Bovada Poker Review

Bovada Poker Details

• Website: https://www.bovada.lv/
• Licensed By: -
• Years in Operation: 13 Years
• Welcome Bonus: 100% up to $500
• Minimum Deposit: $20
• Deposit Options: American Express, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, MasterCard, Visa, Voucher, Zelle
• Withdrawal Options: Bitcoin Bitcoin, by Cash, Check Courier, Transfer, Voucher Wire
• Payout Time: 1-3 Days
• Owner: Mohawk Morris Gaming Group
• Compatibility: Desktop, Mobile (Android & iOS), Tablet
• Restricted Countries: Australia, Belgium, China, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Philippines, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA States (Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, and New Jersey)
• Languages: Chinese, English, Spanish
• Support Contact: [email protected]

Bovada Poker is one of the leading card rooms focused entirely on the US market and offering a variety of trusted games. The card room operated between 2004 and 2016 and was then reopened in 2017, bringing a fresh user interface, a fantastic variety of tournaments, and regular poker games to enjoy. The card room currently ranks #1 in the USA and is within the top 10 poker websites globally, comparing in terms of player traffic and sizes of tournaments.

Bovada Online Poker has many upsides, including anonymous tables that allow novices to thrive and quick payouts. Players will benefit from a 100% poker bonus matching their bonus up to $500. The bonus has a specific Bovada Poker bonus code you need to punch in, but I will talk about this in a moment. Now, I will cover everything you need to know about the brand in my dedicated Bovada Poker review.

Bovada Poker Bonus: Start with $500 in Poker Funds

Players looking to get a quick start at Bovada will have the opportunity to claim a 100% up to $500. Claiming the bonus is very simple. The minimum deposit is the minimum cashier deposit you can place, giving you a free reign over how much you want to deposit to claim the bonus. Speaking of claiming the bonus, though, you will need to use the PWB500 Bovada code to activate the promotion.

From thereon, redeeming the bonus funds is easy enough. Players will have 30 days to clear the entire bonus amount which is granted in increments of $5 for every 150 Rewards Points you earn playing poker. Your bonus funds are available to withdraw right away, and you don’t have to meet any wagering requirements for unlocked bonus funds, which is fantastic.

Rewards Points are generated at a different pace depending on the type of game you decide to join. Players may choose between Jackpot Sit & Goes, cash games, ring games, and tournaments. The rate will vary for each game, so you will get 15 points for each $1 you stake in cash games, but this rate will change as you move along other versions of poker.

Bovada Poker Review: Network Details

Before I step to explain every feature in greater detail, I should offer a few insights into what Bovada Poker is. Bovada is part of the Pai Wang Luo poker network, one of the biggest in the world. To fully appreciate the significance of the poker network, I will just add that Pai Wang Luo operates in some of the world’s biggest markets, including the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and other Latin America and Asian countries.

The network has reaffirmed its commitment to the Asian market in 2020 and is currently #7 in the world in terms of player traffic and size of tournaments. Meanwhile, though, Bovada’s network is the largest you can join in the United States and it specifically commands better traffic than PokerStars and partypoker in the USA. There are a few caveats, though.

Can You Play Bovada Poker from the United States?

You are probably wondering why I need to ask this question if Bovada Poker is the largest poker network in the United States. Well, it is, but some states have suspended access to Bovada, and the brand has obliged with regulatory norms and currently doesn’t service New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Nevada.

The truth is you can join the card room from any state but the ones I have just mentioned. Even though these restrictions apply, I will still contend that Bovada Poker is the poker website that covers the most US states in the country. Actually, it covers them all unless a state specifically asks for Bovada to suspend operations.

Bovada Poker even accepts players from states such as New York and Washington, offering penetration in states that have a high demand for trusted and quality poker products but don’t have platforms that cater to that.

Is Bovada Poker Rigged?

Bovada Poker is certainly one of the most trusted platforms to offer authentic poker gameplay and a great variety of games, tournaments, and a competitive gaming environment. So far as the United States is concerned, Bovada is legit and it definitely isn’t rigged.

Some 2,000 players gather to play poker at the website during peak hours as a benchmark of brand trust. The website has been delivering on outstanding poker products for over 14 years now, including the new poker platform in 2017 which proved absolutely spot on.

Now, one minor thing you may want to keep in mind is that Bovada didn’t reapply for the Kahnawake Gaming Commission license after 2016, which means that officially, Bovada doesn’t have a license. However, the website is a licensed business operating out of Costa Rica and I can confirm, liaising with poker colleagues, that Bovada offers a flawless gaming experience.

Speaking from experience, I haven’t had any issues with Bovada, but I tend to always go through the KYC and AML checks before withdrawing money, which is why I tend to have it easier with most poker rooms out there.

Bovada Poker Games & Software

Chugging along happily on the PaiWangLuo Poker Network, Bovada.lv has quite the selection of poker titles to offer. Players will benefit from cash games, Sit & Go formats, tournaments, and more. Bovada publishes a great tournament schedule to make your stay worthwhile.

You will find Hold’em No Limit, Hold’em Fixed Limit, Omaha, and Omaha Hi-Lo, to name just a few of the games the website has prepared for you. There are Jackpot Sit & Go’s as well as Zone Poker and Ring Games, all available to play around the clock.

Before we jump into each type of games individually, I recommend taking a look at one of the highlights at Bovada Poker, the anonymous tables.

Anonymous Tables

Some players can often feel intimidated by joining a website the size of Bovada. Yet, the brand has come up with a format that would allow new players to enjoy the game without being hunted by more skilled players. The tables were introduced in 2011 and while some players objected, Bovada stuck with the decision even after the 2017 website overhaul, providing players with the anonymity the company thinks they deserve.

Now, the objection was that if a player doesn’t know whom they are playing, they can’t make strategic decisions. HUD packages are useful to track player statistics, but unfortunately, Bovada professionals will have to feel their way. The good news is having the opportunity to play with a massive number of recreational players more than makes up for the fact that you can’t trace every player and familiarize yourself with their play style.

Cash Games

Bovada Online Poker’s cash or ring games are some of the best. In fact, you may be a little hard-pressed to find more competitive cash games round-up in terms of players and table limits. Players will get to enjoy No-Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and Fixed Limit Hold’em, with the levels starting very low at $0.01/$0.02.

If you prefer to join some of the more challenging games in terms of bankroll, you will have no trouble finding $200 buy-in games. Surprisingly, both the low-level and high-level tables seem to be busy most of the time.

Bovada does run dozens upon dozens of cash games to be able to handle any traffic spike as well. The platform also allows you to filter through different games very quickly. The main archetypes of poker you can try are:

• Zone Poker
• Sit & Go Tournaments
• Jackpot Sit & Go’s
• Scheduled Tournaments

You can further adjust Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and choose from No Limit and Pot Limit games. I really found the filters quite useful as I can always pick from Micro, Low, Medium, and High buy-in levels as well.

Zone Poker

If you only have a moment, it makes a lot of sense to try Zone Poker. It’s a fast-fold poker option for US players dedicated to providing you with quick and entertaining gameplay that I am sure you will appreciate. The buy-in levels are actually very accessible as well:

• $.02/.05
• $.05/.10
• $.10/25
• $.25/.50
• $.50/1
• $1/2

Sit & Go’s at Bovada

The regular Sit & Go’s at Bovada Poker are quite fun to behold. Players will be able to tap into all sorts of formats and enjoy themselves immensely as they go along. Sit & Go’s are some of my favorite games as well simply because they provide players with everything they need for a worthwhile experience.

There are double-ups and triple ups, turbo and heads up formats to try at Bovada Online Poker, and they will all be worth a shot. These games cater to both beginners and more advanced players. There are a few more formats I think you should check out as well.

With the overhaul of the website in 2017, Jackpot Sit & Go’s became a new and exciting feature of the website, capable of providing players with a great way to try and win quite a bit more. Jackpot Sit & Go’s come with excellent multipliers worth 120x, 240x, and 1200x.

The format is exciting as it offers 80% of the prize pool to the victor with the second and third places taking only 10% of the pot. Oh, yes. These games are designed for only three players at a time, but you can expect an instant queue up when you click to join the Jackpot Sit & Go’s.

Bovada Poker Tournaments

To make your experience doubly worth it, Bovada works hard around the clock every week to offer a variety of competitive events that will pique your fancy and have you hooked in no time. Players can actually join the $150,000 Guaranteed Poker Tournament or try the $75,000 Guaranteed High Roller Tournament.

There are over $2 million in weekly tournament guarantees, with turbo tournaments and Sit & Go’s tournaments featured as part of the offer. Bovada also has the Monster Stack Poker Tournaments, which are another way to appeal to both recreational and driven poker players.

What about a Bovada Poker App?

Presently, there isn’t a dedicated Bovada Poker app, other than the software suite you can download and install on your desktop computer. This is no reason to despair, though, because Bovada Poker has made sure that it offers a no-download instant play platform to make your experience more intuitive.

You don’t have to download any piece of software on your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. Just play the game you like and participate in the poker action on the go. I would personally recommend playing from a desktop device if you want to participate in the tournaments as it will give you a better focus.

Bovada Poker Banking Options

Bovada offers you quick bonus payout thanks to the progressive bonus system which means that as soon as you are done clearing a part of the bonus, you can already withdraw it. To withdraw your funds, you will need a set of trusted payment methods to begin with.

Bovada Poker has several such methods to offer players, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Voucher payments to clear a deposit or a withdrawal.

To make the banking simpler for you, I have broken down the details for each payment method. Deposits are usually completed with any of the following methods:

• Bitcoin – $10-$5,000, no fees
• Credit card – $20-$1,500, 5.9% fee*

*Your first credit card deposit is free, though, so you will have an actual incentive to deposit a little more. Limits can also be lifted if you get in touch with customer support, but each case is reviewed individually. All deposits are instant.

To withdraw from the casino, you will need to opt for three established methods, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Check by Courier. Here are the details for each transaction:

• Bitcoin – $10-$9,500, instant
• Bitcoin Cash – $10-$9,500, instant
• Check by Courier – $100-$3,000, up to 15 business days

You will notice that there are no fees for any of your cryptocurrency withdrawals, which is the preferred way for many players to cash out their funds. A few may apply to your Check by Courier request, too, so make sure to double-check. Personally, I prefer to stick with cryptocurrencies as it’s easy to convert them back into USD as well.

Bovada Poker Customer Support

Getting in touch with Bovada.lv is a simple enough process. All you need to do is visit the Help Center, which will offer comprehensive and insightful articles. The selection is comprehensive and it will cover anything from Bitcoin to Vouchers, to Player Transfer, Bonuses, and more.

Players can naturally get in touch via live chat and have their questions answered 24/7. You can also call them at 1-888-263-0000 if you want to talk with a human operator over the phone. Overall, Bovada Poker’s customer support is top-notch and you will definitely find the experience excellent.

Bovada Poker Review Conclusion

To provide players with the best product, Bovada Poker is continually improving its offer. New tournaments and promotions are being added, but there are also fixed weekly events that appeal to many players in the USA. There is a sort of tradition and over the year, Bovada has consolidated its name as the go-to brand when it comes to online poker.

Players from everywhere in the United States today have chosen to play at Bovada because it offers the highest player traffic in the USA, anonymous tables that help novice players, and a dedicated mobile experience to make things even better.  

Bovada Poker FAQs