For most poker players, the term ‘bot’ conjures up images of malicious digital creations tirelessly extracting chips from anyone unlucky enough to encounter one. In most cases this paranoia is greatly exaggerated, but recent movements in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) suggest there is reason to be concerned for the future. In fact, experts in the field suggest it’s not long before even the most hardened of Vegas pros will have to yield to superior artificial minds.

AI specialists and poker pros alike have spotlighted limit hold’em as the game most likely to be solved first by computer programs. Limit hold’em is considered ‘solvable’, as the game consists of a series of defined decisions with betting in fixed increments.