Pokerac
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pokerac was a poker-playing computer invented and built by American high school student David Dewan in 1961, at a time when computer-based game playing was still in its infancy. The machine used coded cards and relay-based logic circuits to play two-handed five-card draw poker. In operation, Pokerac determined which cards to discard during the draw phase and then classified the final hand. According to Dewan, the machine won about 60% of games against average players and split 50-50 against skilled players.[1]
Development
David Dewan, an 18-year-old senior[2] at Niskayuna High School (Schenectady, New York), began developing Pokerac in late 1960 when he calculated approximately 1,000 probability values necessary for playing optimal five-card draw poker.[3] Actual construction of the computer took about 300 hours[4] during late 1960 and early 1961. Total material cost, using surplus relays and a handmade card reader, was $150[5].
Cards
Pokerac used coded playing cards[6] with holes punched in specific positions to identify each card's suit and rank. A notch at the bottom of each card ensured proper alignment when inserted into one of the machine's card slots.
Technical design
To read the coded playing cards, Pokerac used a handmade 85-pole selector switch[5]. The card reader had 85 pairs of spring-loaded contacts (17 pairs per card; 4 for suits and 13 for ranks) mounted opposite each other on two boards. Solenoids clamped the two boards together around the cards. Holes in the cards allowed the corresponding contacts to touch, translating the hole patterns into electrical signals. These signals then passed through the stepping switches and relay logic circuits, which implemented the probability-based decision rules Dewan had calculated earlier. A light in front of each card slot indicated whether to keep or replace that card during the draw phase[7]. Lights on the back panel identified the final hand classification.[8]
Operation
To operate Pokerac, a user selected five cards from the coded deck and inserted one card into each slot. Cards could either face away from the user (to play against the machine) or face forward (for demonstrations).
Recognition and impact
Pokerac attracted attention from both the press and the scientific community. In May 1961, the Schenectady Gazette featured an article about the machine and its inventor[5]. The story was subsequently picked up by United Press International (UPI), giving it national distribution[9].
Dr. Richard Shuey and Dr. C.V. Jakowatz of the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady conducted a two-hour evaluation of the project. Dr. Shuey, who managed the information studies section at the research laboratory, wrote that the machine "demonstrates a high degree of ingenuity and initiative and should be recognized as such."[5]
Name and historical context
Pokerac was named in the style of early computers: ENIAC (1945), UNIVAC (1951), and MANIAC (1952).
The concept of computers playing games was in its infancy. Arthur Samuel had developed a self-learning checkers-playing program at IBM in the 1950s. However, dedicated game-playing computers such as the Fidelity Electronic Checker Challenger (1978) were still far in the future.[10]
General purpose computers, though large, expensive, and generally inaccessible to individuals, were beginning to become smaller. In 1959, IBM had announced the IBM 1401 computer and Digital Equipment Corporation had delivered their PDP-1.