Bovada Poker Room Review: Bonuses, Games, & Mobile App
Bovada Poker is one of the best poker sites for American players because it offers many reliable games. The site was active from 2004 to 2016, but it was brought back to life in 2017 with a new user interface, more tournaments, and a steady stream of cash games for players to explore.
The detailed review below covers everything you need to know about Bovada Poker and will help you decide if it is the right platform.
What is Bovada Poker?
Bovada Poker is one of the most popular brands in the US online poker scene. The poker room, part of the bigger Bovada brand, has been a mainstay for American players since it opened in 2011. Bovada's poker room is quick, private, and easy to use. You can play on your computer or phone.
Game selection
Whether you're grinding cash games, chasing tournament glory, or prefer the high-speed action of fast-fold poker, Bovada aims to cater to various player types.
Cash Games: No-Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, and Limit Omaha Hi-Lo are some standard cash games you can play at Bovada. Most table games include heads-up, 6-max, and full ring (9-handed).
Pot-limit Omaha and No-limit Hold ’em games start at $0.02/0.05 stakes up to $10/$20. Fixed-limit games have stakes that go as high as $30/$60. Higher-stakes tables may be requested, even though most of the action is at the mid-stakes level.
In contrast to most traditional poker sites, Bovada uses a simple lobby system. The "quick seat" function quickly seats players after they choose the game type, stakes, and table size. The process saves them time because they don't have to look through long lists of tables.
Fast Poker: Zone Poker is Bovada's fast-fold poker version, and it's made for players who love non-stop action. In this game, players are grouped and are constantly moved from table to table. Every time you fold or complete a hand, you suddenly find yourself at a different table with a different opponent and a different hand.
Sit&Go: Bovada also offers various sit-and-go tournaments for players with different bankrolls. Game modes include Turbo, Regular, Heads-Up, 6-player, 18-player, Double-Up, and Triple-Up. Omaha games are sometimes offered, but most sit-and-go’s are played on No-Limit Hold'em. The buy-ins range from $1 to $200, which means that both serious grinders and casual players will be interested.
Anonymous Tables: Anonymous tables are one of Bovada Poker's best features. Each time you walk into a game, you get a fresh start. Instead of a username that other players could use to find and exploit your game, each table assigns you a random number. Your opponent will not know your identity, playing style, or pattern.
Tournaments: Besides sit-and-gos, Bovada also holds many excellent multi-table events (MTTs) with prize pools that are guaranteed to reach around $2 million every week. Key highlights of the tournament schedule include:
- Sunday Majors: Featuring the biggest weekly prize pools, often including flagship events like the $100K and $200K GTD tournaments.
- Golden Spade Poker Open (GSPO): Bovada’s main fall series, running annually from October to November, offering over 150 tournaments with buy-ins from $5 to $1,055.
- Black Diamond Poker Open (BDPO): The major spring tournament series, featuring dozens of guaranteed events across various formats.
- Freerolls and Satellites: Regular opportunities to win real money or qualify for bigger events for free.
- GSPO Main Events: Two highlight tournaments with $150,000 and $400,000 guarantees, contributing to over $10 million in total guaranteed prizes during the series.
Bonuses and promotions
Bovada doesn't have a strong VIP program, and the room's regular deals give players rakeback rates in the single digits. However, it does have some lucrative promotions:
- 100% Poker Welcome Bonus Up to $500. You will get a 100% match bonus of up to $500 on your first deposit. You receive this bonus in $5 increments for every 150 points. It's the best way to start your journey at the tables. $1 of rake equals 15 points. Use PWB500 bonus code when you deposit, you will have 30 days to wager your bonus.
- Bad Beat Bonus. Every poker player knows how painful it is to lose to a bad beat, but at Bovada Poker, even the worst losses have a silver lining. The Bovada Bad Beat Bonus is a one-of-a-kind deal that pays players who lose a cash game with a strong hand.
If you are playing Texas Hold'em for real money and suffer a bad beat while having a full house (aces full of kings or better), you could get a bonus worth 100 times the big blind, up to $1,000.
You must meet a few conditions to get the Bad Beat Bonus: if you want to win, your losing hand must be aces full of kings or better. The hand has to go to showdown, and the winner and loser must use their both cards. The hand must also include at least three players. If you meet all these conditions, you will get a cash reward of up to $1,000. - Royal Flush Bonus. At Bovada's cash tables, if you get a royal flush, you could get a bonus worth fifty times the big blind, up to $200. You must use your both cards to be eligible for the bonus. Contact Bovada's customer service to claim your prize after getting the royal flush.
Payment options
Players at Bovada Poker may choose from several convenient deposit and withdrawal methods.
Cryptocurrency:
- Bitcoin (BTC)
- Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
- Bitcoin SV (BSV)
- Litecoin (LTC)
- Ethereum (ETH)
- USD Tether (USDT)
Credit and Debit Cards: You can deposit using most major credit cards. Bovada also accepts Visa and MasterCard gift cards, which must be authorized for international and online purchases.
Vouchers: Redeemable codes that can be purchased or received from other users.
Generally speaking, Bovada Poker offers a wide range of deposit and withdrawal options to suit every player. Here’s is a detailed table of available payment methods, including minimum and maximum limits, withdrawal frequencies, and processing times:
| Method | Minimum Deposit | Maximum Deposit | Minimum Withdrawal | Maximum Withdrawal | Withdrawal Frequency | Withdrawal Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visa, Mastercard | $20 | $1,500 | – | – | – | – |
| BTC, BCH, BSV, LTC | $10 | $5,000 | $10 (BTC, BCH, LTC) | No Limit | One withdrawal every 3 days | 1–24 Hours |
| ETH | $50 | $5,000 | $50 | No Limit | One withdrawal every 3 days | 1–24 Hours |
| Player Transfer | $10 | $15,000 | – | – | – | – |
| Direct Bank Transfer | $50 | $450 | – | – | – | – |
| MatchPay | $20 | $1,000 | $20 | $1,000 | Twice a day | 24–48 Hours |
| Check | – | – | $100 | $3,000 | One withdrawal every 7 days | 10–15 Days |
| Voucher | – | – | $10 | $3,000 | No limit | 24–48 Hours |
Registration and verification process
Making an account at Bovada Poker is easy and quick, and it only takes a couple of minutes to finish. Go to the home page and click the red "Join" button.
You will be asked to fill out a registration form with your details, like your full name, date of birth, phone number, email address, and ZIP code.
After you enter this information, you'll get a text message with a verification code that you need to enter to confirm your phone number. Entering the code will create a secure password and validate your legal gambling age. Verifying your account when you sign up is vital. Bovada might ask for a driver's license, a legitimate government-issued ID, and a recent utility bill as proof of address. Depending on where you live, you may need to show more proof of your identity, such as your Social Security number.
The process is the same whether you register via a computer or a phone. Mobile registration works the same way on almost any device as on a computer, including the quick SMS verification, making it easy to start from anywhere.
Rake and rakeback
Cash games. Bovada applies a standard 5% rake across all cash games, with caps determined by stake level and table size:
| Stakes | Number of Players | Rake Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Up to NL25 | 2 players | $0.50 |
| Up to NL25 | 3–4 players | $1.50 |
| Up to NL25 | 5+ players | $2.00 |
| Above NL25 | 2 players | $0.50 |
| Above NL25 | 3 players | $1.00 |
| Above NL25 | 4–5 players | $2.00 |
| Above NL25 | 6+ players | $3.00 |
For Fixed Limit (FL) games up to $1/$2, the rake is $0.01 for every $0.20 in the pot, with caps ranging from $0.10 to $1.00, depending on the stake level.
Heads-up tables (1-on-1) have a rake of $0.01 for each $0.20 in the pot, capped at $1.00 per hand.
Sit&Go. 5% rake for regular Sit&Go's and a 7% rake for Jackpot Sit&Go's.
МТТ. Tournament fees range between 7% and 10%, varying by event.
Bovada does not offer traditional rakeback. Instead, players accumulate points through the Rewards Program, which can be exchanged for tournament tickets. There is no fixed rakeback percentage available.
Bovada Poker software and traffic
You can play poker at Bovada Poker on your computer or Mac using their downloaded software. Although, there’s no applications for iOS or Android, you can still access Bovada’s website to play poker using practically any device you have via web-version. Despite the widespread availability of the real Bovada and Ignition applications for Windows and Mac, be wary of the many imposters. Make sure you visit Bovada exclusively using the web-based version on your mobile or tablet device.
Bovada Poker is a part of the Pai Wang Luo network, or PWL. This network aims to simplify things for users and merge player pools. Ignition, Bovada, and Bodog are all part of the PWL network. Bovada and the other PWL sites are the biggest US-facing poker networks. The huge and reliable player pool means you won't have any problem getting action whenever you want.
Once familiar with the interface, a single login lets you jump between poker, sports betting, and casino games without switching platforms or accounts.
Ban on third-party applications
It's not quite a paradise for professional grinders at Bovada Poker, but some still play there because of the soft player pool. The poker room allows preflop charts and auto-seating scripts. However, data-mining tools, hand trackers, and AutoHotkey are not allowed.
Bovada has purposely limited the use of third-party tools to keep casual players on an even playing field and stop predatory behavior. For example, HUDs and taking long-term notes don't work because of the platform's anonymous table system. Players are only recognised by temporary numbers that change with each session.
The platform lacks a lucrative rakeback program to attract grinders who play a lot, and it doesn't have many multi-tabling options, so it's not ideal for pros who play a lot. Even though there are limits, many pros still think it's worth checking out Bovada because of the soft player pool.
It's clear what the site's goal is: put fun and fairness ahead of strict efficiency.
Bovada Poker reliability
The Morris Mohawk Gaming Group (MMGG) owns and operates Bovada, which is part of the Bodog brand. MMGG has been in business since 2007, so it has extensive experience with online gaming. Although the management sees poker as a side activity, they have joined a dependable PaiWangLuo Network. Curacao have granted Bovada licenses to do business.
Protection protocols prevent unauthorized access to your data, and Bovada Poker’s anonymous player name policy provides greater privacy than any other online poker site.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Bovada Poker?
Bovada Poker is a licensed online poker platform primarily serving players in the United States. It provides a secure environment, a wide range of cash games and tournaments, fast-fold poker formats, and supports both cryptocurrency and traditional payment options.
What poker games can I play at Bovada?
You can play No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Omaha Hi-Lo, and other cash games, as well as fast-poker, sit-and-gos, and MMTs.
Does Bovada Poker offer any bonuses?
Bovada offers a 100% welcome bonus of up to $500 for new players, as well as Bad Beat and Royal Flush bonuses for every player on the platform.
Can I play anonymously at Bovada Poker?
Yes. Bovada has anonymous tables to keep your game from being exploited. These tables hide your name and change your player number every session.
Is Bovada Poker legit and secure?
Bovada is registered in Curaçao and is a legitimate online gaming platform. It has strong privacy features, adequate financial protections to keep players safe, and positive user reviews.
