The History of Online 3D Poker

Although 3D poker seems like a relatively new concept, it has actually been around for over 7 years. Over that time period, various 3D poker rooms have come and gone, and relatively few have seen success. This article will look at all of the major developments in 3D poker, as well as the 3D poker sites that have come and gone in the last seven years.

True Poker

True Poker was the first 3D poker site, and started the concept of 3D online poker. Their site launched in May of 2001, and had a huge buzz going at the launch because people didn't know what to expect. Poker forums were abuzz with players anticipating video game graphics, voice chat, and even a virtual reality type game.

However, when all was said and done, True Poker was nothing more than a normal poker site with slightly better graphics. They have enough players to continue operating even to this day, but the room never really took off like the owners anticipated. In fact, at the time of this writing there are only a few hundred players playing on the site.

Stacks Poker

The next 3D poker site to cause a huge buzz was Stacks Poker. Stacks released some in-game videos of their software in early 2006, and once again the forums were filled with topics regarding this new 3D poker room. Judging by the videos, Stacks actually had solid graphics and game play, as opposed to True Poker which was basically just a prettied up 2D poker room.

Stacks Poker was the first 3D poker site to have a video game like appearance, but unfortunately, it never made it to the market. After their beta test, in which hundreds of players were invited to test the software, they ran out of money and couldn't finish development. Although Stacks never launched, they did pave the way for the first big player, PKR.com.

PKR.com

Right around the same time as when Stacks went bankrupt, another competitor was quietly developing their software in the background. PKR.com released videos showing in game play, and even though people were previously really impressed with Stack's graphics, PKR's blew them away.

PKR's buzz grew immensely strong, because they had the build up from Stacks transferred right to them. Although they took a long time to get to market, when they finally did launch the site was an instant success. The only bad thing about their timing was the fact that the UIGEA was released in the USA basically at the same time, and PKR chose to comply and turn down USA players. Learn more about PKR at our full PKR.com Poker Review.

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Ladbrokes.com 3D Poker

Ladbrokes.com is a relatively new competitor in the 3D poker arena, and they basically dove in after seeing the success that PKR was having. Their software launched in November of 2007, and hasn't seen quite the success that PKR has, but they do have a quality product that has attracted some players, especially ones within the UK.

Ladbrokes offers both 3D poker and 2D poker gaming, so players have the choice of which one they'd prefer when they sign up. To learn more about Ladbrokes, read our Ladbrokes Poker Review.

Sign up at Ladbrokes.com!