The World Poker Robot Championship brought together six programmers with the challenge to create a poker bot capable of beating the worlds best poker players. At stake was $100,000. The robots faced off against each other, and the winner, nicknamed Poker Probot and designed by Hilton Givens, was given a chance to take on poker champion Phil Laak.
Phil Laak, nicknamed “The Unibomberâ€, has a World Poker Tour First Place win to his credit, and consistently ranks in the top ten in tournaments. He’s noted for his unorthodox style, and table theatrics.
Laak confronted the winning robot in a three-hour Limit game. The robot’s strategy proved to be too aggressive, and Laak exploited this weakness by playing conservatively. Phil was cheered on by an audience who chanted “Humans, Humansâ€. Phil Laak won the three-hour battle, in which over 300 hands of poker were played. He also won a personal side bet placed with Hilton Givens for $100.
