Full review of Bodog Poker

Bodog Poker
www.bodog.com 
FREE DOWNLOAD!
Established 1995
Country Costa Rica
Software size 3.5 MB

Special Features
Always reload bonuses!!!
Bodog poker points scheme
Option to select player image
Supplies vital statstics during play

Total score  (out of 10) 6.25

 Sign-up bonus in $ $120
Deposit bonus in % 20%
Referral bonus per friend $120
Deposit free bonus $0
Paid to play ($/hour) $0

Hits
Good hand history feature
Fast software with nice look and feel
Great game variation

Misses
No high stakes games
No live support
Not a high player volume site

Summary
Bodog is a sports book and casino since 1995 and their poker room opened quite recently (Sep 2004). The poker room has a nice lobby with a quick and easy overview. The software is fast, got a nice look and feel plus good playability. Bodog Poker is not yet a high player volume room and the ring games are currently concentrated to No-Limit Hold’em at the micro limits. They are working independently and are not part of a poker room network, as they are already an established online casino and sports book making a big investment into online poker. Real money player statistics - July 2005: 800-900 ring game players during peak hours and 1000-1200 tournament players during peak hours.

Software and graphics
The Bodog Poker software is fast and smooth with good playability. It allows you to take notes of the opposition during play and the lobby supply vital table statistics like “viewed flop percentage” and average pot, but not hands played per hour. During play you can see statistics of your own play, for example how often you see the flop, win percentage and more. Bodog’s software currently supports play at 3 tables simultaneously.

Ring game traffic
Traffic has not reached considerable volume and play is concentrated on low stakes No-Limit Hold’em at the moment ($1-$2 down to $0.05-$0.10 games). There are typically 800-900 players during peak hours, out of which at least 90-95% are in the Hold’em section.

Tournament traffic
Bodog Poker has tournament traffic of 1000-1200 real money players during peak hours.

Game variety
The game variety is high, although the actual volume is low at some of the less mainstream games. The games offered are all variations of Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Omaha High-Low, Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud High-Low, and Five-Card Stud. The games vary between No-Limit, Pot-Limit, and Fixed-Limit. Full-table games, short-handed, and heads-up tables are all available. The games are concentrated on the No-Limit Hold’em micro limits and Bodog Poker has very low fixed-limit Hold’em traffic.

Rake
Bodog Poker uses a “no flop, no drop” policy, meaning they do not take out any rake from pots where there was no flop. The rake is at a maximum of 5% on all types of games and stops at $3. The rake varies depending on whether there are 2, 3, 4-5, or more than 6 players at the table.

Soft competition
The traffic is at its greatest at the micro-limits and the games vary from loose to very loose, often with a “viewed flop percentage” reaching upwards of 60% to 80%. This translates to very juicy and loose games for the small stakes player. You can normally find great No-Limit Hold’em games up to the $5-$10 limits.

Sign up bonus
Bodog Poker has a 20% sign-up bonus match up to unlimited dollars. In practice the limit is set by the limits on the deposit options. For example, the maximum deposit with NETeller is $600 meaning the match up is $120. They also offer a continuous re-load bonus of 20% on each deposit!!! The rollover for sign-up bonus as well as reload bonuses is generous, meaning it is fairly easy to get the bonus paid out.

Loyalty bonus
Bodog has a loyalty system and all new players start with 50 points. The points can be used in tournaments with real cash prizes. You will accumulate Bodog Poker Points by playing in ring games when you have contributed to a pot that is raked, in tournaments, and by time spent playing. Points are awarded ranging from a maximum of 1 point when $1-$3 was paid in rake to a minimum of 0.10 points when $0.05-$0.20 was paid. For tournaments you will accumulate Bodog Poker Points for every $1.00 in fees paid for tournaments you enter. 6 Points are awarded for every $1.00 in fees paid so you will get 30 Bodog Poker Points for entering a tournament with an entry of $50 $5 (buy-in fee).

Promotions
Bodog Poker offers a generous bonus for referred friends where you can earn as much as $200 with a 40% match up on your friend’s first deposit. Other promotions are tournaments with guaranteed prizes.

Support
Bodog's support functions are via email and a 24/7 support phone number. Their response time is fairly quick and accurate. The website is quite informative and covers most important topics.

Financial security
Very high. The mother company is a well established sports book and casino.

Deposit & withdrawal options
Deposit options: Credit Cards, Checks, Bank Drafts, NETeller, FirePay, myCitadel, and CentralCoin.

Cash out options: NETeller, Checks, FirePay, myCitadel, and CentralCoin.