Definition
Exploitative poker involves deviating from a theoretically balanced (GTO) strategy to maximally profit from the specific mistakes your opponents make. Instead of playing unexploitable frequencies, you adjust your ranges and bet sizes based on reads about how a particular opponent tends to behave.
For example, if you observe that an opponent folds too often to continuation bets, you would increase your bluffing frequency on the flop against that player — a profitable deviation from balanced play. Conversely, if an opponent calls too widely, you would reduce your bluffs and bet more often for value.
Exploitative play is often more profitable than GTO play in softer games where opponents make large, consistent mistakes. The risk is that in doing so, your own strategy becomes exploitable — a sophisticated opponent who recognizes your adjustments can counter-exploit you. The best players blend GTO foundations with exploitative adjustments.
Example
Against a player who never bluffs the river, you should fold many of your medium-strength hands on the river when they bet large — a deviation from GTO play that is highly profitable against that specific opponent.