The document discusses using Python to analyze online poker gameplay data in real-time. It describes capturing packet data from an Android device or router, processing the data with Python using pipes and stdin, and analyzing the poker hands with a library. IPython notebooks are used for visualization and documentation. The example code connects an Ngrep process on a router to a Python script via pipes to parse live poker game updates and rank hands.

1. The adventures of poker,
packets, pipes and
Python
Roger Barnes

2. I like playing online poker

3. But I could be better at it

4. I needed a poker buddy
All in!
That's a
terrible hand!

5. Live Hold'em Poker Pro

6. Packet capture options
from your (rooted) Android device - wifi or 3G
● apps - eg Shark for Root
● tcpdump - via shell

7. Packet capture options
from your router or another device on the
network (if promiscuous mode) - wifi only
● tcpdump/libpcap
● wireshark/tshark
● pcapy
● ngrep

8. Hackable routers
There are many devices and firmwares to
choose from (see dd-wrt and tomato-usb)
I have Netgear WNR3500L with Tomato-USB
● ssh built in
● Additional packages installed using Optware
○ http://tomatousb.org/doc:optware
○ Includes python, tshark, ngrep, wget, some build
tools, ...

9. Initial capture using tshark
tshark -i eth1 -w capture.pcap -f
"host 192.168.1.106 and
(port 9400 or port 9500)"

10. Analyse using wireshark - bingo!

11. IPython Notebook
http://ipython.org/ipython-doc/dev/interactive/htmlnotebook.html

12. Parsing game state
More IPython notebook work to figure out
sequence of events, card values, player actions
etc

13. Mapping card values
def cardmapper(val):
vals = '23456789TJQKA'
suits = 'cdhs'
result = divmod(val, 13)
return vals[result[1]] + suits[result[0]]
print cardmapper(44) # 7s
print cardmapper(21) # Td
print cardmapper(17) # 6d
print cardmapper(51) # As
print cardmapper(7) # 9c
print cardmapper(0) # 2c

14. Getting live capture data
● tshark? Too hard
● pcapy? Maybe
● ngrep? Probably

15. Getting live capture data into Python
● Install pcapy on router? Too hard
● zmq on router? Too hard
● SSH and pipe? Maybe

16. Running hand analysis
● Run directly on router? Too hard

17. Solution - ssh, ngrep and pipes
ssh $router "ngrep ..." | python -u poker-buddy.py

18. Pipes
Piping data into Python is easy
You can read stdin...
import sys
while True:
l = sys.stdin.readline():
Alternatively use the Unix-like fileinput
module...
import fileinput
for line in fileinput.input():
... fileinput reads from a list of files, or else stdin

19. Pipes
Watch out for buffering!
python -u

20. Now for some poker smarts
Loads of resources on the web
● Poker games generally
○ starting hand rankings
○ odds calculations etc

21. Now for some poker smarts
Easy lookup tables in python...
# Unprocessed space separated string dump
stats_rankings =
"""AA 2.3200 550,632
KK 1.6700 551,878
... lots more lines
32s -0.1600 369,182"""
# Now convert to structured data
stats_rankings = dict([
(line.split()[0], (rank + 1, float(line.split()[1])))
for rank, line
in enumerate(stats_rankings.split("n"))
])

22. Now for some poker smarts
Python specific
● pypoker-eval
○ Wrapper for poker-eval toolkit
○ Run hand simulations
● machine learning systems
○ endless possibilities
● Lots of other resources at:
http://pokerai.org/pf3/viewforum.php?f=32

23. Code
def read_raw_from_stdin():
line = ''
while 1:
l = sys.stdin.readline()
line += l.strip()
if '''we have a complete line''':
parse_update(line)
line = ''
if __name__ == "__main__":
read_raw_from_stdin()

24. Code
def parse_update(update_str):
player_cards = get_cards(update_str)
if player_cards:
my_cards = [v for v in player_cards if v[0] != '__']
if my_cards:
rank_starting_hand(my_cards[0])
else:
player_cards = old_player_cards # global state excluded
community_cards = get_cards(update_str, player=False)
if community_cards:
print("Community cards %s" % community_cards)
rank_hand(player_cards, community_cards)

25. Code
e = PokerEval()
def rank_hand(pocket_cards, community_cards, iterations=100000):
unknown_cards = ['__'] * (5 - len(community_cards))
result = e.poker_eval(game = "holdem",
pockets = pocket_cards,
iterations = iterations,
board = community_cards + unknown_cards)
for i, data in enumerate(result['eval']):
print(pocket_cards[i], "%2d%%" % (float(data['ev']) /
10), data['winhi'], data['losehi'], data['tiehi'])

26. Game in progress - poker-buddy.py
Player cards [['__', '__'], ['__', '__'], ['Ac', 'Kc'],
['__', '__'], ['__', '__']]
Group 1
(5, 0.77)

27. Game in progress - poker-buddy.py
Community cards ['Th', '5s', '9h']
['__', '__'] 21% 20486 77811 1703
['__', '__'] 21% 20267 78013 1720
['Ac', 'Kc'] 15% 14880 84332 788
['__', '__'] 21% 20386 77819 1795
['__', '__'] 21% 20207 78074 1719

28. Game in progress - poker-buddy.py
Community cards ['Th', '5s', '9h', 'Jc', '6s']
['__', '__'] 24% 24185 74694 1121
['__', '__'] 24% 24332 74502 1166
['Ac', 'Kc'] 1% 1019 98870 111
['__', '__'] 24% 24005 74893 1102
['__', '__'] 24% 24148 74698 1154

29. Summary
● Python can be used for packet capture
○ pycapy
● Python for data processing
○ Pipes, unbuffered input (-u option), stdin, fileinput
module
● Python on embedded devices
○ Optware on routers & other embedded devices
● IPython Notebook great for analysis...
...and documenting what you found
● There's a library for almost everything
○ eg pypoker-eval

30. Thanks! Questions?
Code (warts and all):
https://github.com/mindsocket/poker-buddy