Bodog Poker Review
Bodog was one of the first online sportsbooks when they opened in the mid-90’s, and they added to their gaming empire in 2004 after starting an online poker room. Since that time, Bodog Poker has slowly worked up the ranks, and positioned itself as one of the top sites in the industry. And this is no small feat for Bodog because they are not part of a network. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up this success past 2011 because they are moving out of the American market. However, Bodog plans to offer an exclusive branded poker site for existing US players who want to keep playing with them.
Bodog Poker Software
It does not take long to get started playing at Bodog Poker since their download option is clearly displayed on the front page. Unfortunately, this download is only for Windows users, and Mac players have to use the instant play version of the software, which limits multi-tabling ability –and may have been taken down from the room too unfortunately-. Moving past this little inconvenience, both the downloadable and instant play versions offer really good graphics and plenty of features. Some of these perks include resizable tables, player notes, chat, custom avatars, a bet sizing bar, and stats. Again, take note that the instant play option may no longer be available, and hence, Bodog would only be available to PC users for poker, but not for the rest of their services: casino, sports, and races.
Bodog Poker Promotions
Perhaps Bodog’s biggest promotion is their weekly $100,000 Guaranteed tournament, which offers generous overlays every week. There are plenty of satellites running for the $100k, while the $100 + $9 direct buy-in is low for a tournament of this size. Bodog also runs two huge $7,500 freerolls every month, and players buy into these tourneys with points. In addition to these promos, they also have a royal flush bonus, bad beat bonus and land-based tournament prize packages.
Bodog Poker Bonuses/VIP Program
Players who sign up at Bodog through PokeronaMac while using the “1575230-10BAC” code will receive a massive 100% up to $1,000 bonus. To earn the bonus, you need to rack up Poker Points in cash games and/or tournaments at Bodog, and 60 days are given from the time of deposit to unlock the money. The rate needed to unleash each portion of the bonus is staggered; for example, 100 Poker Points will unlock $10, 500 total points will deliver $40, 1,500 points will unlock $100, etc. To earn Poker Points, you have to contribute at least $0.05 rake in a cash game hand/tournament (0.1 points), and the max that can be earned in a cash game hand is 1 Poker Point ($1.00-$3.00 in contributed rake).
Bodog Poker Traffic
There is a good amount of player traffic at Bodog, and you will find anywhere from 1,000-2,500 cash game players throughout the day. The average total player traffic is between 7,000 and 10,000 when you include tournament players. What is great about the player base here is that most of them are fish who are very interested in sports betting. And Bodog has done a lot to protect their recreational player base by taking steps to block data mining sites, or services that provide stats on players. This way, pro players are not able to access data on those they have never played against.
Bodog Poker Games
Those who like a lot of poker variations can definitely appreciate the fact that Bodog’s cash game scene includes Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 7 Card Stud and 5 Card Stud. Like most poker sites, the action revolves around Hold’em and Omaha, but there is a surprisingly decent amount of activity in both Stud variations here.
Bodog Customer Service
Bodog has been serving customers for years, so it is no surprise that their customer support leaves nothing to be desired. Their team is very good at handling online poker questions, so you should have no worries here. To contact a Bodog customer service rep, you can use email, live chat or the telephone, and they are known to get back to you within 15 minutes of your email being sent – if not sooner.
Bodog Banking Options
Most of the common banking options are offered at Bodog Poker such as Visa, NETeller, Moneybookers, Click2Pay, Paysafecard, Speedcard and debit cards. US players should know that one of the withdrawal options here is personal check, which is delivered pretty quickly in most instances.