AT A GLANCE
PKR is a revolutionary poker site that combines the social aspects of massively multiplayer online games with the fun and skill of poker. Using a 3D graphics engine, the kind usually relegated to the mainstream video game market (and all but unheard of on the real-money poker software scene), PKR lets players create characters to play in a more realistic atmosphere.
| WEBSITE | PKR |
| ACCEPTING U.S. PLAYERS? | No |
| ESTABLISHED | 2000 |
| COUNTRY OF ORIGIN | United Kingdom |
| SIZE OF DOWNLOAD | 804 KB |
| SIZE ON COMPUTER | 757 MB |
SOFTWARE
The PKR software is truly unique and unlike almost any other real-money poker site out there. (There are a few other less-popular real-money 3D poker sites.) PKR features an excellent character-creation system that lets players fine-tune their 3D avatar, including hair colors/styles, body build, facial shape/texture, clothing, and accessories. Players can also spend PKR Points (frequent player points) to buy additional clothing or even chip trick animations. The software even lets players chose the kind of voice they want their character to speak in.
That latter personalization is a good thing, as there is quite a lot of talking on PKR. Players announce every move they make and users also have the ability to express themselves through their avatars with "emotes" like "wink," "laugh out loud," "boo," wave," "thank you," nice hand," and so on, all of which usually include both animations and sounds. This feature can be turned off if users think it is distracting, but it certainly adds to the already rich atmosphere of the software.
As far as that atmosphere is concerned, players are transported to 3D environments like beachside patios, or high-society poker rooms, and they can view the table and the action in numerous intuitive and fun ways. The software defaults to a table overview that takes a 45-degree, top-down view of the table from behind the dealer. Players can change the "camera" to view from North/East/South/West, or they can set it to first-person view or dynamic view. In first-person mode, the player sees everything from their avatar's eyes, and they can "turn the avatar's head," so to speak, to look around the table. In the dynamic view, the camera dynamically switches to wherever the action is in an ESPN-style showcase. This usually means propping up the view right in front of the player who is to act or giving an up-close look at the next card being dealt.
Both individual tournament lobbies and hand histories are inset into the table itself. When a player wants to view one of them, he simply clicks on an arrow and an HUD-style window pops up with the information. Both the tournament lobbies and the hand histories have all of the information one would expect and have no glaring omissions.
The software is also innovative in that it has a unique auto-update option. With most poker sites, you only know that you require a software update when you open the software to play. The software then takes time to update before you can jump in and play. The PKR Pal that comes with the software runs in the background whenever your computer is turned on (you can turn off this option) and automatically downloads updates whenever they are available; that way, PKR is always ready to play immediately. The PKR Pal can also be set up to pop up reminders for you of tournaments that you like to play, even when the PKR software is not running.
Finally, PKR offers a buddy list that allows you to keep track of your friends on PKR and if/where they are playing on the site. This is a feature that surprisingly few other sites currently offer.
That latter personalization is a good thing, as there is quite a lot of talking on PKR. Players announce every move they make and users also have the ability to express themselves through their avatars with "emotes" like "wink," "laugh out loud," "boo," wave," "thank you," nice hand," and so on, all of which usually include both animations and sounds. This feature can be turned off if users think it is distracting, but it certainly adds to the already rich atmosphere of the software.
As far as that atmosphere is concerned, players are transported to 3D environments like beachside patios, or high-society poker rooms, and they can view the table and the action in numerous intuitive and fun ways. The software defaults to a table overview that takes a 45-degree, top-down view of the table from behind the dealer. Players can change the "camera" to view from North/East/South/West, or they can set it to first-person view or dynamic view. In first-person mode, the player sees everything from their avatar's eyes, and they can "turn the avatar's head," so to speak, to look around the table. In the dynamic view, the camera dynamically switches to wherever the action is in an ESPN-style showcase. This usually means propping up the view right in front of the player who is to act or giving an up-close look at the next card being dealt.
Both individual tournament lobbies and hand histories are inset into the table itself. When a player wants to view one of them, he simply clicks on an arrow and an HUD-style window pops up with the information. Both the tournament lobbies and the hand histories have all of the information one would expect and have no glaring omissions.
The software is also innovative in that it has a unique auto-update option. With most poker sites, you only know that you require a software update when you open the software to play. The software then takes time to update before you can jump in and play. The PKR Pal that comes with the software runs in the background whenever your computer is turned on (you can turn off this option) and automatically downloads updates whenever they are available; that way, PKR is always ready to play immediately. The PKR Pal can also be set up to pop up reminders for you of tournaments that you like to play, even when the PKR software is not running.
Finally, PKR offers a buddy list that allows you to keep track of your friends on PKR and if/where they are playing on the site. This is a feature that surprisingly few other sites currently offer.
TOURNAMENTS
The major tournament on PKR is the $75,000-guaranteed PKR Masters tournament, which has a $250 buy-in and occurs monthly. The site also features a regular $25,000-guaranteed tournament called The Sunday Classic with a buy-in of $65.
PKR also offers what they call "terminator" tournaments. Most of the terminator tourneys are essentially bounty tournaments, wherein players earn money for eliminating players in addition to finishing deep. Some of the terminator tournaments have a twist, though. In some events, the bounty for a particular player (displayed over his avatar's head) gets larger as the player eliminates more people. Thus, the more players you eliminate, the larger the bounty is on your head (and the larger the target is on your back).
PKR also offers "Phase" tournaments (basically step tournaments). In these tournaments, players can buy in for a small amount and work their way through the phase sit-and-gos to the final phase (phase five), which is a $160 sit-and-go. In each phase of sit-and-go, certain places move on to the next phase, certain places get a chance to try the same phase again, and the loser places drop out and must start over again. All of the phase tournaments can be bought into directly.
There are also terminator sit-and-gos, including the "Terminator Xtreme" sit-and-gos, in which the entire prize pool is allocated to bounties. As each player is eliminated, a portion of the bounty prize is awarded to the player with the winning hand, with the remainder added to their own bounty prize. If you knock everyone out -– you win the entire prize pool.
PKR also offers what they call "terminator" tournaments. Most of the terminator tourneys are essentially bounty tournaments, wherein players earn money for eliminating players in addition to finishing deep. Some of the terminator tournaments have a twist, though. In some events, the bounty for a particular player (displayed over his avatar's head) gets larger as the player eliminates more people. Thus, the more players you eliminate, the larger the bounty is on your head (and the larger the target is on your back).
PKR also offers "Phase" tournaments (basically step tournaments). In these tournaments, players can buy in for a small amount and work their way through the phase sit-and-gos to the final phase (phase five), which is a $160 sit-and-go. In each phase of sit-and-go, certain places move on to the next phase, certain places get a chance to try the same phase again, and the loser places drop out and must start over again. All of the phase tournaments can be bought into directly.
There are also terminator sit-and-gos, including the "Terminator Xtreme" sit-and-gos, in which the entire prize pool is allocated to bounties. As each player is eliminated, a portion of the bounty prize is awarded to the player with the winning hand, with the remainder added to their own bounty prize. If you knock everyone out -– you win the entire prize pool.
CASH GAMES
The low- to mid-stakes hold'em and Omaha games get very decent traffic, with 7,000-9,000 players signed onto the site on most days. The high-limit games rarely get off the ground, although they are offered as high as $100-$200 for limit hold'em. This is likely because PKR is seen as more of a recreational site because if the 3D aspect. Then again, that viewpoint makes the site more likely to appeal to weaker players, making it more profitable for skilled players.
FINANCIAL INFO
| PAYMENT OPTIONS | Visa, MasterCard, NETELLER, Click2Pay, Maestro, Switch, Solo, Moneybookers, iDeal/Envoy |
| AUDITOR | Gaming Associates |
RAKE INFO
| NO-LIMIT | LIMIT | |
|---|---|---|
| MICRO | $0.01/$0.10- Max $0.25 | $0.01/$0.10 - Max $0.50 |
| LOW | $0.01/$0.20 - Max $3 | $0.25/$5 - Max $1 |
| MEDIUM | $0.05/$1 - Max $3 | $1/$20 - Max $3 |
| HIGH | $0.05/$1 - Max $3 | $1/$30 - Max $3 |
GAME VARIETY
|
| STAKES: $0.01-$0.02 up to $100-$200 |
SUPPORT
| support@pkr.com | |
| PHONE | 877-217-7605 |
| COMMENTS | Options for support include:
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SPECIAL FEATURES
- Buddy list
- Huge range of "emotes" that let your 3D avatar express itself
- PKR Pal auto-updates the software, even when you're not playing, so you don't have to wait when you want to play
- Players earn bracelets for taking down certain PKR tournaments that they can then wear at the tables
- The ability to show both or just one of your holecards when mucking
PROMOTIONS
- Four different bonuses: 1) $50 after 7,500 PKR points earned, 2) 50 percent up to $250 at $1/200 PKR points, 3) 100 percent up to $600 at $1/225 PKR points, or 4) 100 percent up to $2,000 at $1/250 PKR points
- Players can use PKR frequent player points to buy clothing, accessories, tattoos, or chip tricks for their avatars
- Players can use PKR frequent player points to buy into freerolls or to buy merchandise from the PKR store