AT A GLANCE
Bodog started as a sportsbook in 1994 and expanded its gaming empire to poker with the opening of the Bodog poker room in 2004. The site sponsors poker pros David Williams, Evelyn Ng, and Josh Arieh (and, briefly, 2006 World Series of Poker Champion Jamie Gold). Bodog has recently become even more noteworthy for its generous overlay tournaments.
| WEBSITE | Bodog |
| ACCEPTING U.S. PLAYERS? | Yes |
| ESTABLISHED | 2004 |
| COUNTRY OF ORIGIN | Antigua |
| SIZE OF DOWNLOAD | 3.5 MB |
| SIZE ON COMPUTER | 20.2 MB |
SOFTWARE
Bodog’s software has a very modern, stylish look to it. It is also one of the most distinct visual/organizational feels of any poker software out there. This can, of course, be a good or bad thing, depending upon how averse you are to breaking from some traditional conventions.
One unique aspect of the software, in particular, is the ability to play up to three tables at once in the same window, via a picture-in-picture-style view. A user can even give simplified commands on the smaller, inset poker tables, just as he would on the larger main-table view. This is an acquired taste and may not be right for every player. Given that, the Bodog software allows tables to be brought up in separate windows, as well.
Bodog also allows players to upload their own graphics for their personal avatars and to write bios that other players can read. The bios, in particular, make the site more sociable and Web 2.0-oriented. As far as table customizability, Bodog doesn’t have themed tables like many other sites do, but it does allow users to choose the felt color from a color wheel. There are a generous number of tweakable options for what information is displayed on tables, as well, including: folded hand display, four-color deck, show pot total, show hand strength, and show bet value. The options also allow users to turn off player avatars and table animations.
The action preselection checkbox options on the tables have a very good number of options. Bodog is also one of too few sites that prompts players to either “post big blind” or “wait for big blind” when first sitting at a table. The software does not, however, allow a player to “sit out next blind,” only giving players the option to “sit out next hand.”
The main lobby is very simply organized. The upper-tier tabs are “Texas hold’em,” “Omaha,” “stud,” sit-and-go,” and “multi-table tournaments.” Within each main tab are sortable lists and filters to help users more easily find what they’re looking for. A nice feature of the multi-table tab, in particular, is the “guaranteed” filter that allows users to view only tournaments with a guaranteed prize pool. This is especially helpful considering Bodog is famous for having overlays on its guaranteed tournaments, making them an exceptional value.
The specific tournament lobbies have a good amount of information, but the information isn’t as easy to find as on most other sites. For one, Bodog is possibly the only site to have tournament information separated into tabs, even though most other sites display the same amount of information on a single display. The player rankings and chip counts are also slow to update, but the Bodog software has been getting progressively faster in this respect.
One unique aspect of the software, in particular, is the ability to play up to three tables at once in the same window, via a picture-in-picture-style view. A user can even give simplified commands on the smaller, inset poker tables, just as he would on the larger main-table view. This is an acquired taste and may not be right for every player. Given that, the Bodog software allows tables to be brought up in separate windows, as well.
Bodog also allows players to upload their own graphics for their personal avatars and to write bios that other players can read. The bios, in particular, make the site more sociable and Web 2.0-oriented. As far as table customizability, Bodog doesn’t have themed tables like many other sites do, but it does allow users to choose the felt color from a color wheel. There are a generous number of tweakable options for what information is displayed on tables, as well, including: folded hand display, four-color deck, show pot total, show hand strength, and show bet value. The options also allow users to turn off player avatars and table animations.
The action preselection checkbox options on the tables have a very good number of options. Bodog is also one of too few sites that prompts players to either “post big blind” or “wait for big blind” when first sitting at a table. The software does not, however, allow a player to “sit out next blind,” only giving players the option to “sit out next hand.”
The main lobby is very simply organized. The upper-tier tabs are “Texas hold’em,” “Omaha,” “stud,” sit-and-go,” and “multi-table tournaments.” Within each main tab are sortable lists and filters to help users more easily find what they’re looking for. A nice feature of the multi-table tab, in particular, is the “guaranteed” filter that allows users to view only tournaments with a guaranteed prize pool. This is especially helpful considering Bodog is famous for having overlays on its guaranteed tournaments, making them an exceptional value.
The specific tournament lobbies have a good amount of information, but the information isn’t as easy to find as on most other sites. For one, Bodog is possibly the only site to have tournament information separated into tabs, even though most other sites display the same amount of information on a single display. The player rankings and chip counts are also slow to update, but the Bodog software has been getting progressively faster in this respect.
TOURNAMENTS
Bodog and its players are very much focused on hold’em. In fact, the multi-table tournaments at Bodog are of the hold’em-only variety. Stud and Omaha tournaments are offered in the sit-and-go format, but such tables rarely fill up. As far as the hold’em sit-and-gos are concerned, a low buy-in ($10) single-table tournament fills up in around two minutes. Bodog recently began offering multitable sit-and-gos, as well.
The multi-table guaranteed prize pool tournaments at Bodog usually have overlays. For instance, Bodog might put $10,000 out of its own pocket to match the guarantee for its $70,000 guaranteed tournament because fewer people entered than were necessary to meet the guarantee on buy-ins alone. This means the entrants in Bodog’s guaranteed tournaments have great odds for their buy-in money.
The multi-table guaranteed prize pool tournaments at Bodog usually have overlays. For instance, Bodog might put $10,000 out of its own pocket to match the guarantee for its $70,000 guaranteed tournament because fewer people entered than were necessary to meet the guarantee on buy-ins alone. This means the entrants in Bodog’s guaranteed tournaments have great odds for their buy-in money.
CASH GAMES
Bodog always has plenty of full and semi-full (one or two empty seats) hold’em cash-game tables available for most normal stakes. The traffic for the Omaha tables is also very good. There are usually full or semi-full tables available for every limit (even for the $1,000-max tables). Traffic for stud games is a bit more sporadic. Players may have to get on a waiting list or join a relatively short-handed table to play stud at their favorite limit.
FINANCIAL INFO
| PAYMENT OPTIONS | Visa, Mastercard, Click2Pay, eWalletXpress, NUcharge, money transfer |
| AUDITOR | Gaming Associates |
RAKE INFO
| NO-LIMIT | LIMIT | |
|---|---|---|
| MICRO | $0.01/$0.20 - Max $0.10 | $0.01/$0.20 - Max $0.10 |
| LOW | $0.10/$2 - Max $2 | $0.25/$5 - Max $1.50 |
| MEDIUM | $0.50/$10 - Max $3 | $1/$20 - Max $3 |
| HIGH | N/A | N/A |
GAME VARIETY
|
| STAKES: $0.05-$0.10 up to $30-$60 |
SUPPORT
| service@bodoglife.com (With confirmation) | |
| PHONE | 1-888-263-0000 |
| COMMENTS | Options for support:
Response time:
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SPECIAL FEATURES
- Players can upload their own photos for their avatars.
- Unique interface that supports three tables in just one window (via a picture-in-picture-like nesting)
- Quickseat feature that automatically and rapidly matches players to an appropriate seat
PROMOTIONS
- World Series of Poker Europe qualifiers
- Tournament leader board prizes
- iPhone giveaway in Let 'Em Ride tourney