Bodog Not available in the U.S. To: Beat the Fish <email address not displayed> Your Name: Email address: Subject: Message: Beat the Fish wrote on the message board: > Overall: 5/5 > > In my opinion, Bodog is one of the most underrated poker rooms and one > that I certainly commend for sticking to their rebellious guns and > continuing to accept US players. With Jamie Gold winning the 2006 WSOP > Main Event under their banner I'm sure they'll also receive plenty of > free advertisement in the coming months. In terms of the competition > you'll face at the poker room, this site earns a top Fish Rating due > to the consistently awful ring game play. In fact, I went through a > period where I was playing here almost exclusively - the players were > just that bad and I was just doing too well. If you adjust your style > of play to combat the multitude of maniacs you'll be facing at almost > every table, you should be able to do very well here with a > tight-aggressive style. Besides having insanely loose and beatable > ring games, I also give them high scores because of their quality > software and good customer service. It's also refreshing to see them > stick with their "No BS" instant cash deposit bonus. There are no > raked hand requirements and no bizarre terms and conditions. Just > cash... upfront. In terms of banking, they're also one of the best > with many deposit alternatives and free express check withdrawals. > > Bonus (10% instant cash) and Promotions: 5/5 > Bodog has a reasonable first deposit bonus at 10% up to $200, but I > value this bonus much higher because of the way it is dispersed. The > bonus money will show up in your account immediately, allowing you to > use it on at the tables or as a tournament buy-in. As an online poker > veteran I've seen my share of convoluted promotions and thus I respect > bonuses that are given immediately. Minimum deposits start at $20 for > the instant bonus. Many sites tout big signup bonuses, but good luck > seeing any of it as a low or medium stakes player. Bodog gives you the > cash upfront and doesn't mess around. As for other promotions, they > offer regular satellites into big live events as well as a weekly > $100,000 guaranteed tournament. They offer satellites into their own > $100k tourney and they're fun to take a shot with buy-ins starting at > $1. You also earn "Bodog Points" as you participate in ring games and > tournaments. Points can be used to enter daily freerolls and other > promotional tournaments. Another popular promotion is their > Refer-a-Friend deal, which allows you to earn 40% of whatever your > friend deposits. Also, Bodog has added "beginner's" MTTs and SnGs, > which pay twice the field as usual and the buy-ins are only $4. It's a > good idea to get new players into tournaments without a big risk. > > Fish: 5/5 > What is unique about Bodog is the fact that the table stakes seem to > have little correlation with player skill. I mainly play no-limit ring > games, and I often found that my opponents would play almost as badly > at the $5/$10 games as they would at the microlimits. These tables > feature some of the weakest players online, and if you protect against > draws, you can do very well. Expect to run into plenty of trash hands > and opponents that chase every possible draw so do not count out any > holding when you see a ragged flop. The flop percentage is typically > higher than normal at Bodog, which means that you should raise your > premium hands more than usual to thin the field. I recommend using the > "Pot" raise button or manually raising 5-6x the big blind at this > site. It isn't unusual to run into 60-70% seeing the flop at the low > stakes, and up to 50% at the higher stakes. The pots here seem to grow > very large very quickly. Most of the action is concentrated to > no-limit hold'em, although you can occasionally find a game of 5-card > stud or Omaha going on. I mostly attribute the loose play to the fact > that Bodog is a combination Sportsbook/Casino/Poker Room marketed to > egomaniacal young guns so they attract a lot of crossover > inexperienced traffic. > > Tournaments: 4.5/5 > Bodog is still a fairly new poker room but their tournament traffic is > growing pretty quickly. They do offer a good weekly tournament with a > $100,000 guaranteed prize pool. You can actually earn your way into > the biggie by advancing a few steps from their $1 buy-in satellites. > The Sit and Goes have also improved with the addition of multi-table > SnGs. I also appreciate their freerolls, as they are limited to > players with enough Bodog Points to buy in. This helps to limit the > field and keep opponents at a manageable size. Bodog seems to be > generous in terms of their guaranteed prize pools, as they often fall > short of meeting the minimum guarantee. For example, I recently played > in a $10 tournament that had a $1,000 guaranteed minimum prize pool. > Only 50 players showed up, so the extra $500 was just added to the > prize pool resulting in higher payouts. They've also added a new > Tournament Leader Board, which rewards points leaders each week who've > done well in their multi-table events. The overall traffic has been > receiving a big boost lately so I expect their tournaments to continue > to grow both in frequency and attendance. > > Software: 4.5/5 > The actual graphics involved in the Bodog software are quite basic but > I like the detailed stats features and the game speed. First of all, > each player is able to upload their own avatar, which gives the game > an individualized touch. The player stats window also keeps > up-to-the-hand details on your progress and you can reset these at any > time. This site also has a pretty detailed hand history option, > allowing you to see every player's hole cards in a showdown situation. > Coming from a player who appreciates fast action, the biggest positive > of the software to me is the extremely quick game pace. You can > usually get in 60-70 hands per hour at full NL tables. Also, the > software has recently been updated to give it a new look and add some > functionality. I have grown to prefer the new table look as you can > switch the felt color to your preference of rich blues, greens, or > reds. I also found some new features helpful such as the ability to > see your cards even after you've folded. They also place you at the > bottom-center of the table now regardless of where you sit. The > biggest plus will come for multi-table players since the software has > a "table-in-table" view so you can see up to 3 tables on one screen > instead of clicking around between multiple windows. Unlike the clunky > mini-table views at most sites, I found the Bodog layout to be the > most logical and easiest to see. > > US Payouts: 5/5 > Bodog is a very well-established casino and sportsbook so you won't > run into any financial problems when dealing with them. Firstly, they > offer a free express check payout system, which is convenient. I > receive paper checks from them within about 7-10 days and they're > drawn on US banks for hassle-free deposits into your personal bank > account. If you're withdrawing a substantial amount of money, the site > sends checks through Fedex. You can also withdraw once per week for > free using cash transfer for local pickups at thousands of locations. > > Customer Service: 5/5 > Online poker rooms that give telephone support score high points with > me. Bodog publishes their support telephone number right in the lobby > window. If I'm too impatient to wait for an e-mail response, I'll just > call in and get an answer right away. If you choose to e-mail them, > responses are very fast. I once wrote to them about a player that I > suspected was abusing the all-in feature, and they sent back a > personal reply within a few minutes saying that they would look into > the account in question. > > Player Traffic > While Bodog has mostly been thought of as a niche poker site, they've > been aggressively advertising over the past 6 months in order to > expand the poker room. Besides that, US players have been flocking > here since the corrupt legislation bumped them off of major sites. > During peak hours, you'll find plenty of no-limit ring games all the > way up to the highest limits, and you'll still find a few games going > at each limit during the wee hours. Tournament traffic is lower, but > has been picking up steam. Their guaranteed events are their best > tournament offerings as they typically fall short of the guaranteed > number of entrants. > > Best Features > Extremely loose and beatable competition. I really like the action you > can get here on your strong hands. A good number of these players are > absolutely clueless. > > High-stakes ring game action. They have a neat idea for $3/6 NL > tables, which are called "Josh Arieh", "David Williams", or "Jamie > Gold" tables. When any of these pros are online they'll be sitting > here. The tables at this site are still busy up to $10/20 NL. > > Fast software. Not a lot of frills, but gets the job done and looks > unique. > > Growing traffic. I've been impressed with the number of active ring > games lately. > > Game Selection: Hold 'em, Omaha, 7 card stud, 5 card stud > > Limits: Limit: 5c/10c up to $20/$40 No-Limit: 5c/10c up to $10/$20 > > > Tips: Similar to many sportsbooks or casinos that also have poker > rooms, the games tend to be wild at Bodog Poker. Don't try to be Doyle > Brunson or Daniel Negreanu at these games - have a hand if you're > going to be in the pot. I wouldn't recommend bluffing at these players > often as they'll call you down most of the time with middle or bottom > pair. Raise your strong hands, and don't forget to keep an eye on the > active pot. There are routinely 5 or 6 players seeing the flop, which > means you're getting great pot odds to play suited connectors or > marginal hands from late position. Just keep in mind that you'll have > to have the strength to release those hands if you don't flop at least > 2 pair or a monster draw. Overall, players who know how to handle > calling stations and the assorted maniac should do very well at this > site. Code: Enter the following code: (required) Consider sharing your comments with the other readers of the message board. They may benefit from your insights If you decide not to send email, post a follow up instead, or return to the original message Online Poker Rooms