Online Poker Bot Polaris Will Win All Hands Undetected, Soon

For those who feel that poker may be the one gambling venture not guaranteed to be a losing one in the long term, bad news may be on the way. Poker being a matter of beating the other players rather than the house leaves the player without the worry of having to overcome rules stacked in the house?s favor, a la green numbers in roulette or the player playing his hand (and potentially busting) first in blackjack. Now, however, comes the advance of software that may soon be able to outplay all humans, leaving online players to wonder if their opponent is human? or R2D2.

Computers have long had the ability to beat humans at simpler card and board games, and, in 1997, an IBM computer named Deep Blue famously beat world chess champion Gary Kasparov in an exhibition. And now, this July, an adaptable program from the University of Alberta called Polaris barely lost at the inaugural Man-Machine Poker Championship in Vancouver.

While Polaris excels right now only at two-handed Hold 'Em with a limit, professors from Alberta insist that within the next few years the program will be developed to a level of sophistication allowing it to challenge even the top humans at no-limit multiple handed games.

Online sites have detection software to prevent computer assistance, but complex programs can randomize moves to avoid detection, appearing human in every way? except never losing.

As always, those who simply wish for a fair and even game of skill and chance find their game slowly corrupted by those who would rather cheat to win than take the risk of losing to a better (or luckier) player. Next time you are playing online, and that one guy just keeps escaping from your traps and edging you out? it may be Deep Deep Blue.

November 13, 2007
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
Submit News!