The computer's strategy does not have to be deterministic - it can randomize. Moreover, even deterministic strategies aren't necessarily predictable. For example: bad hand - always bluff, moderate hand - always fold, good hand - always go ahead. This is actually a Nash equilibrium strategy for one of the simplified poker models. Within that model, no human player can repeatably win against this strategy, and yes, it's a provable mathematical fact that has nothing to do with psychology.
The Von Neumann poker model. See http://www.math.ucla.edu/~tom/papers/poker1.pdf , pages 7-8, theorem 2. In a nutshell, it works because the opponent can't be sure if you have a very bad hand or a very good hand. Yes, it's a simplified model, but my game theory book says a computer analysis of straight poker gives the same result: when given the worst possible hand, you should always bluff.
That might be optimal from a certain standpoint, but it's not optimal at all for exploiting another human's weaknesses. Your goal in poker isn't to break even or even to win, it's to win the most possible.
Noone said it wasn't. Fact is a gametheoretically optimal player will beat all players than dont play gametheoretically optimal.
So yes you are right that a perfectly playing bot might not beat a really weak player for as much as the best human players would but that is not the question here.
The question is whether a bot can beat the best human players and if it plays GT-optimal and the human doesn't, well then the bot will win.
And it doesn't matter if human players can still beat the weak players for more.
If people find out they are playing against robots they will quit playing (well I'd assume they would).
The goal of malicious bots wouldn't be to beat the highstakes-games but rather fishing out the small ponds.
And then the pyramid falls and you will have to get a real job;)
Isn't it incredibly difficult to build a bot that plays gametheoretically optimal, other than in rather simple situations (like large portions of a heads up limit match)? My friends who understand such things tell me not to worry about it just yet.
