Bodog Poker Review

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The Quick Summary

Bodog Poker is a moderate sized poker room with enough traffic for most players to find a game that they will like. They do allow US players, so traffic has picked up since Party + Co. banned US players. They have a 10% deposit bonus running non-stop so that any deposit you make gives you an instant extra 10% in playable cash in your account. The bonus does have a play through requirement for cash out, however, and if you cash out before clearing the bonus, you forfeit the bonus plus winnings. They also have a casino and sportbook that is instantly linked to your poker account, so that you can enjoy some -EV wagering if you feel in the mood. They are on their own network, and there are not currently any other skins.

Popularity: 7 of 10 - Good

While Bodog does not list an exact number of players on their site, the traffic has been increasing with refugees from Party and the like. The vast majority of the traffic is on the Texas Hold'em tables, with limits anywhere from $.05/10 all the way up to $30/60. SNGs fill up fairly quickly, so you won't have to wait very long to start playing. Bodog offers 'Beginner' SNGs that pay out 5 of 10 places, and while they might not make you rich, you will get a lot of practice with not much risk. The Omaha and 7 Card Stud tables are slim to none, except during peak hours. As long as Texas Hold'em is your game of choice, you won't have a problem finding a game that you will like. Bodog offers a variety of Multi-table Tournaments with buyins from $1 all the way up to $100+9 for the $100k guaranteed tournament that they host. Other MTT features include 'Beginners' tournaments, as well as deep stack tourneys with guaranteed prize pools.

Security: 5 of 10 - OK

Bodog is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. They use standard 128 bit encryption on their website, and no information on the encryption used in their software is available. However, Bodog has been around as a sportsbook since 1994 with many satisfied customers, so they are obviously doing a good job!

Player Competition: 9 of 10 - Excellent

The players at Bodog are pretty much absolutely terrible. At the low limit tables it is not uncommon to have 70%+ of the players at a table seeing the flop and it is rare to see a table with less than 40% seeing the flop. The play at SNGs and MTTs is equally poor. While these kinds of players will make you very profitable in the long run, the short term variance can be very high so playing within your bankroll is extra important. Bad beats will be common, but taking down monster pots will also occur frequently. Just be sure to pay attention to who the sharks are and avoid them!

Site Software: 8 of 10 - Excellent

Bodog's software is some of the best in the business. They have an easy to use lobby with filters to find the game you want, as well as a QuickSeat option that gets you right on a table of the stakes that you want. While convenient, it is still much better to select a table from the lobby since you can find the one with the biggest pots and the most players seeing the flop. On a rare occasion the lobby screen will stop updating, but this can be corrected by switching to a different tab then back to the one you want. This can be somewhat inconvenient when trying to get onto a SNG table.

The actual tables are very slick looking with all the features that you would expect to find. Players can create profiles that are viewable from the table, and each player can have a custom avatar. The current pot size, including all bets, is displayed on the center of the table, and each player's chip stack is clearly visible. Your stats are visible in the bottom right corner, such as your % of flops seen, % hands won, % showdowns won, etc. These stats are helpful and can be reset at any time to track your play. They are not a substitute for a more in depth system like PokerTracker, but Bodog does not natively support PT. You must download a third party program called DogWatch to be able to capture your hand histories.

Hand histories are available instantly through the Account & Preferences screen or a link on the bottom left of the table, and are searchable by hand number, game type, and date and time range. Note taking capabilities are simple but functional. Tables can be set to either normal or wide screen, the only difference being that wide screen makes it a bit easier to see to whom bets belong. For playing multiple tables you can have them set to be in separate windows, or to use a 'Picture in Picture' that puts each table in a mini view on the side of the lobby and has tabs to switch between them.

Customer Support: 8 of 10 - Good

Bodog customer support is excellent. They provide quick and knowledgeable answers either through email or over the phone. Cashouts are some of the fastest in the industry with under an hour not being uncommon. The only real improvement that could be made would be to have a live chat option be available.

Company Ethics: 7 of 10 - Good

Having been in the business for over 12 years, Bodog is one of the oldest companies in the industry. They have always held a high standard for customer support and are widely respected.

Site Promotions: 8 of 10 - Excellent

Bodog's 10% bonus on any deposit is one of a kind. They also give you the bonus money up front to play with, which is very uncommon.

Overall Review: 7.4 of 10 - Good

The combination of terrible players, the great continuous reload bonus, solid software, and a long established history make Bodog one of the best poker rooms online.