@inproceedings{b34a09c0ef7343a6a4c9eb7537d5ed7a,
title = "Bidding in spades",
abstract = "We present a Spades bidding algorithm that is superior to recreational human players and to publicly available bots. Like in Bridge, the game of Spades is composed of two independent phases, bidding and playing. This paper focuses on the bidding algorithm, since this phase holds a precise challenge: Based on the input, choose the bid that maximizes the agent's winning probability. Our Bidding-in-Spades (BIS) algorithm heuristically determines the bidding strategy by comparing the expected utility of each possible bid. A major challenge is how to estimate these expected utilities. To this end, we propose a set of domain-specific heuristics, and then correct them via machine learning using data from real-world players. The BIS algorithm we present can be attached to any playing algorithm. It beats rule-based bidding bots when all use the same playing component. When combined with a rule-based playing algorithm, it is superior to the average recreational human.",
author = "Gal Cohensius and Reshef Meir and Nadav Oved and Roni Stern",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 The authors and IOS Press.; 24th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence, ECAI 2020, including 10th Conference on Prestigious Applications of Artificial Intelligence, PAIS 2020 ; Conference date: 29-08-2020 Through 08-09-2020",
year = "2020",
month = aug,
day = "24",
doi = "10.3233/FAIA200117",
language = "English",
series = "Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications",
publisher = "IOS Press BV",
pages = "387--394",
editor = "\{De Giacomo\}, Giuseppe and Alejandro Catala and Bistra Dilkina and Michela Milano and Senen Barro and Alberto Bugarin and Jerome Lang",
booktitle = "ECAI 2020 - 24th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence, including 10th Conference on Prestigious Applications of Artificial Intelligence, PAIS 2020 - Proceedings",
address = "Netherlands",
}