Most people in the OpenHoldem world create their profile(s) completely from scratch. However the users with Shanky-BonusBots experience know a different approach: take an existing (demo-) bot and tweak it. Tweaking OpenPPL-profiles is relative easy, especially if they are written the simple way, everything in four large functions (f$preflop, f$flop, f$turn and f$river). OpenPPL evaluates from top to bottom of a function. So if you are not happy with the play in a certain situation the solution is easy: create a rule (exception) and put it on top of everything so that it overrides the current code. Higher position – higher priority.

Tweaking this way is easy. Now there is just one little technical pitfall. The profile to be tweaked might contain some one-line-statements at the top that always got executed. Now if you add your code on top of that profile the former one-line-statements would be bound to the last potential open-ended when-condition in your code. They would now only get executed if that open-ended when-condition was true. Therefore you have to terminate your last open-ended when-condition and start a new one that is always true:

WHEN  Others   // Always true
   // former one-line-statements here

Now the former one-line-statements are guaranteed to get executed always again, independent of any conditions in your code.

Of course it is possible to combine multiple profiles:

• a complete profile that plays somewhat reasonable on bottom to cover all situations.

• a tweaking, incomplete profile on top of it to fix the largest holes.

• finally your own tweaking code on the very top of everything for the fine-tuning.

Complete profiles usually end with the code

WHEN Others
   WHEN Others Fold FORCE

This code first terminates the last open-ended when-condition and then folds everything. If your favourite demo-bot misses such a statement this is a clear sign that this profile is incomplete, i.e it is a tweak for some other profile. In this case it usually needs some code for completion; however if you are happy with it you can use this profile as is. Whenever OpenHoldem reaches the end of a function it will evaluate the end as zero / false / fold and take the action accordingly.

f$flop = 0.000 [Line 27/73]
   ...
   empty_expression__false__zero__when_others_fold_force = 0.000