Bot Buzz

The poker forums and sites are buzzing with the news that Full Tilt Poker has suspended at least two accounts and refunded a good size group of players who played against those accounts. Their reason for doing so was that they identified the accounts as being ‘Bots’.

The forums have identified two accounts that were supposedly seized and then refunded to the players who entered heads up matches with them. They are supposed to be Japinthesack and Beatme1. These were evidently identified in emails from Full Tilt that announced refunds to a large number of players for a variety of amounts.

Science Fiction loves the artificial intelligence aspect with computers. Often this involved try to take over the world ala Pinky and the Brain — the two enhanced lab mice at Acme Labs. Other times it creates the superior being that becomes the savior of the race. In the poker scene though, it isn’t ever the latter.

Pinky: “Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?”
The Brain: “The same thing we do every night, Pinky - Try to take over the world!”

Vex Bot is the computer program of the University of Alberta’s computer science lab. It recently played two pros to a basic tie. It should be the cutting edge product out there and the authors acknowledge it is only a master player in heads up play.

The only sure bet here is that – over time – the computer programs will get better and better. At some unknown point, better than superior players. The other sure bet is that sites will do everything in their power to prevent allowing those programs free rein on their site. If computers are to make money on their site, it will be their computers.

The thing about bots is you can have too much of a good thing. Even at only two here, we see that the betting patterns they use will identify them (over time) to other computers. If there were more, they’d be even more easy to spot. And, it is to the best interest of the sites to maintain a search and destroy program against bots.

For me it is pretty much a non-issue. I don’t play that much heads up. When I do, it is in other settings that combines with other play. Also, all the bots known to be successful are involved in limit play and my limit Hold’em play in minuscule. If there are other bots out there, it is likely I’ll avoid them. That’d be do to the levels I play at also.

Maybe I’m more like Pinky than is advisable. But, you already knew that.

ADDENDUM:

Well, it is pretty easy in this world to get ripped off. Just watch and fall for a few of those Ronco commercials and you’ll understand. We’ve been talking about how you could get ripped off in online gambling. But, to gamble online you need a computer. And:

A YouTube ripoff

And here is another

Sorry no YouTube displaying. The nerds here are a bit slow.

So watch out for yourself. At least until I’ll have my infomercial out shortly for the only $79.95 (+s&h) Super Electo-Framistan in three easy payments that will fix any computer. But, that’s not all. You’ll get these lovely Ginsu knives absolutely free.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 8th, 2007 at 9:32 am and is filed under Journal. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.