Can AI beat the best at Texas hold'em?

For decades, researchers have been pitting artificial intelligence (AI) against the top game players in the world. The heads-up no-limit Texas hold'em variant of poker may be the final frontier in the battle of man vs. machine over games. And it may be about to fall. In 1997, IBM chess computer Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasparov. In 2011, IBM Watson defeated Ken Jennings and Brad Ruttner, the two winningest Jeopardy players in that game show's history.