Honestly how bad should we worry about bots?

Now I hear there playing in "teams" How much is this getting out of control?

[RollaJ]

Depends if you are better than the bots or not

if there world class bots, no im not better then them [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Python49]

Play NL.

[Jake (The Snake)]

Not really.

The main threat with bots is that they will become too common that fish will stop playing online.

[Reef]

they probably run rampant at .50/1 .. maaybe 1/2 and 2/4. Probably make around minimum wage multitabling...

Just report any suspicious play

Bots are a non-issue right now:

1. In the ~40 years since computer programming has become a widespread career, no one has been able to code a consistently winning pro-level poker AI. Think about all the crazy shiznit computers can do, and they still can't play poker at a high level.

2. The bots that are out there (basically >90% WinHoldEm) are rudimentary at best - WinHoldEm owners seem to have a lot of buyer's remorse, judging from what I've seen - and complex to set up and not get caught.

3. If a GOOD bot was out there, don't you think 2+2 would be the place everyone would be talking about it?

4. "Playing in teams" is the most certain way of getting caught, which is in turn a good way of losing all your money.

5. Not to completely discount, but there are all kinds of crazy-ass rumors out there (the Web is funny like that).

How do you defend if something like that IS happening? Do what you'd do if you sat at a table with too many players who are clearly above your level - move.

Personally, I'd enjoy knowing there were 4-5 WinHoldEm bots at my table. I'm funny like that. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[r3vbr]

On the long term this is a serious threat. They've already made a bot that masters Heads up limit holdem on a US university (dont know wich but i can research it). It's not a compercial product, but surely in some few years they will reach the internet (my bet is between about 5 years) and they will eat up much of the profit we make nowadays.

[ QUOTE ]
They've already made a bot that masters Heads up limit holdem on a US university

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually, it was a Canadian university (University of Alberta) - the AI is packaged commercially as Poker Academy.

http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~games/poker/

From what I've read, the first name pro it's played is Phil Laak, and Laak won. Its sole human testing seemed to be against a Canadian internet pro named Gautam Rao. He beat the computer over the course of 7000 hands, overcoming a large downswing by changing his play.

I guess by "master," they mean "it didn't get massively crushed."

Not to mention the vast leap the AI will need to jump from HU to multiple-player tables.

[Lestat]

You should never worry "bad". If you're gonna worry, worry "good".