Oh the humanity! Poker computer trounces humans in big step for AI

An artificial intelligence called Libratus has beaten four of the world's best poker players in a gruelling 20-day tournament that culminated late on Monday. The Brains vs Artificial Intelligence competition saw four human players – Dong Kim, Jason Les, Jimmy Chou and Daniel McAulay – spend 11 hours each day stationed at computer screens in the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh battling a piece of software at no-limit Texas Hold'em, a two-player unlimited form of poker. Machines have already become smart enough to beat humans at other games such as chess and Go, but poker is more difficult because it's a game with imperfect information. With chess and Go, each player can see the entire board, but with poker, players don't get to see each other's hands. Furthermore, the AI is required to bluff and correctly interpret misleading information in order to win.