Pokerbots taking over

The University of Alberta's Polaris poker-playing software won out in a six-round match held July 3-6 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Each game included 500 hands of limit hold 'em, matching Polaris against living, breathing poker professionals. But Polaris still has a bit to learn; it won three of the games, the humans took two, and one was a draw.

"It's hard to describe how good that felt," research team leader Michael Bowling said. "As a group, we may not all be great poker players, but all of us really, really want to win.

"This was really the simplest form of poker," he continued. "There's a lot more we can look at, such as playing without betting limits, or playing with more than two opponents. One of the reasons I got excited about this line of research is that it's not just a one-off. It's a really challenging path of research."

So next time a computer beats you at chess or checkers, pull out the cards and show the bastard who's boss.