Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been making significant strides in recent years, and one of the areas it has been making waves is in the field of poker. With AI systems becoming increasingly sophisticated, many experts have been asking the question – is poker solved by AI
Poker is a complex game that involves a significant amount of strategy, psychology, and skill. It is a game that requires players to make decisions based on incomplete information, and this makes it an excellent test bed for AI systems. However, despite advances in AI technology, there are still many challenges that need to be overcome before we can say that poker has been solved by AI.
What does it mean to solve poker
Before we can answer the question of whether poker is solved by AI, we need to understand what it means to solve poker. When we say that a game has been solved, we mean that there exists an optimal strategy for playing the game that cannot be beaten over the long term. In other words, if you play against an opponent who uses this optimal strategy and you follow it yourself, you will always end up with a draw.
In games like chess and checkers, solving the game means finding such an optimal strategy. However, in games like poker and Go, where there are hidden information and chance elements involved in decision making, finding such an optimal strategy is much more difficult.
The challenges of solving poker
There are several challenges involved in solving poker using AI systems:
- Imperfect information: In poker games like Texas Hold’em or Omaha Hold’em, players do not know what cards their opponents hold. This makes it difficult for AI systems to develop winning strategies since they cannot use brute force calculations to determine the best move.
- Chance elements: Poker involves an element of chance, where players are dealt cards randomly.
This means that even if an AI system develops an optimal strategy, it may not be able to win every hand due to the random nature of the game.
- Psychology: Poker is a game that involves reading your opponent’s behavior and making decisions based on their actions. AI systems cannot read human emotions and therefore cannot make decisions based on psychology in the same way that humans can.
The progress that has been made
Despite these challenges, AI systems have made significant progress in solving poker. One example of this is the AI system developed by Carnegie Mellon University called Libratus.
In 2017, Libratus defeated four of the world’s best poker players in a 20-day tournament. The system used machine learning algorithms to develop its strategy and was able to adapt its play style as the tournament progressed.
Another example is DeepStack, an AI system developed by researchers at the University of Alberta. DeepStack was able to beat professional poker players in Texas Hold’em games by using a combination of deep learning and search algorithms. The system was designed to learn from its mistakes and adjust its strategy accordingly.
The future of poker and AI
While AI systems have made significant progress in solving poker, there is still much work to be done before we can say that poker has been solved completely. However, as technology continues to improve, we can expect AI systems to become even more sophisticated and capable of handling complex games like poker.
One potential application of AI in poker is in online casinos. With AI systems being able to develop winning strategies for games like poker, online casinos could use these systems to create fairer games for their customers. AI systems could also be used to detect cheating and fraud in online poker games.
In conclusion, while AI systems have made significant progress in solving poker, there are still many challenges that need to be overcome before we can say that the game has been solved completely. However, with continued research and development, we can expect AI systems to become even more sophisticated and capable of solving complex games like poker.
