AK: How did you come up with the idea of creating the first version of Turbo Texas Hold'em software in the late 80's?
BW: I love poker and I always had so I use to play it a lot even in the 80's. But the games were disappointing from a point of view: the simulation completely lacked. There were some hand analysis but you couldn't consider them a form of simulation. At first I considered creating a program for my own use, which could help you control some statistical analysis of the game. Eventually that led to the 1989 release of the DOS version of the Turbo Texas Hold'em.
AK: The love for poker or for programming made you develop the program?
BW:It was a combination between them. I started programming in the 60's but I played poker for a considerate amount of time as well.
AK: How long took you to create the program?
BW: The games were not the same; the first version took me about a year to create and it was for DOS. Then another 4 versions for DOS were created, and then we switched to Windows. Currently we are creating the eleventh version of the game, the sixth for Windows and the process of creating the last game started 2 years ago.
AK:And how did you made tests on the program?
BW: I was helped by other people, like poker players who helped me with ideas, but there were much more people involved. We simulated a lot, starting with the first game which was able to simulate and record capabilities. Make Gilbert, a professional poker player from Los Angeles helped me the most in developing the game.
AK:How did you develop the strategy set?
BW: Well we made billions simulations, which were unique and very complicated. We tested all kinds of situations like when there are a certain number of players at the flop and the pot has been raised, or when another number of players are at the table and the pot contains money and so on. As you can see the simulations were very diverse, because we wanted to be prepared for any situation that may occur at the table, and we were helped by poker players with this. The strategies were also made depending on the level of the game: the amount of the pot, the position at the table, the betting action and so on.
AK: Do you think that the poker software may help one become a professional poker player, or it helps him in a certain way in this process?
BW: It's hard to say as this depends on the player. Some may find this program very useful other won't. When it comes to simulation this program has all the situations, and many will find this in their favor, others will say is useless. We don't know how many professional players use our system as we have very mixed customers.
AK: How can you evaluate a beginner's skill level in a real money game using this program?
BW: The program helps them by noticing them when they make some mistakes in the style of their game, if they play too loose they will be notified, if they play too tight they will be notified, the same thing happens if they play too passive or too aggressive. So the players have their games analyzed as they play and they can make adjustments on the spot.
AK: Does the program influences one's success?
BW: That depends, as the program can be used in various ways. The upper mentioned one, and then the game can analyze deeper situations like how the game will be influenced by position or any other factors like that. The game can be analyzed even deeper like what is the correct situation to do when you hit a certain hand and there are a certain numbers of players and so on. It can be very complicated and requires hard work but in the end it will be worth it.
AK: Do you use the program?
BW: Yes I do
AK: And does it help you win?
BW: Well I don't have too much time to play since I am so busy with developing the program and all, but my wife uses it and she is getting better and better, I could say that she is a very good player at the moment.
AK: Do you play poker online?
BW: I don't have too much time but I think is a good way to play the game because of the costs and all.
AK: What is your opinion regarding the poker bots?
BW: We do not create them even if we get many requests for them. Right now testing peoples' skill level is our number one priority and also I'm sure that the online sites do not like them too much anyway.
AK: What are your future plans?
BW: Well we are trying to help the people even more by adding extra features. Many people start playing and they have no idea about the game, they don't know the rules, or the rankings of the game, very necessary things. We will create features to help people with that problem, but now our greatest feature which will be introduced in our next game is the ability to read each player's playing style by reading the table. Reading which player is loose and which one is tight is essential, any many don't bother with that but we will try to make this become instinctual for them.
AK: When do you appraise that the next Turbo Texas Hold'em will be released?
BW: The game has been in development for the past two years now, but I could say around January it may be released.
AK: We thank you for the interview and we are anxiously expecting the new version of Turbo Texas Hold'em.
