CPRG Creates No-Limit Poker Computer

According to a recent report by The Economist, the Computer Poker Research Group has developed a computer program that can play heads-up no-limit hold’em at a “low-level professional level.” While poker computers have shown the ability to be quite formidable at limit hold ‘em, this would represent a tremendous advance in their no-limit acumen.

However, it’s not hard to imagine that such a leap is possible, especially given the CPRG’s involvement. Based out of the University of Alberta, CPRG is most well-known for programming a computer named Polaris so that it could play heads-up limit hold’em at a professional level. This was tested by having Polaris play “duplicate” heads up matches against Phil Laak and Ali Eslami, where the hands were predetermined, but Polaris would simultaneously be playing one seat against Laak, while Eslami would have that same seat against Polaris. In other words, if Laak had much better hands in his match against Polaris, the computer would have those same good hands against Eslami, thus removing as much luck as possible. In 1997, Polaris managed one win, one draw and two losses against the team; a year later, an improved version won three, lost two and drew one match.

Poker isn’t the first gaming challenge that computer scientists have tackled. Computers have solved the game of checkers, and have become incredibly proficient at chess, most famously demonstrated when IBM’s Deep Blue defeated Garry Kasparov by a single game over the course of a six-game match in 1997. Less than a decade later, computer chess programs had become undisputedly better than their human counterparts.

However, poker is a more difficult challenge. Chess and checkers are games of full information, where everything you need to know to make a decision is known to both players. In poker, this is not the case; players do not know the cards held by their opponents. This makes the game tougher for computers to handle.

As of yet, there are no plans to have Polaris test its no-limit abilities against a professional player. It’s also worth noting that Polaris is much weaker when playing against multiple opponents, and cannot play other, non-hold’em poker games.