Member Interview 1: Toshiki Ohata on Changing How Environment Shapes Poker Learning Opportunities

Hello! I’m part of the PR team at CLOViZ Inc.

A lot of people are probably wondering what CLOViZ actually is and what kind of people work here.
In this note, we’ll introduce CLOViZ members in an interview format. We’ll share our vision and values, highlight each member’s role and skill set, and show both the strength of the team and the unique appeal of every individual.

For our first feature, we’re introducing Mr. Ohata, who works on the development side of our poker learning app.

1. A University of Tokyo Graduate Student Takes on Explainable AI for Imperfect-Information Games

First, could you briefly introduce yourself?

My name is Toshiki Ohata. I’m a first-year master’s student in the Department of Information and Communication Engineering at the Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, the University of Tokyo. I’m part of the Tsuruoka Lab, where I work on game AI, machine learning, and reinforcement learning.

My research focuses on explainable AI for imperfect-information games like poker and mahjong. For example, when multiple actions are available in a given spot, the AI outputs in natural language which action is the most profitable and why.

I also served as president of the University of Tokyo poker club Big Slick for about two years, from the fall of my sophomore year through the fall of my senior year. I’ve handed over the title now, but I still often help run the club. We regularly host tournaments and study sessions.
As for poker results, I won the Student Poker Championship, a tournament open to players under 30.

About the Tsuruoka Lab where Ohata belongs

https://www.logos.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/gameai-jp.html

About the Student Poker Championship: U30

https://pokerjapan.jp/u30-2024summer/

2. Discovering Poker During COVID

That’s fascinating, combining poker with AI research.
You also served as president of a poker club. How did you first get into poker?

I first discovered poker in the spring of my freshman year.

I originally wanted to join a sports club, but COVID made normal activities impossible. While looking for other options, I found the University of Tokyo poker club Big Slick.

I’d been playing mahjong since high school, and I felt poker was similar and really interesting. Both poker and mahjong require you to find the best action without knowing your opponent’s hand. But in poker, reading people matters even more, and you can test different lines depending on the opponent. That’s what drew me in and led me to join the club.

3. How to Improve at Poker: Combining Practice and Theory

It’s true, being able to adjust your strategy to different opponents is a big part of the appeal.
How did you study poker and improve?

At first, I was almost completely self-taught.

Today, there’s a lot of great content available, like GTO Wizard, a service where you can study game-theory-optimal strategies, and plenty of useful YouTube videos. But when I started learning poker in 2020, that kind of environment wasn’t as developed.
So I played a lot to build intuition, and whenever something came up, I asked reliable, skilled seniors around me. I’d get advice like, “You can raise this hand,” or, “It’s fine to fold in this spot.” I tried to notice where my instincts differed from stronger players and adjust accordingly.

When I was around my sophomore year, GTO Wizard became widely known. After I started using it, I studied what lines are profitable when both players are strong. In real games, I focused on observing how far opponents deviated from that strong baseline. Then I’d think, “Against this player, this line seems more profitable,” or, “This play probably won’t work here,” and choose my actions based on that.

4. Recommended Poker Study Methods for Beginners: Get Objective Feedback

So you improved by balancing real play with theory.
What study method would you recommend to someone starting poker now?

I think the best approach is to ask someone who’s better than you.

For example, ask the person who introduced you to poker. Have them watch your play and point out your leaks. It’s hard to notice your own mistakes in poker, so you really need outside feedback.

The challenge is getting a stronger player to spend time with you and explain things well.
Some people offer coaching online, but many players say it’s too expensive. It often costs at least 5,000 yen per hour, and not everyone can afford that.

Many people learn the rules but then struggle to keep improving, and I think the real issue is the learning environment.

5. Ohata’s Role at CLOViZ: Developing the Poker Learning App POKER Q’z

I agree. Advice from strong players is effective, but cost and access are real barriers.
So what role do you have at CLOViZ?

At CLOViZ, I work on developing the poker learning app POKER Q’z. For example, we discuss what features the app needs internally, then I share that with our engineers and help bring it to life.
I also help create content, including poker questions and YouTube materials.

As I mentioned earlier, I believe poker learning opportunities depend heavily on your environment. I hope POKER Q’z can help fix that.

If any player can get AI explanations on their own, whenever they want, at a low cost, then that gap starts to shrink.

There’s also a lot of paid content online, but it’s extremely difficult to choose what’s appropriate for your current level.
I often see players who don’t fully understand the fundamentals but try to learn only advanced concepts from YouTube, and it doesn’t translate into real improvement.

In reality, there are probably many people with strong potential who never got the right environment and couldn’t fully develop their talent.

POKER Q’z is designed to guide beginners through what they need in a logical sequence. Even if you don’t know where to start, you can use it with confidence.
If you have the time and motivation but don’t have the right learning environment, I’d love for you to try this app.

6. What Makes POKER Q’z Valuable: Objective Feedback and Practical Training

Your passion for developing POKER Q’z really comes through.
It’s great to see your focus on improving the poker learning environment and giving everyone equal access to improvement.
Could you share more about what specifically makes POKER Q’z appealing?

I think the biggest appeal is that it helps you understand your objective play style and your baseline for hand strength.

Poker has theoretically correct answers, but it’s hard to judge how far your own decisions are from that correct strategy. If you had objective indicators like “You’re too aggressive” or “You fold too much,” you could adjust your play yourself.
If it says you fold too much, you can try calling when you’re unsure. If it says you’re too aggressive, you can give up on a bluff when you’re on the fence. By making those adjustments, I believe you can gradually move closer to correct play.

There are also boundaries in poker, like what counts as a strong hand versus a weak hand, or whether an opponent is aggressive or passive. Top players can sense those boundaries largely through experience. By doing lots of realistic, hands-on drills through this app, I want users to build that intuition and level up.

Thank you for the interview today, Ohata!

Thank you as well. If you’re interested in what we’re doing and want to get involved in building the service with us, please contact us through the link below.