The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has introduced a new AI-powered feature that can predict when players are bluffing, giving viewers a new look behind the scenes of what usually goes on behind the “poker face.”
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has introduced a new AI-powered feature that can predict when players are bluffing, giving viewers a new look behind the scenes of what usually goes on behind the “poker face.”
The technology debuted when the WSOP returned to ESPN for the first time since 2021. Instead of showing players' cards, artificial intelligence analyzes subtle body language to assess whether a person is prone to bluffing or actually holds a strong hand, Dexerto reports .
The model was created by independent AI engineer Luke Gill, who spent about six months developing the system, training it on archival video footage and the results of past poker matches.
Instead of analyzing only betting strategy, the AI evaluates visual cues — such as posture, facial expressions, and eye blink rate — looking for a connection between a player's behavior and the strength of their cards.
Despite its capabilities, the AI will not make live predictions while the hand is still in progress. Omaha Productions said the feature will only be shown after players have folded or folded to avoid any impact on the course of the competition.
Gil admitted that creating the system turned out to be a much more difficult task than expected.
“It was a lot harder than I initially thought,” he said. “I can’t just take a YouTube link, upload it, and tell the system, ‘Find their weaknesses and habits.’”
He also said that several players have already asked if this technology can be used to study future opponents or to identify their own subconscious habits at the table.
While Gil believes that seasoned pros like Daniel Negreanu have probably learned to flawlessly hide obvious physical body cues, he expects AI models to become much more sophisticated in the future.
