Is poker doomed after Libratus beats humans in heads-up NLHE?

Lee Davy ponders the future of poker and the world after the artificial intelligence known as Libratus defeated four human players over 120,000 hands of Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em.

I thought my trip to Burning Man was to awaken the giant within. It turns out it was an exercise of how to live in a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Libratus has beaten its human opponents in the much-vaunted Man vs. Machine Part II. The men in white coats are giving each other high fives and slapping each other on the back. Meanwhile, four of the greatest heads-up players in the game are feeling like a stampede of elephants have just ridden roughshod over their souls.

Imagine being a mosquito on the wall of the Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em locker room, right now. They must feel like Polar Bears watching their world melt away. It’s time to get a different job. But, they had better hurry, if we get more Libratus AIs, there won’t be any.