Artificial Intelligence Improves Poker Operations

AI technology is penetrating every sphere of life, constantly bringing incomparable updates. In the gambling world, AI can be used to develop games or entertainment strategies.

Poker Bots: Comments of Jason Les

The program for conducting card gaming, Libratus, is even more advanced than its predecessor Claudico, which almost defeated professional players. However, participants are also getting better, according to poker contestant Jason Les.

He told Carnegie Mellon University, which developed Libratus, that over the past 20 months, the card game has gotten a lot tougher on a human level. Mr Les believes that people improve their skills thanks to computer analysis tools such as PioSOLVER and PokerSnowie. In particular, players are wagering more actively to receive small benefits.

A great example of how it works is hold’em. This is a game in which participants can bet after:

• 2 cards are dealt (pocket);
• 3 community cards uncovered (flop);
• the 4th (turn) or the 5th (river) card revealed.

Mr Les gives several examples:

1. A higher re-raise (responding to an increase in the first betting round with a new and larger bid). It is 50% higher than it used to be. Players try to increase the pot with good cards and bluffs, therefore making others pay a hefty price to open the flop or re-raise their stakes.
2. More frequent extended bids (when a bettor enlarges their wager 2 rounds in a row). Jason Les thinks people use this strategy because it prevents their opponents from seeing the 4th community card. Players will have to pay something if they want to realise the equity in the future.

Both of these tactics seem obvious, but it will take computer analysis to understand how important such small advantages can be. Here, poker is far behind chess. In the 90s, artificial intelligence conquered this royal amusement. Decades of computer analysis turned it into a competition with limited opportunities.

Jason Les about AI in Poker

The card game that involves incomplete information and relies on tactics like bluffing is much more difficult. However, artificial intelligence does not stand still — its influence on the way poker is played has increased significantly in recent years. AI tools will come in handy not only for professional punters who want to win small advantages but also for amateurs.

In 2015, Jason Les made a big comeback against Claudico, announcing that he discovered a secret. The professional stated that when playing with such a program, the main thing is to find a weak point and use it properly. Unlike a human, the system does not care what the rival thinks of it or how ridiculous its strategy looks.

Professional players noticed Claudico's tendency to make min bets just to stay in the game when there were too many bad cards (calling more often than raising it in the small blind). This revealed its poor position.

Libratus Poker Bot

It was created at Carnegie Mellon University by Tuomas Sandholm and Noam Brown. The solution claims to be the first robot to beat the top players in heads-up no-limit Texas Hold'em.

The game involves 2 punters and is easier compared to group poker sessions. There is no restriction on bets. This makes it more complicated than limit hold'em, which was conquered in 2015 by the game bot of the University of Alberta.

AI researchers have taken poker psychology to study the real problem of negotiation, where each participant has ulterior motives. According to Noam Brown, in the real world, important information is not presented in full as clearly as the pieces on a chessboard. Some valuable data will be missing or hidden, and artificial intelligence will have to learn how to deal with it.

The Main Things about AI Technology in Card Games

Such innovation is a nice and modern tool for casino entertainment, particularly poker. Jason Les has repeatedly noted the rapid growth of technology and its positive impact on players — their strategies become more interesting and well thought out.

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