Of the millions
of gamblers who have rushed to play Texas Holdem and other
fast-growing poker games online, Roger Gabriel isn't the most
intimidating.
The 30-year-old engineer from Newport Beach, Calif., started
playing for money only a month ago. He lurks online at the
chicken-hearted tables where the biggest ante is 4 cents. Even
there, he can't win consistently.
But Gabriel has a potentially powerful alter ego. In his spare
time, he's perfecting a computer program to go online and play
the game for him.
His BlackShark software is still a work in progress. But Gabriel
has no doubt that such programs eventually will be championship
quality.
Gabriel is one of an increasing number of computer professionals
who design poker robots that pose as human gamblers but can play
without tiring or losing concentration.
Although not yet good enough to beat skilled humans
consistently, these programs are seen as a threat by online
casinos--all based offshore, out of the reach of U.S. laws--and
the gamblers who spend billions of dollars chasing big pots.
"There are already lots of robots playing online, and that's
definitely unethical. They should identify themselves," said
Paul Magriel, 58, a veteran professional poker player and former
math professor.
The march of the machines will be celebrated in Las Vegas next
month with the world's first money tournament for robots, with a
$100,000 prize.
Computer programs have conquered checkers, chess and, most
recently, backgammon. The most famous is IBM's Deep Blue, which
beat chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. But poker is a far
more human game, one in which psychology matters as much as
probability.
That's why in poker there's no such thing as an absolutely
correct play. If someone bets with a lousy hand and everyone
else folds, it was the right move.
For now, only the poker players with the poorest skills--like
Gabriel--have much to fear.
Robot designers Ken Mages of Evanston, Ill., is further along
than Gabriel. After two weeks of programming, Mages said, "I
could sit down at a 50-cent table, put 50 bucks in the account,
go to bed and wake up with at least $75." He said his biggest
take was $250.
For two weeks in May, Mages sold his software for $60 a copy.
After getting deluged with customer complaints, he sold out to a
business associate, Hong Kong engineer Ben Lo.
Mages struck a deal with Los Angeles public relations executive
Darren Shuster to set up the Las Vegas contest--dubbed the World
Series of Poker Robots--and just after Memorial Day their
partnership persuaded Antigua-based GoldenPalace.com to put up
the prize money.
Even though GoldenPalace bans robots, the publicity-craving
virtual casino was a natural target, having spent $28,000 last
fall for the cheese sandwich said to bear the image of the
Virgin Mary. The sandwich is now on tour.
Organizers have other stunts in mind: They plan to invite the
winner of the human World Series to go up against the winner of
their robot contest, although no one expects the computer code
to triumph, at least not this year.
Entrants include programmers from the United States, Canada and
Spain.
"It was a little depressing in chess and backgammon that
computers got so good," Magriel said. "In Texas Holdem poker, it
won't really depress me. I sort of expect it at some point."
TEXAS HOLDEM ONLINE POKER
