The Ledger · Entry 006 · Games
No-limit Texas hold'em poker
Ceded to machinesSince 2017Criterion performanceLast reviewed 2026-08-17
Event
Libratus beats four professionals over 120,000 hands of heads-up no-limit hold'em at Rivers Casino, Pittsburgh; in 2019, Pluribus beats professionals at six-player tables.
The heads-up result was statistically decisive (about 14.7 big blinds per 100 hands over 120,000 hands) and the professionals were paid to play their best. Pluribus extended it to six-player games over 10,000 hands, against professionals who had each won more than a million dollars in tournament play. What these systems solved is imperfect-information play at the table; reading a specific opponent's tells, bankroll management and the social side of live poker were never in scope.