The reckoning of time begins at 25 BDP. (Before Dungeon Poker)
The story of Dungeon Poker began in the year 2000, when Tuukka started his studies at the University of Kuopio. Alongside studying, poker was often played in the evenings. Tuukka and his friends were also into board games and fantasy role-playing games. At one point, Magic: The Gathering was also part of Tuukka´s hobbies at a competitive level.
The best thing about board games and role-playing games is the transition into a fascinating fantasy world—a chance to relax far away from the stress of everyday life. In these games, players encounter exciting situations, solve problems, fight bravely against dangerous monsters, and discover treasures and all kinds of magical items. In poker, on the other hand, the most enjoyable aspects are the competition, the thrill, and its perfectly functioning game mechanics.
Tuukka came up with a unique idea: to combine these two and create a poker game that would include the best elements of a fantasy world. He began designing his own game, “Dungeon Poker,” and building a fantasy world with stories around it. Soon after, Tuukka’s good friend Jere—a skilled storyteller and Dungeon Master—joined the development of the game with his own ideas.
In 2017, Tuukka and Jere’s good friend Timo—“The Blue Prince,” an enthusiast of role-playing games and poker—was getting married, and we organized a bachelor party for him. For the second evening, we planned a poker tournament—but this time with slightly modified rules. All participants received their own fantasy character with special abilities. Timo, the Blue Prince, naturally received a somewhat overpowered character. The Blue Prince played with three cards and even got a conveniently unfair opportunity once to take his placed money back from the pot.
The game was an extremely entertaining experience. This was the first time Dungeon Poker was introduced to an audience—and it was a success. Thus, the first version of Dungeon Poker saw the light of day over eight years ago.
Since then, the game has been actively developed over several years. The game’s core mechanics, illustrations, and art stem from Tuukka’s imagination, combined with thousands of hours of AI-assisted image processing and experience from hundreds of board games as well as poker. At times, these hours have been long and nerve-wracking—yet also rewarding and inspiring. Naturally, all of this has been refined into a cohesive whole over the years together with Jere, Rauli, and many other playtesters. Much of the game’s storytelling and English linguistic nuance, in turn, springs from Jere’s imagination as a true storyteller, and from the countless adventures he has created during his role-playing career.
Now today, on September 11, 2025, we are living in a historically significant moment. Dungeon Poker has been released and is available to the general public. From this day onward, time in Dungeon Poker is counted as BDP / ADP (Before Dungeon Poker / After Dungeon Poker).
We, our friends, and many playtesters have greatly enjoyed the game over the years, and now it is finally time to make it available to all of you. So enjoy this poker game flavored with elements of fantasy role-playing. We wish you many entertaining moments with Dungeon Poker!
Tuukka, Jere, and Rauli