$8.9m poker prize up for grabs - humans only please

The biggest deal in the poker calendar kicks off tomorrow, but only humans will be allowed to sit in on the final table of the World Series of Poker's main event. This Las Vegas knock-out tournament whittled 7,319 entrants down to nine back in July, and after a four-month wait to build media interest in the mainly no-name internet-honed players, this merry band can now get down to playing for the $8.9m (£5.5m) top prize. But has poker bot development reached a level where a bot could be in with a shout for this prize? The short answer is not yet, unless it got lucky. In the short term, luck can override skill, but over time a good player will take a lesser opponent to the cleaners.)