Man against the machine. It’s a classic story – who will win, the Terminator or John Connor? Well, we are still a long way away from machines that can build time machines, but machines are becoming smarter by the day.
With the advances in technology, we are able to produce machines with a basic level of artificial intelligence already. But think more along the lines of simple robots that can open doors, rather than Commander Data for now.
Machine learning is advancing, tough and being put to use at work and at play. We have virtual assistants, smart search engine results, and a whole lot more out there as well. Artificial intelligence has even been used in the creation of poker machines.
Who knows, you may even have played against one at one of the best poker sites. They are getting pretty sophisticated now and getting better.
One such program, Deepstack, tested well against human players – having a nine times higher average win rate. Those running the test did, however, issue a caveat – Deepstack never actually played against great players, it played against good ones.
Want to learn more? Have a look at this infographic.
Can computers really replace humans when it comes to gambling? It would seem that they have several advantages – they can store and process a great deal of information and, since they have no emotions, they also have no obvious tells.
But there is a lot more to poker than being able to bluff. You need to know how to read people and how they are thinking. At this stage, the computers cannot do that.
So, no, they are not a replacement for human players – yet. That said, they can still prove useful in helping you to hone your skills. When you are up against a competitor that literally knows everything about the game, and never tires, you have to take your play up a few notches.
