Poker Bots Make Industry Observers Nervous Toward the Future of Online Play
14/08/08 09:28 Filed in: Poker News
The increased availability of downloadable poker bots is making some players and industry observers concerned for the game’s future. As access to automated programs becomes a more popular and viable option for sites and players alike many fear that the fundamentals of poker play may get lost or taken advantage of for profit.
Around the summer of 2000, programmers were first able to develop computer software which was capable of properly competing against human opponents. Eight years later algorithms have improved to the point wherein the “Fell Omen” open-source practice bot created by University of California research, Ian Fellows is able to defeat the majority of non-professional human poker players and fellow AI. Fellows has commented on his system and discouraged its use as anything other than a device to hone skills but with the easy availability of these bots many are becoming concerned.
The Man-Machine Poker event this year saw the Polaris II computer defeat human professionals and Fellows’ “Fell Open” program was likewise able to win out against sixteen other poker bots at the 2008 Computer Poker Competition. Many poker fans and industry observers following the news have noted the danger of players and unsecured sites being able to make use of advanced bots to cheat human users of money and this may inevitably force new levels of legislation and security to keep the online poker industry a safe and viable business.
Around the summer of 2000, programmers were first able to develop computer software which was capable of properly competing against human opponents. Eight years later algorithms have improved to the point wherein the “Fell Omen” open-source practice bot created by University of California research, Ian Fellows is able to defeat the majority of non-professional human poker players and fellow AI. Fellows has commented on his system and discouraged its use as anything other than a device to hone skills but with the easy availability of these bots many are becoming concerned.
The Man-Machine Poker event this year saw the Polaris II computer defeat human professionals and Fellows’ “Fell Open” program was likewise able to win out against sixteen other poker bots at the 2008 Computer Poker Competition. Many poker fans and industry observers following the news have noted the danger of players and unsecured sites being able to make use of advanced bots to cheat human users of money and this may inevitably force new levels of legislation and security to keep the online poker industry a safe and viable business.
