Domo Arigato Poker Roboto

After the final event of the World Series of Poker when the throngs of poker people vacate Vegas, another kind of poker competition will take the stage -- but the members of this one won't cause any wear and tear to the fine casino carpets.

I learned from the LA Times that the first-ever "poker bot" competition will take place in July in Vegas. The organizers are hoping the $100,000 prize will inspire programmers to create poker's "Deep Blue." Golden Palace, the casino that bought the $28,000 "Virgin Mary" grilled cheese is the money behind the contest according to the Seattle Times.

Should you worry about computerized poker bots taking your money and not play online? I don't think so. As the writer at Love and Casino War aptly put it, "The community of human poker players should continue to be so much larger than the community of undetected bot players," meaning that at most of the larger cardrooms, they'll still be 40,000 real people to a handful of bots. Beyond that, at this point I think the human skills of aggression, bluff, and the ability to play unpredictably will keep us humans ahead of the robotition.