Bloggasm

I first heard about the rise of poker bots a year or two ago. They’re basically computer programs that can enter online poker games on your behalf and gamble — and they’re getting increasingly good at it. Poker websites have tried to figure out ways of detecting them, but it’s not an easy task.

The Freakonomics blog tackles this issue and compares it to a computer program that plays a perfect game of checkers:

It is not an opportune time to start an online gambling site for checkers.

In July, researchers at University of Alberta “solved the game” using brute computer force. As such, their computer knew the best strategy to play in any of the possible 50 billion checker positions. Humans should now be very scared to bet money against any virtual opponent, for fear that they are really facing the Alberta computer or its clone. (You also wouldn’t want to play a money game against a computer in Connect Four or Othello, or even backgammon.)

I don’t particularly agree with the comparison because — unlike Checkers — there’s no such thing as a perfect game of Poker. Though the programs have some statistical advantages, they don’t have the insight to make risky judgment calls. While they probably do have an advantage over less skilled players, I think it’s still very possible to beat a poker bot. But still, it does attenuate the honor of the game.