At the halfway mark of the rematch between professional poker players and a poker-playing computer program, the program – known as “Libratus” – is drubbing the professionals in a Pennsylvania casino.
As the two sides prepare to enter the ninth day of competition, “Libratus” (programmed by the computer scientists at the Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science) has marched out to a respectable $471,600 lead over the four professional players battling against it. To this point in the match (40,340 of the 120,000 hands have been played, or slightly more than one-third of the action), only Dong Kim has losses that could realistically be reversed and he is $29,506 in the hole to “Libratus.” The other three competitors – Jimmy Chou ($113,728), Daniel McAulay ($141,877) and Jason Les ($186,489, and for the second time losing against the computer, but more on that in a minute) – are all in six-figure holes against the AI and, with 10 days to reverse the situation, could be facing losing the overall match to the computer program.
The monetary differential has been larger, also. In Day 6 of the competition, the live players were able to cut into the lead of “Libratus,” but they have been unable to draw much closer since that point. From the start, “Libratus” has been ahead, leading its creator Tuomas Sandholm to say to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gary Rotstein following the opening of the contest, “There’s a good reason to smile…last time the first day was our worst day of all.”
This isn’t to say that the players aren’t trying to figure the AI’s approach to No Limit Texas Hold’em out. Les admitted to the Post-Gazette that he “expected (the AI) to play better” and it has. “It’s playing a more reasonable game,” Les stated after Day One, albeit he wouldn’t state that the AI would defeat humanity on the virtual baize. Additionally, the players have recognized that “Libratus” is being more deliberate with his moves. Rotstein asked Sandholm about this apparent discrepancy and was told, “It’s thinking…it is thinking faster (than the old programs), but it is also thinking more.”
The “Brains vs. Artificial Intelligence: Upping the Ante” contest set out on January 11 with the goal of playing 120,000 hands of No Limit Texas Hold’em. While one professional plays in the casino from 11AM-7PM, a second pro will also be playing against “Libratus” in a controlled setting on the casino grounds. At the end of the session on January 30, it is believed that there will be a definitive answer as to whether computers and AI can defeat humans on the poker table, unlike the first competition in this series.
In 2015, the Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science rolled out “Claudico” for battle against four professional players. Kim and Les were joined by World Series of Poker bracelet winner Doug ‘WCGRider’ Polk and Bjorn Li in an 80,000-hand match under similar circumstances. Although three of the men were able to come away with a positive result in the cash column (Les was the only one who “lost” money to “Claudico”), the results were viewed as “inconclusive” because there weren’t enough hands played and the wins by the pros weren’t statistically significant. With the 40K hands added to this year’s version of the competition, it is expected that there will be a solid decision one way or the other.
At stake for the players is a $200,000 payday, which will be divvied up between them based on their performances (no word on whether “Libratus” and his creators are eligible for this payday). Thus, it would behoove them to get going in the match, not only for the good of their bank accounts but also to protect the prestige of mankind! For those interested in watching the battle unfold, visit the dedicated website for the “Brains vs. AI” challenge and learn more.
