Pokerac’s architecture was based on relay logic circuits. The input mechanism was an 85-pole selector switch that read holes punched in the cards, translating the hole patterns into electrical signals. These signals then passed through the relay logic circuits, which implemented the probability-based decision rules Dewan had calculated. Indicator lights served as the primary output mechanism, showing both which cards to retain during the draw phase and the final hand classification.
Pokerac’s architecture was based on relay logic circuits. The input mechanism was an 85-pole selector switch that read holes punched in the cards, translating the hole patterns into electrical signals. These signals then passed through the relay logic circuits, which implemented the probability-based decision rules Dewan had calculated. Indicator lights served as the primary output mechanism, showing both which cards to retain during the draw phase and the final hand classification.
==test Cards==
Pokerac used specially coded playing cards with a unique punching system that Dewan designed himself. Each card had holes punched in specific positions to identify its suit and rank. The cards featured a distinctive alignment mechanism: a notch at the bottom of each card ensured proper positioning when inserted into the machine’s card slots.
[[File:Pokerac card diagram.png|thumb|left|Diagram of Pokerac punched card showing hole pattern for encoding playing card suit and rank.]]
[[File:Pokerac card sample.png|thumb|left|Sample Pokerac playing card showing the hole for “2”, the hole for “Hearts”, and the notch at the bottom to align the card.]]
{{Clear}}
==Operation==
==Cards==
==Cards==
| File:Pokerac image 2.png
David Dewan demonstrating Pokerac in 1961 |
|
| Developer | David Dewan |
|---|---|
| Type | Game-playing computer |
| Release date | May 1961 |
| Media | Punched cards |
| CPU | Relay-based logic circuits |
| Display | Indicator lights |
| Input | Manual card insertion |
Pokerac was a poker-playing computer invented in 1961 by high school senior David Dewan. The machine used relay-based logic circuits to play two-handed five-card draw poker with no wild cards.
Performance
According to Dewan’s evaluation, Pokerac won approximately 60 percent of games against average poker players and achieved a 50-50 split against skilled players.
Development
David Dewan, an 18-year-old senior at Niskayuna High School, began developing Pokerac in late 1960 when he calculated the probability values necessary for playing optimal five-card draw poker. Actual construction of the computer took about 300 hours during late 1960 and early 1961. Total material cost, using surplus relays and a handmade card reader, was $150.
Technical Design
Pokerac’s architecture was based on relay logic circuits. The input mechanism was an 85-pole selector switch that read holes punched in the cards, translating the hole patterns into electrical signals. These signals then passed through the relay logic circuits, which implemented the probability-based decision rules Dewan had calculated. Indicator lights served as the primary output mechanism, showing both which cards to retain during the draw phase and the final hand classification.
test Cards
Pokerac used specially coded playing cards with a unique punching system that Dewan designed himself. Each card had holes punched in specific positions to identify its suit and rank. The cards featured a distinctive alignment mechanism: a notch at the bottom of each card ensured proper positioning when inserted into the machine’s card slots.
Operation
Cards
Pokerac used specially coded playing cards with a unique punching system that Dewan designed himself. Each card had holes punched in specific positions to identify its suit and rank. The cards featured a distinctive alignment mechanism: a notch at the bottom of each card ensured proper positioning when inserted into the machine’s card slots.
Operation
- Five cards were shuffled and inserted into the machine, one card in each of five slots, either facing away from the operator or visible
- When the operator pressed a button, Pokerac processed the hand for approximately three seconds
- Indicator lights illuminated in front of the cards Pokerac wanted to keep, while unlit positions indicated cards to discard
- The operator removed the unwanted cards and replaced them with new ones from the deck
- Upon pressing the button again, Pokerac analyzed the final hand for three seconds
- A panel on the back of the machine displayed the final hand classification using labeled indicator lights (Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair, or No Pair)
Dewan expressed dissatisfaction with the three-second processing time and planned to reduce it to a quarter of a second in future versions.
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. The story was subsequently picked up by United Press International (UPI), giving it national distribution.
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.”
Name and Historical Context
Pokerac was named in the pattern popular with 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. Dedicated chess computers such as Fidelity Electronics Chess Challenger (1977) were far in the future.
General purpose computers, though large, expensive, and generally inaccessible to individuals, were getting smaller. In 1959, IBM had announced the IBM 1401 computer and Digital Equipment Corporation brought out the PDP-1.
See Also
- Computer poker player
- History of computing hardware
- Relay computer
- Game theory
- Optimal poker strategy
References
Sources
- Krieger, Howard (May 28, 1961). “Dave Turns His Hand to Poker, Chips in With Perfect Machine”. Schenectady Gazette.
- “Poker Face”. United Press International. May 1961.
- Niskayuna High School Yearbook. 1961.
External Links
- Schenectady County Historical Society
- History of Computer Game Playing
