Bodog Poker Review
Bodog ( www.Bodog.com ) has been a successful sportsbook and casino since 1995. The poker room has been around since 2004 and is a currently considered a medium-sized card room with a lot of growth potential and soft games. Bodog Poker continues to accept US players and recently began allowing Candian players as well.
Bodog has been primarily known for its sportsbook and casino but the poker room has built up a decent player base over the last few years. The game selection is substantial and the moderate traffic keeps the tables full or close to full 24 hours a day, Bodog poker games are considered to be easy to beat.
- Online Since: 1995 (Casino and Sportsbook) 2004 (Poker Room)
- Bodog Rake %: 5% to never exceed $3
- US Players Accepted At Bodog? Yes.
- Currencies: U.S. Dollar
- Software Provider: Bodog Network
- Gambling: Sportsbook/Casino/Poker
- Deposit Bonus: 110%
- Signup Code: Use Link
- Rakeback: VIP
- Network: Bodog
- Mac Friendly: No
Bodog Poker Bonus
Bodog Poker offers new players a first-deposit bonus that is rather unique in how it is released. The bonus is a 110% deposit bonus. The 10% is an instant bonus. In other words, if you deposited $100, you would receive $10 instantly. As you earn poker points for playing at Bodog, the bonus is released in increments. Once you earn 100 points, $10 is released. 500 points earned releases $40. 1,500 points releases $100. Along the same lines, you'll receive $150 at 3,000 pts, $300 at 6,000 pts and $400 once you earn 10,000 pts. In total, the bonus is $1,000 in the levels and a 10% instant bonus equaling $1,100 for a $1,000 deposit.
Bodog Poker has a variety of other bonuses. The Double Poker Points Bonus offers players an opportunity to double their points by earning 2,000 or more in a month. The bad beat bonus is a jackpot that players can win if they take a qualifying bad beat. In this case, losing the hand is actually quite profitable. If you hit a Royal Flush, Bodog Poker will give you up to $200 (50 times the big blind - $200 max). There is also cash for points in the VIP Program that allows for cash back on points accumulated.
Bodog Poker Deposit Methods
Deposit Methods (US players):
- Visa
- MasterCard
- eWalletXpress
Non-US Player Deposit Methods:
- Click2Pay
- Moneybookers
- NETELLER
- Paysafe Card
- Speedcard
Withdrawals can be transferred to any of the e-wallets used to deposit. Credit card deposits can have a check sent via the mail or a courier. Bodog provides players with one free withdrawal per month. Each additional withdrawal costs $20.
Bodog Poker Game Selection
The lobby at Bodog uses tabs as navigational tools. The tabs layout the different types of popular online poker games. Overall, the interface is simple to use and new players should be able to find what they are looking for with ease. The quick seat option allows you to select a game and stake level and automatically be seated at a table. Bodog also has various display options and customizable features. Bodog players can choose from four deck colors and two multi-table formats. The picture-in-picture format plays up to three tables in one window. Tiling is also possible. Players can also resize the tables and change the color of the felt on the table.
- Game Selection
- Omaha
- 7 Card Stud
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo
- Texas Holdem
- 5 Card Stud
Bodog Poker provides players with an environment to engage in full-ring games, 6-max ring games and tourneys, freerolls, multi-table tournaments (MTTs), heads-up matches and Sit n Go's. Games at Bodog will either be held in fixed-limit, no-limit or pot-limit betting structures. This limitation refers to the betting rules (how much a player can bet) of any specific game. Bodog also has ring games running around the clock. The tournament schedule offers multiple tournaments beginning hourly.
Bodog Online Poker Tournaments
Bodog Poker provides players with a healthy list of tournament options. The tournament options include bounty (sniper) tournaments, freerolls, add-ons/rebuys, turbo, deep stack and guaranteed tournaments. Every week Bodog hosts their $100K guaranteed tournament. They also host satellite tournaments for as low as $1 to win a seat in the $100K guaranteed. Other satellite opportunities can earn players a seat in the WSOP or the European Main Event. The traffic at Bodog Poker would categorize Bodog as a medium-sized poker site. The tournament competition is quite soft. There is not enough traffic to generate a substantial high stakes crowd and the low/mid stake competition is generally weak to average.
Bodog Poker Site Traffic And Competition
Outside of the tournament competition, the ring games also seem to have soft competition. The same reasoning applies. The stakes tend to stay in the low to midsize range and the skill level by majority is rather weak. Bodog Poker consistently has a couple thousand players sitting down at the tables. At 12:45AM EST, Bodog had 2,069 players seated at tables. The tournaments fill up quickly but the light traffic sometimes adds significant value to the guarantees. The payout odds improve and the poker room is required to pay according to a predetermined prize schedule.
Bodog Real Money Poker Promotions
Bodog real money poker players have access to daily freeroll tournaments and they also offer tournaments with player point buy-ins. Another unique promotion with Bodog Poker is the ability to convert poker points to cash. Players can convert their player points into cash. New players that have real money Bodog accounts can receive six free satellite opportunities to get into the $100K guaranteed weekly tournament. Bodog runs seasonal promotions and the current promotions can be found at poker.bodog.com. The tournament schedule includes satellites for players to earn their way into other tourneys or live events.
Bodog Poker Site Software
Bodog offers downloadable poker software and they also have an instant-play version. The downloadable software is only available for Windows. Mac and Linux users will have to use the instant-play version or utilize a Windows emulator such as Parallels. The software can be downloaded at http://poker.bodog.com. The installation process and account registration should only take a matter of minutes for players using a broadband connection.
Bodog Customer Support
Bodog Online Poker has a detailed help section on their website. The help section contains frequently asked question (FAQ) sections with several categories. The support staff can be reached via phone, e-mail, live chat or a contact submission form. From poker.bodog.com, the Contact Us section is a submission form. Players can fill out the form and specify their questions or concerns. The customer support staff will e-mail a response as quickly as possible. In the Contact Us section, there is also a link for live chat. This feature will allow the players to speak with a customer support representative almost instantaneously. The e-mail address for customer support is service@bodog.com. The customer support staff is available 24/7.
My Opinion Of The Bodog Poker Site As A Player
Bodog Poker represents a huge opportunity to skilled players. The competition is weak and the traffic is strong enough to hold some plenty of mid-stake games. The software runs smoothly but the lack of a Mac downloadable version is a bit of a problem. The software struggles with extreme multi-tabling and trying to multi-table anything past 3 tables with the instant-play version is nearly impossible. Don't forget to use our referral number for a great deal.
The tournament schedule at Bodog is decent and the potential to have lopsided guarantee tournaments creates a few opportunities for experienced players. On the other hand, the soft competition also helps beginners. Beginners can sometimes do well, even while making mistakes, because the soft competition may fail to capitalize on them.
