Pokerbots - the state of the art
I think pokerbots are a natural source of curiosity for anyone interested in the mathematics of gambling. However they are also a source of much contention in the online poker world. One side argues that bots will destroy the game - even if they never reach expert play they will populate the low stakes world and kill off new players. The other side argues that online poker is already in a process of change and is inherently unfair. They argue that pokerbots are not a black and white issue - how do you classify the advanced player who uses an odds calculator and pokertracker with a collaborative database to aid his identification of player weaknesses? They see pokerbots as a simple continuation along this path.
Whatever your viewpoint, I think it’s very interesting to see what pokerbots can / can’t do. I have some experience with them so I feel able to give you a pretty fair breakdown of what’s going on in the world of bots. (I should note here that I am refering to pokerbots which play ring games and are not designed solely to play heads up.)
When I say “pokerbot” your first thought is probably a program which checks through a list of actions under specified circumstances eg:
I have pocket aces and no one has bet yet and I’m in late position so …
I’ve flopped top pair but there’s a flush draw on the board with a raise in front of me so…
etc…
While pokerbots like this do exist and can be successful it is incredibly difficult to make sure you cover every eventuality. They are known as “static” bots and are usually people’s first attempts.