PC Poker that Learns From Your Mistakes
PC Poker that Learns From Your Mistakes
By Lonnie Brown
For The Ledger
For the better part of the evening, Richard had been pretty free with his chips in this game of no-limit Texas hold ‘em. Having burned me once with his pair of pocket jacks, he’d managed to scare me away from a pot or two — or three — that I normally would have pursued.
But this hand was too good: I held two kings, and the flop had a third, with the king the high card. The fourth card on the table offered no improvement for my three-of-a-kind kings — nor did it give Richard a chance at having a straight, flush or full house, given the mix of four cards on the table.
Darned if he didn’t make another big bet. I went all in. He folded.
I then took the liberty of peeking at his folded hand: Two trash cards. Richard had been bluffing. And although I didn’t know it at the time, it became clear later: Richard didn’t bluff often, but when he did, he did so effectively.
Normally, a peek at an opponent’s cards will get one tossed from the poker table — or perhaps a worse fate. But I didn’t get in trouble because this was a computer game.
More correctly, it is a computer simulation of no-limit hold ‘em, and a very complete one at that.
Poker Academy (Standard) and Poker Academy Pro v2 are one-trick ponies: They play Texas hold ‘em — and no other poker variation. But since World Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker have made that game all the rage, that shouldn’t be much of a drawback when it comes to marketing the program.
The standard version (about $20) has the same hard-playing poker opponents as the Pro version (about $130). Unless you’re serious about going on the poker tour, the $20 version will fulfill the needs of the large majority of players.
Those who hanker to hone their game for the next trip to a Las Vegas cardroom might find the Pro version’s price is cheap if it provides the background to win a sizable pot.
What sets PA apart is its artificial intelligence. Once a user enters his or her name under which to play (more than one can be entered if a user wants to test several styles of play), the computer will track how every hand was played. If a showdown was involved, it will record the cards played and bets made.
Once it’s honed in on a player’s quirks, it goes for the weaknesses. “Only a few games currently employ the kind of adaptive artificial intelligence found in Poker Academy,” said Hector Munoz-Avila, assistant professor of computer senses and engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
The artificial intelligence (AI) engine the program uses was developed by the University of Alberta, which has been in the process of perfecting it for the past 10 years.
In computer lingo, the AI players are known as “bots” because they are governed by robotic-like rules. There are about a dozen different bots in PA that each play by a different set of rules telling them when to call, raise or fold.
Unlike chess, where a player’s current position and potential moves are displayed for all to see, poker is a guessing game. What might the other player have?
Sometimes it seems like the unseen players in the computer monitor are looking out, picking up on the human player’s ticks and wrinkled brow, or vague smile.
Unless you want to peak at an opponent’s cards (one of the optional features available in the game), you’ll have to compare your hand with possible winning hands and act accordingly.
Poker Academy’s two versions show the current strength of the hand, the odds of improving it, and other relative information. There’s also a coach that will offer graphic advice on when to call, raise or fold.
Poker Academy’s standard edition is available in stores; the Pro version is available only online.
As noted previously, the standard version will be fine for the Friday night poker player. Those who engage in more serious games should consider the Pro version.
In addition to the hand evaluator and a detailed statistical history of a player’s hand outcomes, it also features advanced AI and the ability to create custom tables for network play.
Moreover, it can simulate the World’s Series of Poker championship play and can be set to start the tournament with as many as 10,000 players.
If you’ve daydreamed about giving up your day job to become a professional poker player, the bots from Poker Academy can add a dose of reality.
For more information, including a limited demo game: www.poker-academy.com.
