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Humans Dominating Poker Super Computer
New submitter IoTdude writes: The Claudico super computer uses an algorithm to account for gargantuan amounts of complexity by representing the number of possible Heads-Up No-limit Texas Hold'em decisions. Claudico also updates its strategy as it goes along, but its basic approach to the game involves getting into every hand by calling bets. And it's not working out so far. Halfway through the competition, the four human pros had a cumulative lead of 626,892 chips. Though much could change in the week remaining, a lead of around 600,000 chips is considered statistically significant.
How are we supposed to have any idea what a cumulative lead of 626,892 chips means without knowing how many total chips there are? If there are 650,000 chips then the game is almost over, but if there are 1,000,000,000 chips then there hasn't been any movement at all.
This is some pretty poor journalism.
-- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
This is basically a beginning poker player (fresh blood) but who is more consistent. A pro will absolutely clobber it.
In other words, either the researchers involved are complete idiots, or a Slashdot poster jumped to a useless conclusion based on a strawman argument spun from the summary. Hm.
~Idarubicin
I don't know about the technology or the algorithm(s), but the linked article is certainly nonsense.
“You could use the same basic framework to do robust decision making like trying to come up with insulin and glucose monitoring plans [for diabetes patients],” says Neil Burch, a computer scientist at the University of Alberta who helped design a poker-playing AI earlier this year. “You get regular snapshots of glucose levels, and you have to decide how much insulin you should take, and how often.”
Look, I get it. Nobody wants to admit that they're spending their grant money this way because it's fun to get a computer to play Hold 'em. But that's got to be the dumbest justification I've ever read. Human metabolism is complex, but the pancreas doesn't bluff.
~Idarubicin
Lt. Commander Data struggled with the intricacies of poker as well.
Gamertag: WyleType
I almost did a double-take with this story; a few months ago I read about computers having solved heads-up _limit_ Texas hold’em: http://arstechnica.com/science...
Well, it looks like the computer can win when there is a limit, but humans can still win when there is no limit.
I guess that's not too surprising: the limit really cuts down the number of choices, making a brute-force calculations more practical, and brute-force calculations are what computers do best. Without the restrictions of a limit, the AI needs to be a lot more clever. I wonder how long it'll be until computers win at this.
There's no way the computer is going to win at Strip Poker.
I read the internet for the articles.
And the computer here is a patsy called a calling station.
From the article: "but its basic approach to the game involves getting into every hand by calling bets".
That's good entry level tight strategy but will get you cleaned out playing no limit against a seasoned pro. You really have to learn how to win with any two random cards against any flop. You don't make a run at the hand every time but you must occasionally. If you know your opponent only plays face cards and likes to slow play strong hands preflop I'd rather call a minimum bet preflop with 2 3 than with KQ. I can get out cheap or absolutely clobber him with a good flop and I avoid the risk that he has some Ax, KK, QQ, JJ or some other face cards that can put my KQ in an uncomfortable spot.
Lastly, if in doubt never call. Either raise or fold. Calling should be a very deliberate play. Most folks call because they have no clue if they're winning or losing a hand. Hint, you're losing.
And what facial expressions would the computer betray?
That's not what arbiter1 meant.
"Reading your opponent" doesn't rely on facial expressions or tells when you are playing online poker.
First of all, this is the link that the story should have included. It includes updates of the scoreboard, etc. On it you will see that even though the brains are collectively beating Claudico, the computer is actually over $100,000 ahead against Jason Les, a feat that almost no human could match. Yes, Claudico is down against the other three, but these are the top players in the world, and most human pros would get clobbered much worse by these guys. Are we really so hard to impress? This is the first time that something like this has been tried, and already, the computer is performing on a level that most poker pros would love to reach.
There's no card counting in Texas Holdem. The deck is reshuffled after each hand dealt. Only 7 cards are shown to a given player, and all of them can be read at any time. There's no advantage to card counting, because you don't need to count. They may have some other card game they beat, but it isn't holdem.
I still have more fans than freaks. WTF is wrong with you people?