How to build a poker bot in Python and create an AI game player to make money

Poker bots have become an incredible tool for people playing online poker. From being one of the best learning tools around to helping pro players refine their strategies, and in some cases, playing poker for you and winning money, poker bots have changed how many people enjoy online poker.

But do you really have to but a poker bot if you want to use one? Would it be possible to make your own, and if so, how would you do it? Let’s find out if the world of online poker can benefit from AI poker bots.

Understanding the Basics of Poker Bot Software Development with Machine Learning

At its heart, a poker bot is a database of poker hands, tied to a learning algorithm that interprets the current hand, compares it to the database and figures out the highest probability strategy for success.

The key things here are the AI or machine learning algorithm itself, including the kind of risk profile associated with it to determine whether the bot plays aggressive poker, focuses on game theory optimal or other overall strategies. Building the database can be part of the learning process itself,

Is it Possible to Make a Poker Bot that can Play the Game?

Yes, it is possible to create a poker bot. However, a bot that can challenge human players requires sophisticated algorithms tailored to poker and complex systems to record and analyze games in real time, plus rapid access databases for game assessment.

To get a fully functioning poker bot that can operate at a level that matches human players requires extensive programming knowledge, usually in the Python language. Even if you use off-the-shelf algorithms, databases and input routines, without detailed knowledge of software programming, it would be extremely challenging to create a poker bot that works at all. It also needs to work well with online poker sites, so it can play poker against human opponents. It is important that it can perform at a competitive level, otherwise it will just lose games, and with that, your money.

What is the best way to create a Poker Bot to beat a Pro Player?

If you do want to create your own poker bot, there are a few steps you can follow to get to the outcome you are looking for. While some things, such as machine learning algorithms can be purchased, and some aspects are available for download from places around the web such as Github, it will require some specific technical skills along the way.

Choose a Programming Language

The first decision to make when making a poker bot is to decide on the development language to be used. There are a huge number of development platforms available today, and while all can do a job, some are more suited to bot development than others. Each developer has there own preferences, however using a computer management system to bring the bot project to life opens up so many options it can be confusing. Learning from previous work can be helpful here.

If we look at bot evolution throughout 2024 and of course in previous years, most use Python as the underlying language, as it is highly flexible and well-suited to AI learning applications, especially those with automation of the playing process in mind. However, while Python is clearly an excellent choice, which language you choose really is down to personal preference, so if you have something else you are more familiar with or just prefer, then that should be your choice.

Understand the Rules of Poker

One of the golden rules of software development is ‘garbage in, garbage out’. That is, no matter how sophisticated or advanced software is, the outcome is only as good as they data you put into it. For poker bots, the crucial part are the rules of the game.

You need to fully familiarize yourself with he detail of the rules, as it only by ensuring the poker bot has that information that you can have a bot that can reliably play the game within the rules and produce winning outcomes. With so many actions available each turn, each situation presents a huge number of possibilities, unlike simpler games, making the rules more important here than in most.

Design a Basic Game Engine

While we know that the algorithm and learning systems are key to creating an effective poker bot,  the game engine is the core of everything you are doing. The game engine takes in data from the online poker room, provides access to the database of hands played and then outputs its strategy decisions back to the player or automated process for interacting with the game itself.

Whether you are creating your own AI algorithms or leveraging the proven power of an open-source system such as ChatGPT or pypokerengine, it has to be able to follow the rules of poker to be of any use. The game engine defines the rules your poker bot operates under, and thus how effective it can be.

Utilize Machine Learning Techniques

Once everything is in place, its time for the system to begin learning the intricacies of the game. It achieves this by playing poker, not only learning and adapting to the nuances of play, but building that crucial database of hands played at the same time. This can be achieved by setting two instances of your bot to play against each other.

They can play millions of hands, creating a significant pool of data and build strategic insight that can help the bot win games even against human players. With a transcript of these activities, you can see how the neural network builds and adapts as it goes.

Test and Refine Your Poker Bot Code

The key to a successful bot is in the testing phase. It is here where we can identify areas of weakness within the bots game, or strategies that are too predictable and easily overcome. While learning the game by playing against itself is effective, here you need real poker players. Whether you play the bot yourself, or enlist some experienced players to do it for you, take your time here and find all the problems.

As any weakness is identified, the system can be tweaked and refined to avoid those errors and play a better game. One of the worst things you can do with a poker bot is put it on a live poker game without this refinement process. Poker players, even relatively weak ones, will quickly identify any issues with he bot and exploit them, costing you money. So this testing process should be carried out methodically, with time taken to refine every aspect of the play until the bot is ready to go.

FAQ: 

What programming language is best for creating a poker bot?

Most successful bots use the Python programming language as it is especially suitable for such applications. However, others can be used if you are more comfortable with them.

How does a poker bot analyze and interpret game states?

The game engine ingests data coming from your poker room platform to understand each hand, the hole cards and the other players at the table. This is constantly compared to the database to find similar hands and extrapolate the strategies most likely to win the game or achieve and specific objective.

Is it legal to use a poker bot on online poker platforms?

While there are no legal restrictions on using poker bots, in general it is against the rules of most poker rooms to use bots when playing live games. As a result, if caught you could lose your poker account with that provider.

How can I test and debug my poker bot effectively?

The key to testing is to challenge it. Play against the bot for extended periods. If you are not a good player yourself, find experienced players who will do it for you.

Can a poker bot adapt to different opponent’s playing styles?

Yes. You can even program different play personalities for bots to achieve your playing goals. From focusing on GTO to aggressive play, your poker bot is flexible and adaptable.