Texas Hold 'em champs face off with pokerfaced computer

While highly intelligent computers have been pwning humans in backgammon, checkers, and chess for years, machines haven't had nearly as much luck against poker sharks. According to a number of researchers, however, that will surely change over the next decade or so as the programming is honed to better anticipate the human's moves. Nevertheless, poker champion Phil Laak and fellow professional Ali Eslami will soon sit down for a two-day contest at the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Up for grabs is a $50,000 prize, but moreover, University of Alberta's games research group will be interested in figuring out how to better prepare computers to understand and deal with the complex scenarios that only apply to poker. 'Course, with one-petaflop supercomputers now available for civilian use, we're sure it won't be too long before silicon and PCB rule supreme over our feeble brains in yet another facet.

[PeteC @ Jul 23rd 2007 6:35PM]

Surely they can just make the computer card count? :-P

[Pierre @ Jul 23rd 2007 9:38PM]

You can't count cards in Poker - the deck is shuffled after every deal. You're thinking of blackjack.

[LordFarkward @ Jul 23rd 2007 10:03PM]

the computer is no match against jesus...

chris ferguson will just turn it into a cup of G&T with just a wink.

[Richard @ Jul 24th 2007 10:47AM]

Counting is silly in poker: there's only one deck. Not enough cards to get an accurate plus or minus count.

The computer's strength here is that it can calculate the odds virtually instantly.
Much like how Deep Blue's team beat Kasparov, the only way the computer will have a chance is if the team religiously analyzes the human player's playing style (they bluff when they have hand x, don't when they have hand y, they play fast and loose when they have the short stack, etc.) and programs that into the computer.

And much to Kasparov's chagrin, he was not allowed to study the programming of Deep Blue. You think UofA will allow these guys to study the computer to the degree that they'll study them? Unlikely.

These types of matches are really just bunk, and stacked in the favor of the programmers.

Of course, most of the time, the human wins (and I expect the computer to lose here, too) and it just gives the programming team more ammunition in which to try again later.

[Mark @ Jul 24th 2007 1:31PM]

Depends on what you mean by "odds". If you calculate that as knowing how many outs they have, you'd be wrong. True skill in poker isn't on the "odds" so much as calculation of equity (amount in the pot weighed against your range of holdings -- which is given by accurately modeling your opponents' tendencies).

I love it when I sit at the table with morons and they quote statistics, "oh, he only had a 8.3842% chance of hitting that" when knowing the level of detail is just, well, unnecessary. Approximations are key.

If they have a database of Phil Laak hands on which the computer can refernce vs. starting to model him at the beginning of the game, THAT would certainly be unfair.

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:11PM]

Uniblab FTW!

pick a card...any card...BOIIIING!

[PDubNYC @ Jul 24th 2007 1:51PM]

Finally, an original, funny and apropos reference on here.

Good stuff. Too bad your double posted, as I often do.

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:11PM]

Uniblab FTW!

pick a card...any card...BOIIIING!

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:18PM]

Doh.

[Kevlar @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:30PM]

Vancouver FTW!

What would a computer do with the $50,000 prize?

[nojok3 @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:33PM]

I think they don't believe the computer will actually win but rather are using this just to get data. Good point though :p

[devilboy @ Jul 23rd 2007 9:38PM]

Upgrade it's hardware to run Vista?

[paul34 @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:44PM]

Hey, don't insult computers. Lt. Cmdr. Data played a pretty mean hand.

[Thursday @ Jul 23rd 2007 7:49PM]

The Day a Computer can beat a champion Go player, I'll be impressed.
~G

[Revrant2394 @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:28PM]

I for one welcome our Royal Flush having overlords.

[robot rock @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:44PM]

you should have posted a picture of Riker and Data :o

[strider_mt2k @ Jul 23rd 2007 8:51PM]

Good one!

Or Data with the geniuses playing cards would have been a good one as well.

[xVortex44x @ Jul 24th 2007 12:05AM]

The guy looks like the unibomber

[indoshindo @ Jul 24th 2007 12:09AM]

his name is Phil Lak, his nickname is actually the Unibomber because of the way he dresses/looks

[Mikel @ Jul 24th 2007 12:36AM]

I have to laugh...Calling Phil Laak a poker champion is like calling Phil ivory a good poker player.Phil Laak has NO WSOP braclets (his ladyfriend Meg Tilley has.)In fact I don't know of any main titles he holds. He did win $120,000.00 in the winner take all at the Full Tilt Poker show on TV. He though is a funny person and loves games.

[brad77 @ Jul 24th 2007 9:38PM]

Who's Phil Ivory? You're not referring to Ivey, are you?

Five WSOP bracelets doesn't count as good in your book?