Hint boxes

To the lower left of a decision node you will on occasion see a small box with:
- a question mark (?)
- an 'i' (i)
- an exclamation point (!).

The hint boxes are there to provide you with relevant information regarding that decision node.
When you mouse over them you'll get a popup with additional information on that node.

The question mark box (?)
The question mark box will give you an explanation of why certain data is missing.
For example, in some cases it's not possible to calculate the equity for a decision.
The ? will explain to you why that is.




The information box (i) and the exclamation box (!)
These boxes show up in tournaments to inform you of the origin that is used to evaluate the EVs.
Now, this is a somewhat complex subject that does not occur in cash games.
This is because in cash games, the origin is always known.

However, in tournaments it can be really tricky to determine the origin if a hand is multi-way.
For more on that subject, please go here.

In these tournament spots, the i box will be there to inform you that the origin wás found.
In case of a i box, you won't need to do anything:




The exclamation box (!) however will show up in multiway spots.
Specifically, it will show up if a player takes an action but there's still at least one player left to act.

The challenge in determining the origin here is the fact that it may not be known what other players will do after you fold.
Given that the outcome after folding is unknown, there's nothing to compare the EVs in the decision tó.

The software will do its best to create an artificial outcome with which it can compare these EVs.
However, it informs you that it has created such an artificial outcome, just in case you want to make changes to it.
For more on this subject, again, please go here.



Example:
In the pic above there's an exclamation point to the lower left of SB's decision.
This is because, in order to evaluate the EV of calling, the EV of folding must be known.
However, the EV of folding depends on how BB would act after SB folds.
And since that data is not known in this tree, the software informs you that it has made an educated guess.

In this tree, also note that there's an i symbol for BB's decision.
That is because it ís known what happens after BB folds.
Namely that button and SB will go to showdown.
So in thát case the origin ís known.

Tip:
If an exclamation symbol is given for a decision, mostly you won't need to do anything.
You only should consider providing the software with an origin if you're interested in thát specific decision.
Otherwise you can just ignore it.