Computers have outplayed humans in chess and Go for decades. But poker was long considered unhackable. The game requires not just crunching numbers, but creativity and complex strategy. That only started to change about 10 years ago, when a new generation of unbeatable poker bots began to appear online. 

The makers of the technology remained in the shadows, so Bloomberg’s Kit Chellel set out to find them. On today’s Big Take podcast, he joins David Gura to share the story of how a group of Russian students invented the world’s best online poker bots and what that means for the multi-billion-dollar industry.

Read more: The Russian Bot Army That Conquered Online Poker

Computers have outplayed humans in chess and Go for decades. But poker was long considered unhackable. The game requires not just crunching numbers, but creativity and complex strategy. That only started to change about 10 years ago, when a new generation of unbeatable poker bots began to appear online.  The makers of the technology remained in the shadows, so Bloomberg’s Kit Chellel set out to find them. On today’s Big Take podcast, he joins David Gura to share the story of how a group of Russian students invented the world’s best online poker bots and what that means for the multi-billion-dollar industry.
Read more: <a href="The%20Russian%20Bot%20Army%20That%20Conquered%20Online%20Poker">The Russian Bot Army That Conquered Online Poker</a>

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

The Big Take from Bloomberg News brings you inside what’s shaping the world's economies with the smartest and most informed business reporters around the world. The context you need on the stories that can move markets. Every afternoon.

Big Take

The Genius Minds Behind the World’s Best Poker Bots

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fb6b7192-2bdd-405a-99bc-b1f10116df2d/transcript

US economic growth is up but consumer sentiment is down. Another rate hike, expected this year, could help lower inflation, but do little to ease the frustrations of much of the middle class, for whom the American dream sits just out of reach.

On today’s Big Take podcast, editors Matthew Boesler and Cristina Lindblad join Sarah Holder to unpack what the data says is happening in the US economy and why consumer sentiment tells another story.

Read more: 
The Trump Stock Market Is Lousy for Most
US Consumer Prices Rise by Most Since April in Broad Advance

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Host: Sarah Holder; Guests: Matthew Boesler and Cristina Lindblad; Produced by David Fox; Edited by Paddy Hirsch and Naomi Shavin; Engineering by Emma Munger.

US economic growth is up but consumer sentiment is down. Another rate hike, expected this year, could help lower inflation, but do little to ease the frustrations of much of the middle class, for whom the American dream sits just out of reach.
On today&rsquo;s Big Take podcast, editors Matthew Boesler and Cristina Lindblad join Sarah Holder to unpack what the data says is happening in the US economy and why consumer sentiment tells another story.
Read more:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-10-09/trump-stock-market-is-driven-by-ai-not-broad-economic-strength?srnd=undefined">The Trump Stock Market Is Lousy for Most</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-10-14/us-consumer-prices-climb-by-most-since-april-on-fuel-costs">US Consumer Prices Rise by Most Since April in Broad Advance</a></li>
</ul>
We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Host: Sarah Holder; Guests: Matthew Boesler and Cristina Lindblad; Produced by David Fox; Edited by Paddy Hirsch and Naomi Shavin; Engineering by Emma Munger.

What Is the US Economy Trying to Tell Us?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/824128a1-857d-4637-bcc8-b4e401514b1b/transcript

Energy prices are up — and President Trump is out of time to bring them down before the US midterm elections. 

On today’s Big Take podcast, David Gura breaks down the factors keeping prices high and how much it could cost the Republican party with White House reporter Josh Wingrove and Will Kubzansky, who covers gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. 

We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.

Host: David Gura; Guests: Josh Wingrove and Will Kubzansky; Produced by Julia Press, David Fox, Julia Weaver; Edited by Naomi Shavin; Engineering by Sean Carter.

Energy prices are up &mdash; and President Trump is out of time to bring them down before the US midterm elections.&nbsp;
On today&rsquo;s Big Take podcast, David Gura breaks down the factors keeping prices high and how much it could cost the Republican party with White House reporter Josh Wingrove and Will Kubzansky, who covers gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.&nbsp; We have a special Bloomberg subscription offer for podcast listeners at <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/subscriptions/podcasts">Bloomberg.com/podcastoffer.</a>
Host: David Gura; Guests: Josh Wingrove and Will Kubzansky; Produced by Julia Press, David Fox, Julia Weaver; Edited by Naomi Shavin; Engineering by Sean Carter.

It's The Diesel, Stupid

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7e3a8235-b060-434c-8a46-b4e301524469/transcript

When millions of retail investors piled into India’s options market to get rich quick, losses mounted and regulators launched a sweeping crackdown. 

On today’s Big Take Asia podcast, guest host Rebecca Choong Wilkins and India equities reporter Savio Shetty break down how the world’s largest options market unraveled, why regulators are struggling to police the country’s latest craze and where traders are placing their bets now. 

Read more: How India Built (and Broke) the World’s Biggest Options Casino

Further listening: Inside Jane Street: The Enigmatic Firm That Rules Wall Street

Watch, from Originals: How India's Day Retail Traders Lost Billions

Host: Rebecca Choong Wilkins; Guest: Savio Shetty; Produced by Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Edited by Crispina Robert and Julia Weaver. Engineering by Sean Carter II.

When millions of retail investors piled into India&rsquo;s options market to get rich quick, losses mounted and regulators launched a sweeping crackdown.&nbsp;
On today&rsquo;s Big Take Asia podcast, guest host Rebecca Choong Wilkins and India equities reporter Savio Shetty break down how the world&rsquo;s largest options market unraveled, why regulators are struggling to police the country&rsquo;s latest craze and where traders are placing their bets now.&nbsp;
Read more: <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2026-india-options-market-boom-bust-sebi/">How India Built (and Broke) the World&rsquo;s Biggest Options Casino </a>Further listening: <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-jane-street-the-enigmatic-firm-that-rules-wall/id1578096201?i=1000794526052">Inside Jane Street: The Enigmatic Firm That Rules Wall Street</a>
Watch, from Originals:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cndVRiZ9Pdc">How India's Day Retail Traders Lost Billions</a>
Host: Rebecca Choong Wilkins; Guest: Savio Shetty; Produced by Naomi Ng and Yang Yang; Edited by Crispina Robert and Julia Weaver.&nbsp;Engineering by Sean Carter II.

How India’s Day Traders Broke the World’s Biggest Options Market

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/02064fda-9c48-4a2a-bf95-b4e2015376e8/transcript

The Genius Minds Behind the World’s Best Poker Bots

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