Machine Proved Better Than Man at Poker
We humans took a hit to our pride 11 years ago when IGM's Big Blue computer beat out World Chess Champion Gary Kasparov. Well now it seems as if it is our turn again to lose to a poker playing machine. The Polaris 2 was at the Rio All Suites and Hotel for the Gaming Life Expo that ran from July 3rd to July 6th.
The Polaris 2 is a sophisticated poker Artificial Intelligence Machine that crushed us humans at the Man Versus Machine competition in Las Vegas. The score was computer three, humans two and one draw. "Now that we've lost, I'm itching for a rematch," said Jay Palansky, one of Polaris' opponents.
"Poker is a completely different game,"said computer scientist Michael Bowling, the leader of a Computer Poker Research Group at the University of Alberta, Canada.
"In chess or checkers, you have perfect information. There are no secrets on the board," Bowling said. "But in poker you don't know the other person's cards. The basic computer techniques used in chess can't help you in poker."
Bowling and his team launched the Polaris five years ago as a artificial intelligence project. The machine started doing well against amateurs but couldn't beat professional players, but this year they came with a stronger version of Polaris. This one has learned how to adapt to an opponents strategy in midgame.
Right now the machine can only handle a two player game of Texas Hold'em and thier working to up the ante to three or more players. "That's very challenging," Bowling said. "There is no perfect strategy to play against multiple players."
