Want to get into some serious poker education before the next tournament?
The
University of Alberta's Poki's Poker Academy AI robot opponents
could be for you!
With the ongoing poker phenomenon sweeping America on television and
the Internet, University of Alberta spin-off company, BioTools is
hoping to cash in on the high stakes industry.
The company is using the University’s research wing to launch
its online poker game development, marketed as Poki’s Poker
Academy to help novices and experts alike.
The software learns patterns and adapts to various playing styles.
Developers at BioTools claim that it's not just an advanced poker
game but a complex learning tool that can display odds, variables,
can graph results as well as the likelihood of certain poker situations.
It forces an opponent to continually change strategies and adapt their
play, as it will attempt to exploit any and all weakness or predictability
it finds in their playing style and can even bluff, using it’s
artificial intelligence (AI) engine.
“Poker has become so popular—this software is for
people who don’t yet feel comfortable going to a casino and
betting money or for top players who want to improve their game. You
could take a good player who would have a tough time beating our game.
Poker Academy is for all levels of players,” said Mike
Fedeyko, sales and marketing manager at BioTools.
“We are getting closer to beating the best players in
the world. Our current programs can acquit themselves quite well against
strong opposition, and they continue to become stronger as the research
progresses. I do not believe they are superior to the best humans
yet, but I believe that day will come—possible within the next
year or two,” explains said Darse Billings, a former
professional poker player and Alberta PhD student working on the project.