A gambler with the ultimate expressionless poker face has defeated SEVEN of the world’ s top players in a special Las Vegas tournament.

Polaris II — a computer built at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada — emerged from the game at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino with three wins, two losses and a draw.

Last year, in a similar game in Vancouver, Polaris narrowly lost to two top human players.

Bizarre Behaviour

Boffins say this year’s difference was down to improvements in the computer’ s ability to reason. They also altered its capacity to learn and adapt.

One of the human players, Jay Palansky,  said Polaris II made some bizarre moves that a human would never make.

And another, Matt Hawrilenko,  confessed that the thought of Polaris-type “card sharps” was scary: “They might win some of our money away,” he explained.

Asked if Polaris II’s victory promised an ADVANTAGE to internet casino bosses offering online poker, chief programmer Michael Bowling said it was a “crossing point”, adding: “It’s going to take a bit of time for the poker world to digest.”