One of the biggest concerns in the current online poker environment is the presence of bots at the virtual tables, with some fearing that these robotic grinders could ultimately kill internet poker as we know it. But GGNetwork is hoping that players might be willing to accept a more friendly form of AI assistance at the tables.
The online poker network has announced that it will be introducing a feature known as “Smart Betting,” a system that will help players with their bet sizing while they play.
Smart Betting Analyzes Player Patterns to Set Sizing
The feature appears to be aimed primarily at mobile players who might have trouble precisely placing their bets on smaller screens.
It’s always a hassle to type the amount you want to bet or be accurate with bet sliders,” GGNetwork head Jean-Christophe Antoine said in a statement. “So you now have the option to use Smart Betting if you like it.”
The interface for Smart Betting won’t look too unfamiliar to online poker veterans. Players will be presented with four convenient betting options for raising, similar to the customizable bet slider options seen at PokerStars and other sites.
The difference comes in how these options will be generated. Rather than having players choose the amounts that will appear on each button, Smart Betting will use machine learning to figure out the options that are most useful for a player based on their personal betting patterns.
According to an article on the GGNetwork blog, the feature is set to go live on Sept. 2, and will be available only on the mobile version of the software. Poker Industry Pro is reporting that Smart Betting will be offered in Hold’em and Omaha cash games, as well as the Rush & Cash fast-fold format, but won’t be available in tournament play.
Players will have to opt-in to Smart Betting in order to use the program, meaning users won’t be required to use the AI suggestions.
GGNetwork Adding Features for Casual Players
The concept behind Smart Betting could reignite a debate over how much help is too much. While this particulate system isn’t likely to ruffle many feathers – it’s more a useful feature that could speed up games a bit than anything that will give a player an unfair edge – the use of external and AI tools is a thorny one, especially at a time when many sites are cracking down on the use of aids like HUDs.
Like many of its competitors, the GGNetwork has been trying to implement features that might be popular with casual and recreational players. In August, the network introduced a bubble protection feature that will reimburse a player for their buy-in amount if they fall one spot short of making the money in an MTT.
While many of the individual sites in the GGNetwork are quite small, the network overall is impressively large, coming in behind only PokerStars and IDNPoker in terms of average cash game traffic according to PokerScout.
