Neo Poker Bot
Neo Poker Bot

Players can now practice for free against a strong AI to hone their poker skills.

Ever since Deep Blue defeated world champion Garry Kasparov in chess, the public has been paying a renewed attention to AI versus human contests. Although software for various games of skill had existed for many years prior, this was the first time that its sophistication matched that of a world-class human player.

Now a group of over 30 software developers operating under the name of Neo Labs has set out to accomplish something similar in poker.

The reasons why this particular game was picked are multiple, ranging from its popularity to the exciting mix of skill and chance. Since the complexity of its rules requires different solutions than programming a card counting system for blackjack, poker seemed like a good candidate to pick.

Overall, the complexity of the task has motivated the team over several years to create a bot that can take on players and win in the long run.

Since online poker rooms prohibit players from using bots, the Neo team is adamant that the resulting bot will not see direct commercial exploitation by selling it or using it to earn some side income through online casino poker.

While the product is certainly capable of winning a high number of hands over the long run – as the team demonstrated it at the 2012 Annual Poker Competition – the bot has instead been placed on Neo’s site to give everyone a chance for free poker practice.

Having such an advanced AI for a poker partner is certainly very useful for anyone who feels the need to practice more before wagering at real-money online or mobile casinos.

At the same time Neo can also refine the product through such continuous interaction, and keep working towards the ultimate goal of creating an AI poker champ.