Bovada Poker

Bovada Poker Overview

One of the most respected sportsbook and poker rooms on the world wide web still accepts American Poker online players. Bovada.com, also known as BodogLife, is one of a handful of legal US poker sites since the UIGEA was passed in 2006. Bovada was started in 1994 and has battled through some difficult times in past years, but has managed to keep their casino, sportsbook, and poker room open through these setbacks.

Many poker sites and casinos were faced with a difficult decision when the UIGEA attempted to prohibit American Poker Online in 2006. Fortunately for US players, Bovada was one of a few sites that decided to still welcome US players and remains one of the best legal US poker sites today. Had it not been for these brave sites, internet poker may have ceased to exist to US players. Bovada has seen some nice advantages by choosing to stay open for American players, including an increase in player traffic.

Bovada Poker Bonus and Promotions

Bovada is proud to offer one of the most popular sign-up bonuses found on any of the legal US poker sites today. Their 110% up to $1,100 sign-up Bovada bonus comes with an instant 10% in cash! There is no Bovada Poker bonus code necessary. Simply install the Bovada poker client, deposit funds, and your account will be awarded with an extra 10%. From that point on you have sixty days to clear the rest of the sign-up bonus which is 100% up to $1,000. In order to acquire the deposit bonus you must accumulate 10 points for each $1 of the welcome bonus. Players accumulate points by creating rake in ring games or paying rake in multi-table tournaments or Sit & Gos. To clear the entire $1,000 Bovada bonus you need to earn 10,000 points by playing real money games.

Bovada Poker Games and Traffic

Bovada does not have as much traffic as major sites like PokerStars or FullTilt, but it still has a fair-sized player base for small and mid-stakes players. The most popular games are their small stakes Hold 'Em cash games, which on average have plenty of full games all the way up to 300NL. Whether you adore playing 6max or Full Ring there will be a plethora of tables to choose from, starting at $5NL. Bovada hosts stakes up to $10/$20 for No Limit cash games and $30/$60 blinds for Limit cash games. Besides Hold’em, Bovada also hosts Omaha, Omaha Hi/Lo, 5-Card Stud, 7-Card Stud, and 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo.

Bodogs' tournaments and Sit N Gos are also a big hit, predominantly among micro stake games. Most of the Sit N Gos running will be at the $20 entry fee or below while the richer buy-in levels are generally of the heads-up variety. Bovada does host Omaha and Stud SNGs as well as versus and MTT formats. Their multi-table tournament schedule is highlighted by the weekly $100k Guaranteed which is hosted every Sunday. The $150+$12 buy-in tournament hardly ever gets enough entrants to reach its guarantee which is great news for those who play in the tournament, as Bovada pays out a lot of overlay. There are a plethora of smaller guaranteed MTTs running daily, including multiple re-buy MTTs.

Bovada Poker Software

One of the first things players notice about Bovada is how their poker client is free of lag and how simple the Bovada Poker download is. This allows for quick game play which translates into more hands per hour than other online poker rooms. The Lobby is fairly easy to use, with tabs to go between games and stakes. Bovada’s poker client contains a few unique elements, including the lack of a player clock at the table. Instead, there is a status bar which slowly descends while a player contemplates his/her decision. This greatly affects the pace of play, forcing players to think on their feet. The one major downside to their poker client is they limit the number of cash tables players can play at once to 4. Unlike their competitors, who allow 12, 16, or even 24 tables, this forces mass multi-tablers towards greener pastures. While upping this number could result in more traffic, it would actually make the games more difficult.