| Many gambling chats and news groups devoted | | | | research work of a team of specialists. |
| to poker more and more frequently anxiously | | | | |
| mention the so-called card-playing robots, | | | | "The strategy of the game is difficult and to |
| known as "bots" in the nomenclature of the | | | | sit down and write a program that can beat a |
| Web, that are being used on commercial | | | | table of experienced human players is no |
| gambling sites. Many players are sure that a | | | | trivial task," Billings said. According to |
| number of gambling portals prospers due to | | | | his the opinion, the biggest obstacles lie in |
| the use of the special programs, able to beat | | | | the amount of information unavailable to the |
| an above-average player, not mentioning a | | | | player and the need for the program to be |
| beginner. In a traditional casino you can | | | | able to employ a variety of strategies at |
| always guess the weak sides of your | | | | different times, such as bluffing and laying |
| competitor, figure out his strategy and etc, | | | | traps for opponents, etc Exactly for this |
| in a virtual gaming house there is no telling | | | | purpose artificial intelligence was added to |
| your competitor is a human, but not specially | | | | the system, capable not only calculate |
| created program, "substituted" for a real | | | | probabilities but also line up logic of game, |
| player. | | | | model it's opponents behavior, etc. |
| | | | |
| If it is true, then widespread of poker bots | | | | In the opinion of creators of "Vex Bot", its |
| capable of beating an average player would | | | | main advantage is that, as well as any other |
| pose a significant problem for poker sector. | | | | robot; they have no emotions, no fear and no |
| Without creation of a special system | | | | shame and can not be nervous. He will remain |
| verifying the identity and "humanity" of | | | | indifferent even before the most aggressive |
| cards players in on-line casinos, the | | | | player. |
| business could be significantly undercut. | | | | |
| This is an opinion of players themselves, and | | | | Journalists, studying the problem of poker |
| gambling figures, interested in further | | | | boats, note that it is very difficult to get |
| development of on-line game industry. | | | | the real picture because of the unwillingness |
| | | | of many gambling operators to answer upon |
| Some skeptics say that, considering the | | | | requests on this issue. There are no |
| complexity of the game and constantly | | | | high-quality programs, able to watch |
| changing strategies, creation of the program | | | | suspicious poker sites with the unusual |
| that can read opponents' cards using special | | | | patterns of game. |
| techniques of screen scanning and respond in | | | | |
| real time is many decades away at best. The | | | | Representative of CryptoLogic Company, |
| supporters of this point of view point to the | | | | commenting this problem, mentioned that some |
| variety of commercial programs that purport | | | | players, suspected to use of boats, have been |
| to help players, but with no actual effect. | | | | banned from the member sites. Sometimes it is |
| However there is a ready answer for all of | | | | just impossible to be sure who plays is a |
| these objections - in Canadian University of | | | | human or robot, but a company, exposing all |
| Alberta a computer poker research group has | | | | unusual strategies, prefers to be reinsured |
| developed an artificially intelligent | | | | and protect itself from the possible |
| automaton known as "Vex Bot". This robot is | | | | socializing with a bot. |
| capable of playing poker at master level in a | | | | |
| game with two players. The new system has | | | | Professional players, speaking about the |
| already been used to test the frontiers of | | | | popularity of poker bots, mention how |
| artificial intelligence, as it will be the | | | | advantageous it can be: if you have the |
| basis for commercial poker tutorial program. | | | | program, able to play 25 casinos |
| As soon as the news about robot creation was | | | | simultaneously, two tables apiece and even if |
| published in media, the creators began to | | | | you are playing a minimum $10-20 on a game, |
| receive letters mentioning the danger of | | | | you earn $1000 an hour. The participants of |
| system use for the purposes of illegal | | | | many gambling chats are distressed that the |
| gambling business. | | | | computer programs have already took the place |
| | | | of interactive poker. Skeptics are sure that |
| Darse Billings who is lead designer of "Vex | | | | poker will continue to become more popular, |
| Bot" considers that probability of the use of | | | | in spite of all of threats from the side of |
| bots on commercial sites is approximately | | | | programmers. In their opinion, it's only a |
| 50:50, but he is also sure that all of the | | | | matter of time before more people want to |
| modern programs can unlikely match his | | | | create their own bots to be remembered, but |
| creation, which is a result of a 10 years | | | | all of these attempts are doomed to failure. |