PKR.com
Encyclopedia
PKR.com is an Alderney
, UK-based website
that allows users to play poker
in a virtual reality
setting. The site uses 3D
graphics and player character animation during poker play. Each user's character can be customized. The characters incorporate body language
, expressions, chip tricks and poker tells to make the game more realistic.
and launched in June 2006. It has grown to more than 2.4 million users as of January 2009. They have also marked a record of 15,000 users playing simultaneously. In August 2007, PKR signed a license agreement making Playtech
their exclusive provider of casino software. In response to the United States ban
on online gambling
, PKR barred US-based players. In January 2009, the site recorded 40,000 new registrations, bringing the total player base to 2.4 million.
, and 150 players from several countries participated. PKR plans to continue holding these tournaments on an annual basis.
.
Alderney
Alderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
, UK-based website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
that allows users to play poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
in a virtual reality
Virtual reality
Virtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
setting. The site uses 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
graphics and player character animation during poker play. Each user's character can be customized. The characters incorporate body language
Body language
Body language is a form of non-verbal communication, which consists of body posture, gestures, facial expressions, and eye movements. Humans send and interpret such signals almost entirely subconsciously....
, expressions, chip tricks and poker tells to make the game more realistic.
History
PKR was founded by Jez SanJez San
Jeremy 'Jez' San OBE is an English game programmer and entrepreneur who founded Argonaut Software as a teenager in the 1980s. He is also a writer and helped design the Super FX chip for the Super NES.-Biography:...
and launched in June 2006. It has grown to more than 2.4 million users as of January 2009. They have also marked a record of 15,000 users playing simultaneously. In August 2007, PKR signed a license agreement making Playtech
Playtech
Playtech Ltd. is a gaming software development company founded in 1999. The company provides software for online casinos, online poker rooms, online bingo games, online sports betting, scratch games, mobile gaming, live dealer games and fixed-odds arcade games online.-Playtech gaming software and...
their exclusive provider of casino software. In response to the United States ban
Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006
The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 is United States legislation regulating online gambling. It was added as Title VIII to the SAFE Port Act which otherwise regulated port security...
on online gambling
Online gambling
Online gambling, also known as Internet gambling and iGambling, is a general term for gambling using the Internet.-Online poker:Online poker tables commonly offer Texas hold 'em, Omaha, Seven-card stud, razz, HORSE and other game types in both tournament and ring game structures...
, PKR barred US-based players. In January 2009, the site recorded 40,000 new registrations, bringing the total player base to 2.4 million.
Offline activities
In November 2008, PKR held its first in-person poker tournament in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and 150 players from several countries participated. PKR plans to continue holding these tournaments on an annual basis.
Recognition
In 2008, the site was awarded "Hotshot operator of the year" by gaming magazine eGaming ReviewEgaming Review
eGaming Review Magazine and EGRmagazine.com are related online gambling publishing brands covering online gambling industry news and regulation topics....
.