Review of Bodog Poker

Let's start our review of Bodog Poker with an analogy. Have you ever been to an aquarium with one of those enormous tanks filled with an entire school of fish? I have a tough time sneaking in undetected, but I can usually convince them that I'm part of the Shark Week exhibit. Anyway, that school of fish is always predictable and always moves in unison - right into your mouth!

I am always reminded of this delicious exhibit when I login to the Bodog Poker site, which is the newer side-operation of the successful Bodog sportsbook and casino. As would be expected, the crossover competition is absolutely awful at this site. Disciplined players will do well here, and their player traffic has significantly increased over the past few months. Overall, the software is easy to use and Bodog is one of my top domestic cuisine choices.

Categories Reviewed for Poker at Bodog.com

Fish: 5
The enormous number of fish at Bodog is one of the main reasons to consider their poker room. The poor play doesn't stop at the micro-limits, and you'll consistently find flop percentages between 40-50% at their $5/10 NL tables. Lower limits typically have 50-60% seeing the flop, which is enormous. You'll run into a number of calling stations and players on thin draws on most hands, so be sure to punish them by betting enough with your made hands. While you'll run into more bad beats here, most of the time these you'll literally be shooting fish in a barrel.

Sharks: 2 (inverse rating)
The fish-to-shark ratio is very high at Bodog, and you won't typically be mismatched in terms of skill level. If you're a player who waits for good starting hands and you don't play a lot of draws, you'll probably be the shark of the table. Mostly, you'll run into sports bettors and casino gamblers who get their kicks by overplaying their hands and tossing all their chips into the pot. Even at the higher limits, the competition is very beatable.

Bait (promotions): 3
While the poor player traffic speaks for itself, Bodog doesn't offer the most attractive promotions. Besides the initial 10% bonus, they have little to speak of. The upfront bonus is nice, since it is instantly deposited into your account as opposed to requiring some amount of raked hand play. However, it is still just 10%. They offer occasional freerolls for players with "Bodog Points", which are earned through ring game and tournament play. In terms of guaranteed tournaments, they have a weekly $100,000 event.

Skin (software): 4.5
I really like the simple graphics and fast pace of their software package. The lobby displays essential information about each table such as flop percentage, average pot, and hands per hour. Once in a full ring game, the pace is fast and usually averages 60+ hands per hour. The sound effects are somewhat bizarre at the table, but I find them strangely appealing. Each player is also able to choose his own avatar, or you can block avatars if you wish.

Prey (tournaments): 4
Bodog typically hasn't offered many tournaments, but they really have improved this lately with their boom in popularity. While they still don't offer many events during the wee hours, peak hours feature tournaments every 15-30 minutes. They range in buy-ins, so even smaller players will find an open tournament. The number of entrants has also significantly increased, so guaranteed events usually reach at least 300 hopefuls. I've also been impressed with their satellite offerings, which give you plenty of inexpensive shots at big tourneys.

Overall Bodog Poker Rating

Pearls (positives)
Bodog offers good software and their players are truly some of the worst on the internet. If you're looking for loose action, you can't find much better of a match than this poker site.

Hooks (negatives)
Unfortunately, they lack in offering big deposit bonuses and other player rewards.

The Hammer (overall rating): 4.5

♣ Visit bodog.com/poker/

Tips for Playing at Bodog Poker

Meat (tips)
While I preach it time and time again, you just can't slowplay vulnerable hands online! Bodog is probably one of the worst places to even consider slowplaying a hand like top pair. These players will call before the flop with any two cards. Sometimes I wonder if they even look at their hand before they click the "call" button. They also won't hesitate to draw. You will need to get used to betting big to try to scare off the draws. If you don't, you should check behind your opponent when you see the completed draw on the board. If they take a big pot from you on a thin draw, sit out for a few hands and regain your composure.

Blubber (babble)
Since you will run into plenty of players drawing to straight and flushes on this site, you will (hopefully) come to the river with your made hand and their busted draw. How do you make money on your opponent's busted draw? In this situation, being first to act is best. Instead of betting for value on the river, you should always check to your opponent when you assume he missed his draw. Many weak opponents will figure that the only way they can win the pot is with a big bluff. Check to them and give them the opportunity to give you more of their chips by making them think that you too missed a draw.

♣ ♣ For further details and ratings for poker at Bodog.com, you can visit our basic Bodog Poker review.

     

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