Bodog Poker

There is a very new online poker room that demands to be taken seriously as a big-time player, and Bodog Poker is about to become well known. They started up in September 2004 and they`re part of the Bodog.com corporation, a Canadian-based operation well known for their online sportsbook and casino. Bodog has a well-earned reputation as a leader in the online gambling industry, and they`re incredibly secure in terms of financial backing and technology used. When you combine this with Bodog`s brilliance at marketing their products on the Internet, the rapid growth of Bodog Poker is both phenomenal and yet totally unsurprising for those of us in the gaming industry.

Let`s discuss the software itself, which was developed in-house and utilizes all the second-generation functionality that is typical with new poker rooms. It is slick, intuitive to use, and runs like a dream. Bodog Poker is on their own however, and the absence of a poker network will represent their biggest challenge going forward in terms of increasing player volume, but early signs are encouraging. Their traffic is growing steadily with nearly 1500 cash players and over 3300 tournament players sighted during their busiest times. One important point here is that 90% of those players are for Hold`Em only.

We spend plenty of time at Bodog Poker, in fact it is one of Ryan`s favorite sites. You can find him there at all hours of the day. He plays as YourTurn and he has been most impressed with the way in which they deal with players` issues and concerns and all the useful functionality you can find with ease on their website. Look out for him at the tables and be sure to match wits against him! Bodog holds a gaming license in Costa Rica as well as one in Great Britain.

• Bonus of 10% on all deposits without any exceptions, and there are also no restrictions (make as many deposits as you like and you`ll get the 10% every time)

• There is also a 10% bonus (to a maximum of two hundred dollars here) when you recommend the site to a friend who then joins up.

• Some of the most exciting and worthwhile competitions you will find at any online poker room.

• Satellites for the World Series Of Poker and for World Poker Tour Events

Rake at Bodog Poker:
There is the industry standard when it comes to rakes, namely the no-flop no-drop rule. Rake is a maximum of $3 or 5% of the pot, whichever is the lesser. Their rake policy also changes depending on how many players were at the table at that time.

Traffic:
June 2006 saw upwards of 2300 real money players at the ring games during peak hours, but unlike a lot of the other new poker rooms Bodog manages to spread out those players evenly across a variety of games and a variety of limits. We were impressed with the number of high-stakes players as well as the usual cluster of newbie`s at the micro-limits. The traffic for tournaments is very high, averaging 4500 at peak times recently, but as we said earlier they actually managed to exceed 10,000 players at one point in June. That`s very encouraging indeed.

Game Limits and Games that you can play at Bodog Poker
Games variety is extensive and you will find that all your typical and conventionally popular poker games are offered here. Micro-limit games up to medium-limit ones are all the rage at the moment and always available but high stakes traffic is still extremely limited, although this will surely change as word of mouth gets around.

Deposits / Withdrawals:
All the usual E-Wallet options are available including Firepay, NETeller, ECheck, Neteller Instapay, Direct Deposit, Citadel, as well as wire transfer options.

Soft Competition:
The standard of play here is fairly loose with some astronomical figures for players staying to see the flop. A lot of the traffic comes from their sports book and casino, which means that many of the players are inexperienced at poker. As mentioned earlier, Ryan (one of our senior editors at the Insider) plays about half of his online poker at the Bodog Poker tables and if he can win here then so can you! Only kidding - but the competition is not strong. Lower entry sit and go`s are also pretty loose.

The Pro`s
The software is some of the best we`ve seen. We are particularly impressed with its clarity (no distracting graphics or silly graphics and avatars). You can take notes easily and a great feature is vital live stats that you can access in real time regarding your play. Bodog offers one account across all their online companies, so you can easily move from their casino to their sportsbook and then head off to play at Bodog Poker, all using the same account details. The Bodog Poker site provides a surfeit of information for experienced and novice players alike.

The Cons
Player volume still needs to increase, and currently it is limited in the higher stakes games and is also mostly limited to Hold`Em. The players they have come mostly from the US, in fact players from Canada are not allowed to play here. This means it is obviously busier based on US time zones, which is a slight inconvenience if you`re not playing from the USA!

Player Loyalty Program and Service 
Bodog as a company understands online gambling better than most, and they place a lot of importance in customer service. At Bodog Poker that service is exceptional, as we have come to expect from them by now. Bodog Poker has one of our favorite player loyalty programs, and every player earns an instant fifty points when they make their first deposit. The nicest feature is that with this loyalty program you can use the points that you have earned to compete in real money tournaments. Points are awarded for all tournament buy-ins and also for all ring games.