Man vs. Machine Poker Tournament Featuring Polaris Vs. Phil Laak and Ali Elasmi

Poker Academy will be the technological platform for the inaugural $50,000 Man vs. Machine poker tournament.

The match will be held in Vancouver, Canada together with the yearly conference of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) on July 23-24, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver, Canada.

The $50,000 Man vs. Machine Poker Tournament will put a poker playing computer program made by the University of Alberta against 2 top poker professionals in a scientific activity with a real cash prize.

The reigning world computer poker program champion, Polaris will test its skills against Phil Laak and Ali Elasmi. The Man vs. Machine tournament will have four 500 card hand duplicate matches.

In each match, the same type of cards will be given in 2 Man Machine matches, with teammates playing the opposite card hand at each match. At the end of each match, the total chips that are either won or lost by the team will be added together to determine the winner.

This tournament format is used to bring down the element of luck to a small percentage and get a better look on the skill level of each player.

The Man vs. Machine poker tournament has a concept, like the 1997 match between Deep Blue by IBM and Garry Kasparov, the world chess champion at that time. Technology has greatly improved since then, so it will be a really interesting match to watch.

Dr. Jonathan Schaeffer, Chairman of the Department Of Computing Sciences at the University of Alberta, said that they are hoping that this is the beginning of what will be a yearly event.

Kurt Lange, President of Poker Academy Software, said that they are proud to be part of this event, especially in helping raise the awareness of the public regarding the existence and capability of A.I. in the game of poker.

Lange added that players and spectators alike can rest assured that the match will take place in a fair and secure environment. Anyone registered for the AAAI 2007 in Vancouver Canada can be in the audience at the tournament. Live updates will be posted at Poker Academy's official site as the Man vs. Machine poker tournament progresses.

08/06/2007, Monday
Matthew Dorst

Man vs. Machine Poker Tournament Featuring Polaris Vs. Phil Laak and Ali Elasmi

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