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- Limp and when to raise preflop
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And learn HOW TO...
- Mix your play the right way
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- Use game theory to beat all types of opponents
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The Rise of the Poker Bots | 01/23/2008 |
When I first heard about a bot playing no limit Texas holdem I was a bit skeptical. Sure its predecessor was the world champion and all, but how hard could it be to beat compared to a live opponent. Well I have to say that I was impressed to say the least.
Spartacus is a further development of the BluffBot 2.0, current world champion in heads-up no-limit holdem AAAI Computer Poker Competitions. You can play against the Spartacus poker bot directly in your browser and I can assure you that it is quite a challenge.
My first match against Spartacus lasted for over an hour, which is quite a long time for an online Texas holdem heads-up match with chip stacks in the size of 100xBB. I am proud to say that I came out victorious in the end, but Spartacus gave me quite a fight. After a while I found some exploitable patterns, but even when I thought I had him figured out Spartacus managed to make some surprising moves.
After several interesting matches against Spartacus I can definitely say that many of the players I face online are a lot worse (and I never thought that I would be bluffed by a poker bot!) For a bot to be able to play this good is very impressive - no-limit Texas holdem is one of the most advanced forms of poker there is.
There is no doubt in my mind that Teppo Salonen, the man behind the BluffBot 2.0 and Spartacus, soon will be able to create a no-limit poker bot that will be really hard to beat even for the top players. The thing lacking now is the possibility for the bot to adapt to the style of play of the opponent, but when it can, watch out!
Playing against Spartacus and BluffBot 2.0 will definitely improve the heads-up game of aspiring poker players. I recommend it to anyone serious about becoming a good heads-up player.
- Clark, Editor in Chief, Learn-Texas-Holdem.com