Poker Bot Libratus Currently Crushing Mankind

January 25th, 2017 | by Brian Corlisse

In the latest battle between man and poker bots it seems that computer processors and wires are better than neurons and grey matter.

Libratus opens up an almost insurmountable lead in the latest man vs. poker bot challenge. (Image: thefintechtimes.com)

Despite humans having the upper-hand over artificial intelligence machines in the past, the ongoing match between Libratus and four pros isn’t going the way many expected.

Ahead of the 120,000-hand heads-up showdown (which has $200,000 on offer for the winner), Dong Kim, Jimmy Chou, Jason Les and Daniel McAulay were expected to be the favorites.

Computer Quickly Becomes the Favorite

Aside from the fact two of the four heads-up experts had already beaten Libratus’ older brother, Claudico in 2015, it was assumed that Carnegie Mellon University’s computer would still lack the processing power to win.

However, as it stands, that theory is being blown out of the water as each day passes.

Since the match kicked off on January 11, the four pros have never been in front. Each player gets a chance to play the computer every day until January 30, but as it stands only Kim has been able to make a small profit.

When the heads-up games first got underway, Libratus was ahead by more than $70,000 after just 2,840 hands. That lead quickly jumped up to $193,000 by Day 5 before the pros mounted a mini-comeback on Day 6 to bring the deficit down to $51,000.

At this stage is looked as though the humans had managed to adjust their play just enough that the computer wasn’t able to keep up.

However, Libratus has managed to prove that it’s more advanced that its predecessor. These enhanced capabilities have seen the supercomputer generate a $701,242 lead after 71,512 hands.

Human Loss Will be Technology’s Gain

With just under 50,000 hands left to play, there’s still a chance the humans could overturn the computer’s lead and claim the $200,000 top prize. But as the match wears on, that outcome is looking more and more unlikely.

While a loss will certainly sting for the four pros involved, it would actually be a huge positive for the tech industry. If Libratus can show that artificial intelligence is now at a point where it can solve a complex game such as No Limit Texas Hold’em, the future applications are almost endless.

Everything from cybercrime and predicting the behavioral patterns of hackers to pre-testing the effectiveness of medical treatments could all benefit from the technology behind Libratus.