Robots, Poker & Pizza
Quatico hosts a poker tournament of a different kind: the players are bots developed by several teams in the supported programming languages. But the whole thing is more than just play; it is a smart and, above all, fun Agile training. After an introduction to the rules over a shared pizza feast, we dive right in. Four teams enter the battle:
- BigBlind (Java)
- Replicantsv2 (JavaScript, Node)
- DeepBlueGoesVegas (JavaScript, Node)
- Pokerface v01 (Java)
The rules: actually quite simple
From the start, a round of Texas Hold'em poker runs every five seconds, and points can be won in each one. In the end, the bot that collects the most points wins. Each team develops its own poker robot for this. The code and strategy are adjusted continuously during play, optimizing the bot as it goes. Alongside speed, a smart approach is decisive:
- How do we get the robot into production fastest, so we can score points early?
- Which code changes bring in the most points?
- How do we react to the other teams' strategy changes?
Tricky questions that challenge the teams' creativity in a playful way.
Learned something again
Each one-hour poker game, full of suspense, fun, and exciting twists, is followed by a retrospective. The challenges and insights are discussed together, and different strategies are debated. Because the goal is not to win, but to learn. The simulated environment offers a great opportunity to experiment with agile practices at no risk whatsoever.
The Winner is: Big Blind
Of course, it was also about winning. In the end, the winning team «Big Blind» got to celebrate with a magnum bottle of champagne.
We congratulate Loriana, Ralph, and Roland on their fairly narrow but well-deserved victory.
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