Since opening in 2006 PKR has pioneered three dimensional online poker. The first room of its kind, players can get the close to the live home game experience from the comfort of their home. But is the gimmick worthwhile? The 3D software is undeniably slick and fun, and attracts a lot of recreational players, more concerned with pimping out their avatar’s outfit and chip trick skills than playing solid poker. Adding unlockable outfits and characters is a great draw for the fish.
However, the network only an average traffic of a few hundred players, around 2% of the traffic of e.g. PokerStars, home to 2D tables that are bland by comparison. PKR could invest more in marketing the 3D concept to bring in new blood. Then again, sites that offer ‘webcam poker’ – where players can see and converse with their opposition 100% – never had huge success in the industry either.
Perhaps a better improvement could lie with the VIP program. Unless you’re lucky enough to sign up through an affiliate site to earn rakeback and the biggest PKR Bonus when you deposit, there isn’t much in the way of rewards. Many casual players won’t be informed enough to sign up via an affiliate and will lose their bankrolls faster.
For years it was only possible to play up to 4 tables at a time, which kept many professionals off the site. Some fish prefer to one-table and be able to act fast, without the games slowed down by mass-tabling regs. The experience is closer to live poker, with more players talking in the chat box and displaying ‘emotions’ using the 3D avatars.
However the table cap was raised to 9, still lower than most sites but potentially making the games more reg-heavy. The only advantage would be being able to play higher volume and release signup bonuses faster, which are considerations sharks bear in mind when choosing a poker site.
