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BODOG POKER REVIEW (BODOGLIFE.COM)

Bodog Poker

 

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Bodog Poker screenshot

 Overall:  4/5

 Bonus and Promotions:   4.5/5

 Fish Rating:   5/5 (Kamikaze Fish)

 Tournaments:   4/5

 Software:   4.5/5

 Payouts:  4/5

 Customer Service:  5/5

 

U.S. Players Welcome at Bodog

Available to U.S. Players

 

Visit Bodog Poker

Get a 110% Bonus Now

 

 INSTANT BONUS: Visit Bodog through any of our links and receive a 10% instant cash bonus plus another 100% bonus earned as you play.

 100% MONTHLY RELOAD BONUS: Our new players are now eligible for a 100% redeposit bonus every 30 days, good up to $500. Please note that players must sign up with Bodog via our links in order to qualify.

  US players can use the growing e-wallet eWalletXpress at Bodog, which links directly to your checking account. Visa cards can also be used through their proprietary VirtualPin phone card system, which can be set up in about 10-15 minutes and has a very high acceptance rate.

Another quick alternative is the cash transfer service, which allows you to send cash electronically. Transfer centers are located in virtually every city in the country and automated machines are now available in many 7-11 stores. Be sure to call the poker room to receive proper transfer information. Also accepted are paper methods like money orders or cashier's checks.

       

Overall:  4/5

In my opinion, Bodog is one of the most underrated poker rooms online and one that I certainly commend for sticking to their rebellious guns and continuing to accept US players. In terms of the competition you'll face at the poker room, this site earns a top Fish Rating due to the consistently awful ring game play.

 

With most online poker rooms becoming increasing tight in the wake of ever-increasing deposit difficulties, Bodog has maintained their extremely loose player base. If you adjust your style of play to combat the multitude of maniacs you'll be facing at almost every table, you should be able to do very well here with a tight-aggressive style.

 

Besides having insanely loose and beatable ring games, I also give Bodog high scores because of their quality software and good customer service. It's also refreshing to see them stick with their "No BS" instant cash deposit bonus in addition to the new 100% play-through offer for our players. There are no raked hand requirements for the instant bonus and no bizarre terms and conditions. Just cash upfront.

 

In terms of banking, they're also one of the best with many deposit alternatives and free express check withdrawals. While the poker branch of Bodog has floated under the radar since its inception several years ago it remains a solid choice with one of the few remaining collections of loose tables.

 

Bonus (100% every month up to $500 plus instant 10%) and Promotions:   4.5/5

Bodog has always offered a valued first deposit bonus at 10%. While very modest in size it was one of the few truly instant bonuses in online poker. New players simply make a deposit and get a little boost to their bankroll. The 10% bonus money will show up in your cash account immediately, allowing you to use it on at the tables or as a tournament buy-in. In addition to the instant bonus, our visitors also receive an extra 100% play-through bonus, good up to $500.

 

While the initial deposit bonus at Bodog is on par with the largest online bonuses it becomes less important because of the 100% reload bonus available every month to our players. Please note that you must visit Bodog via our links in order to quality. The 100% bonus is valid on one deposit every 30 days and also has a maximum cap of $500 per month.

 

The Bodog system is the best reload system available at the moment as you're essentially earning a perpetual new player bonus every month. Regular players with a stable bankroll might as well do a deposit and withdrawal every month just to take advantage of this. After depositing, players then have a month to earn enough Bodog Points to clear the full amount. Points are doubled if more than 2,000 are earned in a month. Other uses for Points include free entries into promotional tournaments or designated freerolls.

 

Most middle-stakes players can earn $10 or more of the bonus per hour or two making it a fairly easy bonus to cash out.  In my experience, Bodog structures their point system better than comparable systems at other sites. Other current promotions include a Bad Beat Jackpot and Royal Flush Bonus of 50x the current big blind. The combination of the instant bonus, the large play-through bonus, the monthly reload offer, and fairly easy requirements puts Bodog into the top tier of promotional systems.

 

Fish  5/5

What is unique about Bodog is the fact that the table stakes seem to have little correlation with player skill. I mainly play no-limit ring games, and I often found that my opponents would play almost as badly at the $5/$10 games as they would at the microlimits. These tables feature some of the weakest players online, and if you protect against draws, you can do very well. Expect to run into plenty of trash hands and opponents that chase every possible draw so do not count out any holding when you see a ragged flop.

 

The flop percentage is typically higher than normal at Bodog, which means that you should raise your premium hands more than usual to thin the field. I recommend using the "Pot" raise button or manually raising 5-6x the big blind at this site. It isn't unusual to run into 40-50% seeing the flop at the low stakes, and up to 40% at the higher stakes. The pots here seem to grow very large very quickly.

 

Most of the action is concentrated to no-limit hold'em with about a 2:1 ratio of active shorthanded tables to full ones. You can occasionally find a game of 5-card stud or Omaha going on. I mostly attribute the loose play to the fact that Bodog is a combination Sportsbook/Casino/Poker Room. The site is highly marketed to egomaniacal young guns so they attract a lot of inexperienced crossover traffic.

 

Tournaments:   4/5

Bodog is still a small poker room overall but their tournament traffic has grown over the past 2-3 years. While the Sunday $100,000 guarantee is hardly competitive with the largest weekly events it's actually one of the best value tournaments online. As only about 600-700 players enter this $100 buy-in event, Bodog regularly has to add $30,000+ to the prize pool just to meet the $100,000 guarantee. This is like starting a tournament with 300 players already knocked out. The buy-in is modest at $100 and players actually have a realistic chance at getting into the biggie by advancing a few steps from the $1 buy-in satellites.

 

The Sit and Gos have also improved with the addition of multi-table SnGs. Their freerolls are also better than average as they are limited to players with enough player points to buy in. Bodog offers about 5 or 6 nightly guaranteed tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $10 to $200. Some of the better events include a $15,000 guarantee for $55 at 8:30PM and the $4,000 guarantee at 9:10PM for $10.

 

Bodog has also added a new Tournament Leader Board, which rewards points leaders each week who've done well in their multi-table events. The overall traffic has been receiving a big boost lately so I expect their tournaments to continue to grow both in frequency and attendance.

 

Software:   4.5/5

The recent Bodog software upgrade has really made this package excellent. The previous software always felt a bit disjointed with no set areas for avatars or cards. Now, players are clearly separated, table graphics flow very smoothly, and a spotlight on the active player helps everyone follow the action. Each player is able to upload their own avatar, which gives the game an individualized touch.

 

The Bodog player stats window also keeps up-to-the-hand details on your progress and you can reset these at any time. This site also has a pretty detailed hand history option, allowing you to see every player's hole cards in a showdown situation. For me personally, a big positive of the software is the extremely quick game pace. You can usually get in 60-70 hands per hour at full NL tables.

 

A big plus will also come for multi-table players as the software has a "table-in-table" view. Players can see up to 3 tables on one screen instead of clicking around between multiple windows. Unlike the clunky mini-table views at most sites, I found the Bodog layout to be the most logical and easiest to see.

 

US Payouts:  4/5

While payout times have varied over the past couple of years Bodog is a very well-established casino and sportsbook and can be trusted to eventually make good on all payments. Firstly, they offer a free express check payout system, which is convenient. I previously received paper checks from them within about 7-10 days but I've had to wait up to a month or so more recently.

 

Checks from Bodog are drawn on US banks for hassle-free deposits into your personal bank account. If you're withdrawing a substantial amount of money the site sends checks through Fedex, which is preferable because of the tracking capabilities and 3-5 day turnaround. Players can also withdraw once per week for free using cash transfer for local pickups at thousands of locations.

 

Customer Service  5/5

Online poker rooms that give telephone support score high points with me. Bodog publishes their support telephone number right in the lobby window. If I'm too impatient to wait for an e-mail response, I'll just call in and get an answer right away. I've also had positive experiences using their phone support to guide me through a cash transfer deposit. If you're using a deposit method that charges fees, I recommend speaking to a live representative and attempting to have them reimbursed to your poker account. 

 

If you choose to use e-mail customer service, responses are very fast. I once wrote to them about a player that I suspected was abusing the all-in feature, and they sent back a personal reply within a few minutes saying that they would look into the account in question. I've also been impressed with the promotional e-mail department as they often offer me special reload incentives simply for asking.  

 

Player Traffic

While Bodog has mostly been thought of as a niche poker site, they've been aggressively advertising in order to expand the poker room. Besides that, US players have been flocking here since the corrupt legislation bumped them off of major sites. During peak hours, you'll find plenty at least 8-10 shorthanded no-limit tables at each limit with about 4 or 5 full tables up to the middle limits.

 

Upper limits such as $5/10 and $10/20 usually have 2-3 full tables active throughout the evening. Tournament traffic is lower than the most popular sites but has been picking up steam. Their guaranteed events are their best tournament offerings as they typically fall short of the guaranteed number of entrants. Most sub-$30 buy-ins attract at least 300-400 players during peak hours.

 

Best Features

Extremely loose and beatable competition. I really like the action you can get here on your strong hands. A good number of these players are absolutely clueless.

High-stakes ring game action. The tables at this site are still busy up to $10/20 NL.

Fast software. Not a lot of frills, but gets the job done and looks unique.

Growing traffic. The number of active ring games has really grown over the past couple of years.

 

Game Selection: Hold'em, Omaha, Stud

 

Limits: Limit: 5c/10c up to $20/$40    No-Limit: 5c/10c up to $10/$20

 

Deposit Methods: Please see the top of the page for "Easy US Deposits" for more information. In short, Bodog accepts eWalletXpress, VirtualPin, cashier's checks, money orders, and cash transfer for US players.

 

Minimum Deposit: $20

 

Tips: Similar to many sportsbooks or casinos that also have poker rooms, the games tend to be wild at Bodog. Don't try to be Doyle Brunson or Daniel Negreanu at these games - have a hand if you're going to be in the pot. I wouldn't recommend bluffing at these players often as they'll call you down most of the time with middle or bottom pair. Raise your strong hands, and don't forget to keep an eye on the active pot.

 

There are routinely 5 or 6 players seeing the flop, which means you're getting great pot odds to play suited connectors or marginal hands from late position. Just keep in mind that you'll have to have the strength to release those hands if you don't flop at least 2 pair or a monster draw. Overall, players who know how to handle calling stations and the assorted maniac should do very well at Bodog

 

 

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