Nowadays, we get bombarded with AI. It’s literally everywhere, even in the world of online gambling. Even gadgets where AI has no purpose have been stamped with AI branding just to make them “cooler”. I recently saw an AI mattress, and I was so confused!?
But in certain industries like online casinos, AI has a vital role. Machine learning and artificial intelligence can make the casino industry safer, and more entertaining, and lastly, we can use machine learning and AI to make more calculated decisions.
So, imagine you playing video poker with AI on your side analyzing your every move and giving you suggestions. It kind of feels like cheating. And with AI getting more and more powerful, I think it will definitely maximize your odds and give you more opportunities to win.
But is this real? And can we use machine learning to optimize our video poker strategy? Well, it’s not as simple as asking ChatGPT to give you some video poker hints. It involves a much more complex technology that most regular video poker enthusiasts like you and me don’t have access to.
Let’s break down how artificial intelligence can impact our video poker strategy.
What Makes Video Poker Unique?
But why does video poker go with AI so well? Well, unlike traditional poker or slot machines, video poker is a unique hybrid that combines elements of skill and chance. How does it work?
Players are dealt a hand and have the opportunity to decide which cards to keep or discard making decisions that can directly impact the outcome. In other words, you choose your own destiny, and it’s not just about luck like the spinning reels of slot games.
Just because we are talking about a skill-based game like video poker, it means that this is an excellent candidate for AI optimization.
The return-to-player (RTP) of video poker can often exceed 99% but only if you have the right strategy and if you are knowledgeable about the game. But what if you have artificial intelligence and machine learning on your side?
How Can Machine Learning Help Us in Video Poker?
We are talking about a tool that thrives on data, and the best thing is that video poker has huge piles of data waiting to be analyzed.
Every decision—whether to hold a card, draw, or fold—can be analyzed and optimized. But we as humans can only process so much data after our brains start to overload.
In other words, we cannot look at thousands or millions of card combinations and calculate a chance of a card appearing on the screen in real time. We need machine learning and AI to do the heavy lifting.
Here’s how ML is making an impact:
Pattern Recognition
The best thing about machine learning is that it can identify possible patterns that we don’t usually see. For example, it can recognize card combinations that are statistically most likely to win and appear on the screen.
No matter how smart you are, you cannot calculate the probability of each card in a deck let alone having multiple decks. But machine learning can do that in seconds, and give you hints on which cards to keep and which cards to discard.
Real-Time Strategy Recommendations
Next, we have real-time recommendations, which can help us in many different ways. Let’s say that you have the AI Meta Ray-Bans on and the cameras are analyzing your video poker session.
The AI can analyze patterns in the game and provide you with real-time strategy tips that won’t guarantee you a win, but at least you have the best chances of walking away profitable.
This technology is still not here, but as AI and machine learning advance on a rapid scale, such devices will eventually come into consumers’ hands.
Predictive Analytics
AI doesn’t just stop at recommending moves. It can also predict potential outcomes based on the cards you’ve been dealt, giving you a clearer understanding of your odds.
Which Tools Can You Use Right Now?
So, the big question is are there any machine learning or AI tools that you can use now to improve your video poker strategy? Well, there are some, but they are usually not backed up by piles of data.
In other words, we still don’t have the most capable models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT at our disposal, at least not for analyzing video poker sessions.
However, you can still use those models to analyze large piles of data, give you a strategy output, give you some hints. The only think that is missing is the real-time recommendations, but I bet that we will have a capable AI device soon that is able to give us tips by observing what we see.
Is AI in Poker Fair Play?
The big question is, Is this all fair and ethical? Yes! Why don’t see why not?
After all, the information is out there, you are just using a tool to analyze it and give you statistical percentage where you are most likely to win. On top of that, these suggestions don’t guarantee you that you’ll walk away profitable, so you still have that risk.
AI and machine learning are just here to help you break down large piles of data and give you the best strategy where the probability of winning is highest.
There is no doubt that artificial intelligence and machine learning will change the world of online gambling forever. Also, I don’t think that game developers and casinos will stand still. If they see a drop in profitability of games like video poker due to AI, they will most likely change it or remove it completely.
