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Where a Tournament Poker Bot Makes Its Money |
 Today we're going to take a look at the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to rating a poker bot: its ability to actually earn money. Automating gameplay is not a difficult thing to do, programming-wise. There are bots out there that play World of Warcraft non-stop, and it's fair to say that such an interface is seriously more complex than a Pokerstars or Full Tilt Poker game table. Even game theory isn't exceedingly difficult, as any one that has taken a calculus class or even an algebra class can have a firm grasp of the mathematics and concepts involved. Even some of the best poker players in the world couldn't verbalize the calculations they do in their head. Situation, Situation, Situation Knowing how and when to apply the different branches of game theory is what gives a bot its edge. In tournaments, certain situations are somewhat counterintuitive to beginner level players. This is especially true during the bubble of any tournament. At this point, rookie mistakes are the difference between making it into the money and exiting down a buy-in. Difficult Calculations? For advanced players, the most lucrative part of a sit & go tournament is when there are four players left. With a small stack, an expert knows when to take a chance and when to sneak into the final three. With a large stack, an expert knows how to exploit his opponents and maximize his edge. Equity Calculations For some this may come intuitively, but for others it is a major hole in their play and profit; the calculations required go beyond estimating starting hand percentages, and require the consideration of one's tournament equity. Poker bots are now able to do this with a margin of only 0.1%, whereas even the most natural and intuitive players have a hard time doing this within 0.3%! Studying & Memorizing vs. Real-Time Calculations In fact, most of the professional sit & go players review their hand history extensively in order to memorize ICM (independant chip model) calculations so that they can make assessments with greater precision. Poker bots such as ICM-Bot happen to do these calculations automatically and in real-time. This results in far more accurate and far more profitable decisions.
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