Bovada.lv Overview
Bovada is a new room opened on 12/14/11 which is operated by the same people as Bodog. Bodog Poker made the decision to pull out of the US market and instead of banning all US play, opened a new room - Bovada Poker.
Bovada hosts a number of poker games. Besides Texas Hold'Em, Bovada boasts Omaha and 7 Card Stud variants. Ring gsme action is primarily concentrated to low-stakes No Limit Hold'Em; however, there are always a few tables of Omaha and 7 Card Stud running. Sit and Go action at Bovada is suprisingly lively. The room offers a healthy variety of games, stakes, and tables with regards to SNGs. Multi-table tournaments are also popular. Bovada's Sunday $100,000 Guaranteed is one of the best values on the internet.
During peak hours, Bodog has about 1,000 players online. In the current legal environment, that isn't too bad. Online poker has been dealt two black eyes by the UIGEA in 2006 and the events of 2011's Black Friday.
Visa, Rapid Transfer, and MyPayLinQ are 3 ways you can deposit at Bovada. The minimum deposit is $20. Remember, new customers will receive a 100% bonus on their first deposit (up to $1,000). Cashouts at Bovada are relatively quick. Checks are the most popular method and are usually recieved in a week after your payout has been approved.
Overall, Bovada is a solid poker room, and perhaps the best choice for US players. Although Bovada doesn't have the game selection of a giant like PokerStars, the brand is reputable and has adapted to changes in the legal and regulatory environment.
Bovada Poker Software & Interface
Like Bodog Poker, the Bovada software has its highs and lows. Overall, its poker software is solid.
When you log-in, you're greeted with an edgy black-red theme. On the left-hand side of Bovada's lobby, you can view your balance, tournament tickets, and poker points. You can also visit the cashier, make changes to yout account, and adjust your prefrences.
At the top of the lobby, you can sort the lobby by Cash games, Sit & Go Tournaments, Scheduled Tournaments, and Blackjack. You'll also find conditional filters at the top of the lobby. To illustrate, if Cash Games are slected you are able to sort by Card Game, Buy-In, and Limit. On the other hand, if Scheduled Tournamnets are chosed, you can filter by tournament type.
The majority of the lobby is taken up by the list of tables. Like most poker rooms, Bovada's main poker lobby is sortable by clicking the top of any column. For example, you can sort tournaments by start time and buy-in. Although this is standard, it is very useful.
Once you've taken a seat, you'll realize you're a number, literally. At Bovada, there are no traditional screen names: everyone is an anonymous number. Love it or hate it, but thats the way it is.
Bavada's poker interface while seated is similar to other rooms. You can chat in the bottom-left corner, view your hand history in the top-left corner, and betting is done in the bottom-center. The hand history at Bavada Poker is rather clunky. If you're used to a slick hand history feature, like PokerStars, you'll be disappointed.
Bovada does provide one unique feature in their hand history system. Unlike other card rooms (who offer only information on a player's own hand), Bovada's hand histories can be made to reveal the hole cards of all the other players at the table. This option can be found in the “Account” area of the software, from which users can request these histories. In order to keep this from compromising the integrity of their games, Bovada has imposed a 24 hour time gap. Players will need to wait a full day before being able to see hole card info on a particular hand.
To sum it up, Bavada's poker software is average. It's nothing special, but it's free from fatal errors, like random crashes and terrible lag, that make some poker room experiences unbearable.
Bovada Poker Action & Players
For the most part, the action on Bovada Poker is good. Games are running around the clock, but game selection tends to decline past midnight.
As far as variety of games go, Bovada is top notch. The room offers a variety of cash games, sit and gos, and tournaments. Texas Hold'Em is the most popular game but Bovada also offers Omaha and 7 Card Stud.
Bovada Poker Fish Rating
The games are about as tough as you can remember from Bodog Poker, since they same the same traffic. If you're not familar with Bodog, Bodog tends to be fishier than normal. One huge problem with fish at Bovada is the anonymous tables - you never know if you're playing the same big whale. This can become pretty annoying.
The level of play in tournaments and SnGs is weak. If you follow a proper typical tournament doctrine, you should be able to make some money.
Bovada Bonus & Promotions
Bovada provides players with a 100% up to $1,000 bonus on their first 2 deposit. For example, if you deposited $200, your bonus account would be credited with $200. Later, if you made a $500 deposit, you will receive $500 more in bonuses. For every 5 poker points, $1 is earned. The bonus is released according to the schedule below.
LEVEL - POKER POINTS - BONUS ISSUED - TOTAL BONUSES
1 - 50 - $10 - $10
2 - 250 - $40 - $50
3 - 750 - $100 - $150
4 - 1500 - $150 - $300
5 - 3000 - $300 - $600
6 - 5000 - $400 - $1000
Players have 60 days to earn the bonus. After 60 days, the bonus expires and can no longer be earned.
Bovada runs seasonal promotions across its poker room, sports book, and casino. Past poker promotions usually happen around major holidays, like Christmas. Typical holiday promotions include festive countdowns which give players a chance to win cash, freeroll entries, or tournament tickets.
Bovada also runs the King of the Felt promotion. To become King of the Felt, you must place in the money in at least 3 Sit and Gos in one week. For every 3 money finishes, Bovada will enter one ticket with your name on it in the weekly drawing. If you win the drawing, you'll have a chance to battle the reigning King and usurp his throne. If you deafeat the current King, $1,000 will be credited to your account. If you win 10 consecutive matches, Bovada will send you to the 2012 WSOP Main Event!
Check out the promotion section on Bovada's website for the lastest poker promotions.
Bovada Poker Support
Bovada Poker has a great support team ready to answer your questions. Bovada support is available 24/7/365. You can contact Bovada through live chat, a webform, or any of the methods below.
General Support: 1-888-263-0000
En Español: 1-866-205-3353
Sportsbook: 1-866-591-0083
Poker: 1-866-909-ACES
1-866-909-2237
Casino: 1-866-234-1324
Racebook: 1-877-GIDDY-UP
1-877-443-3987