM calculator that does basic math for stack sizes and prize distributions, you can find one on the HoldemResources site. It’s free and pretty much plug-and-play — enter stack sizes and prize distribution, click the button, and get your answers.
MTTDB also has a free ICM calculator, with an arguably nicer interface, so you can choose between the two. They both do the same job; the only difference is the user interface.
Top Picks for ICM Caclulators in 2026
- ICMIZER – long-standing and reliable ICM calculator with basic and advanced features, including training options
- HoldemResources ICM Calculator – basic ICM tool available for free
- MTTDB’s ICM Calculator – a free tool with a nice interface
Get Your Tools & Get Better at Poker in 2026
This long list of the best poker tools in 2026 might feel overwhelming, but the good news is that you don’t need to get all of them all at once.
Depending on what stage you are at in your poker career, you may only need a few basic tools to get you started.
That said, poker tools, alongside top training sites, are your best path forward if you want to grow as a player. There is a wealth of knowledge out there just waiting to be explored and consumed, and you can start as early as today!


