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Bodog vs Sportsbook Poker
Bodog Poker vs Sportsbook.com Poker
A unique match up for sure as these two middleweight poker rooms slug it out to dominate the USA online poker market, online sportsbook and casino market too…
This article will compare the brand new bodog poker software with that of Sportsbook.com poker.
We will aim to see which of these two poker rooms is the best choice for your online dollar and show you the differences between these two online poker rooms.
A couple of quick facts about these two online poker rooms are that both rooms are what I would call “medium sized” poker rooms in terms of total player traffic.
Neither of them are the largest sites in the world, far from it actually. The industry leaders like PokerStars and FullTilt boast much more traffic than either Bodog Poker or Sportsbook Poker, but that doesn’t mean that there are not great games to be found at both of these online poker rooms, as there is and there are reasons to play at each one.
Poker Room vs Poker Room Categories
- Software / Game Download
- Poker Players
- Traffic
- Game Selection
- Tournaments
- Bonuses
- Customer Support
- Deposit and Withdrawl
Both sites also offer casino games and sportsbook action, which is great for bringing in new fish new players.
Bodog Poker Room Software and Game Interface
Bodog Poker First - Download software at: http://www.bodoglife.com.
*at the time of this review (Halloween, 07), the new bodog poker software is in beta testing which only a limited number of users have. This comparison is of the new bodog poker beta software against Sportsbook.com Poker’s software.
Honestly Bodog Poker has never been had my favorite software.
In November of 2006 I got so frustrated at the bodog poker download that I cashed out and deleted it off of my computer, I was that frustrated. (ok, i admit i re-downloaded it and re-deposited, haha, but still, I was pissed off at the bodog software upgrade). They had just upgraded to a new poker client download.
It sucked.
The very first generation of bodog poker software was sleek, fast and I liked it. That all changed in 2006 they upgraded to a “new bodog poker software”. The ‘new bodog’ software sucked to me. It wasn’t as sleek, was a totally different feel (it felt like you were playing poker on a flash website or something, it didn’t feel normal to me.
They made a few upgrades and lured me into downloading again, and I did get used to the software and they have continually improved it.
About a week ago, actually on October 15th, 2007 I got another email announcing the Beta release of the new version of Bodog Poker that.
Here is a screenshot of the newest bodog poker table.
The New Bodog Poker software Table Screenshot. Notice the ‘playing area’ at the bottom of the screen, all the standard buttons and slider bar are available and easy to use, plus you can pre-select your actions like auto-fold etc… For comparison, here is a Sportsbook.com Poker Current Screenshot.  Sportsbook.com Poker |
Another thing about Bodog Poker, I play in the Kick Ass Poker League on Wednesday nights at Bodog. The thing that pisses me off time and time again during this event is that since it is a private tournament, there is NO chat unless you are not seated at the table. You can’t even chat on the other tables… totally sucks for league play. Now, this isn’t standard, but in private events and some tournaments this seems to be the case. IE, no chat unless at the table.
With that said, some of my counterparts absolutely love the the Bodog poker download. They like it so much that they don’t even play at the other online poker rooms.
The Bodog Poker Download software kind of left me feeling like my avatar was just ‘floating’ around on the table, no defined space and just kind of at the table. Again, it was like flash poker or something…
*With the new bodog poker software that is in beta testing (during the time of this writing) they have fixed this “problem” and now provide ‘defined’ table space, it is improved for sure.
This isn’t a ‘bash bodog’ article. The new bodog software is a nice upgrade to the older bodog poker software. The new Bodog Poker Software, which you can download from http://www.bodoglife.com looks like this:
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Picture in Picture Bodog Screenshot Bodog Pokers Multi-Table “Picture in Picture” option (notice small table in upper left, that’s your other table which you can click at anytime with PIP selected). |
Another thing is that it feels unfamiliar compared to the other sites I play a lot of poker at (stars and fulltilt). The Bodog Poker software is that it is totally unique to Bodog, no other poker sites that I play on interface with it… it feels a little bit like a flash poker room, although it is not.
One plus for bodog is that you have good options to change your playing style to suit yourself, such as changing the color of your table, using the ‘picture in picture’ option as shown above as well as true multi-table options.
Select your Table Color and PIP or Separate Windows At Bodog Poker, you can choose your color and how multiple tables are displayed.
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Here is a new color, instantly and you can upload a custom image for your avatar. Notice in the the ‘halo’ around the player on the right… that is how you tell who’s turn it is. I like it, very easy to follow the action.Game play itself at the new bodog poker software is actually pretty good, much better than before.
There is also a ‘winner’ easily displayed at the end of each hand, and the chips slide to the winner.
The bodog software seemed a tad slower than what I consider ideal, but it wasn’t bad. You’ll see what I mean when you play… The chips flow to the winner a tad slow, when you are under the gun the ‘you’ve got a hand beep’ hits you before your cards appear, but it’s just minor stuff, overall the new bodog poker software it is a big huge improvement over the previous bodog poker software.
The Bodog lobby is very easy to use, functional with all the stats displayed same as sportsbook.com poker (you can see average pot, how many players seeing the flop, wait for a seat etc… A negative is that you can not search for players at Bodog Poker. Kind of lame, but not a deal breaker and you can’t search on Sportsbook, either.
Sportsbook.com Poker
Download at: http://www.sportsbook.com
I’m relatively new to Sportsbook.com Poker, as it is a relatively new online poker room, opening their doors in early 2007. The software itself is what I would call functional, no frills, and good quality. They are members on the Cake Poker network and use the Cake Poker software. It is not flashy, fancy or anything like that, but it gets the job done.
Here are some Sportsbook.com Poker screenshots.
Sportsbook.com Poker Table - Simple and easy to use. Functional. Good looking avatars (they are actual photo’s of real people. Hello Dealer.  Easy to navigate lobby, standard details shown like avg pot, plys/flop seated etc.. |
The Sportsbook Poker software is smooth, easy to download and newbie friendly. There simply are not that many choices or customizations like you can do at Bodog. You get to choose between around 30 or so Avatars and that’s about it for your personalization options. It’s quality, functional software.
The early edge in the Sportsbook vs Bodog Poker matchup goes to: Bodog Poker
The battle between these two online poker rooms is not over yet… the early lead goes to bodog for having more customizable software. If I had not been reviewing the new bodog poker software that is in beta I would give the edge to Sportsbook.com. It’s still a close race.
Poker Player Information at Bodog and Sportsbook.com Poker
Now we are going to take a look at the other players you’ll encounter at the poker tables of each online poker rooms, as well as comparisons between what games you can play as a player there.
Traffic Numbers - as reported by sitescout, the leading authority on real money players at online poker rooms during the time of this review.
Obviously rankings are fluid but I don’t expect any major shifts in the next year or so.
Bodog - 10th ranked overall nearly 1300 RMP’s on average.
Sportsbook.com Poker Cake Network) - 13th overall with 874 RMP’s on average.
Edge: Bodog
Fishyness of Players - which room has the most fish?
Both Bodog and Sportsbook are also online casinos and sportsbooks, and they both draw players from their online casinos to the poker tables, leading to bad, fishy players. Some of the worst players online reside at both of these rooms. Good players will win money easier at both of these sites than some of the bigger sites like PokerStars and FullTiltPoker. They have more traffic but better players on average than these two poker sites.
Bodog - Well below average players.
Sportsbook.com Poker - Worse players, seriously.
Edge: Sportsbook Poker
Ring Game Selection and Limits.
Games offered are pretty equal in their offerings. Most of traffic is in the Texas Holdem (by far, but this is normal everywhere) but there is some Omaha Traffic at both sites, and a trickle of Stud traffic at Bodog.
Edge: Wash
*slightly more selection at bodog due to larger #’s of players.
Poker Tournaments - Sit-n-Go’s (SNG’s) and Multi Table Tournaments.
Bodog - one cool thing about bodog is that they offer ‘beginner’ SNG tournaments. The buyin is $2+.20 (also offer a $1+.20 5 table tourney) but the beginner tourneys pay out to 50% of the players instead of 30%. The Multi-Table Tournaments at Bodog are solid, a few guaranteed events each and every day, with up to $5,000,000 in guaranteed events each month.
There is a lot of overlay in these guaranteed events also. I’m not going to explain all of the tournaments offered at bodog, but you can read about them here.
Sportsbook.com - what I like about sportsbook as far as their tourneys go is that they also have some reasonable guaranteed events that do not meet the guarantee and are good value with overlay, similar to Bodog in this aspect actually, plus if you use a Sportsbook promo code you can max out the bonus at $1000 matched at 100%.
Sit-N-Go selection is modest, but steady and the multi-table tournaments are winnable with no huge fields.
Edge: Bodog
Poker Bonus Comparison - Bodog Poker Bonus vs Sportsbook Poker Bonus
Here is one aspect where these two rooms are totally different, and that is in their deposit bonus for new players. I like both bonuses for different reasons, and I’ll just lay it out there for you to make up your own mind.
The major difference is that one room offers an INSTANT bonus, but at a smaller amount, compared to a ‘earnable’ bonus matched at a huge amount.
Bodog Poker offers a 10% bonus instantly. Deposit $500 and you will have $550 in your account right away to play with. Essentially you could play in 10 $5 + .50 Sit-N-Go’s for “free” (well almost, you’ll have $5 bucks in rake to pay).
Sportsbook.com poker offers a 100% bonus. They will match you dollar for dollar up to a certain dollar amount, but you have to earn it by playing earning frequent player points at Sportsbook.com. For details on the Sportsbook.com Poker Bonus you can check out the review I’ve linked to there, and get the exclusive “Kick Ass Sportsbook.com Bonus”
Using Sportsbook bonus code: KICKASS you get 100% up to $1000 bonus at Sportsbook Poker- which is the best bonus I have found anywhere on the web for Sportsbook.com poker as , the standard is 100% up to $650. If you are depositing more than $650 then you need the kickass bonus at Sportsbook.com to maximize your earn. *FPP release rates detailed in the Sportsbook.com Poker Bonus review.
Edge: Sportsbook.com Poker for the size and match amount of the bonus, but you will have to play a lot of poker to earn the entire bonus, again hit the bonus review above for fpp clear rates). *Sportsbook.com Poker easily accepts MasterCard and Visa Deposits, being the easiest USA Poker site to make a deposit with. It is super easy for USA players to make a deposit at Sportsbook.com Poker.
Customer Support
Hands down bodog poker on this one, and Bodog would win this competition against any other poker site with only pokerstars coming the closest. They have live phone support and calls are answered within 3 rings from knowledgeable reps who can speak english and resolve problems (not just message takers).
I haven’t dealt with Sportsbook.com Support except over email and it was also professional, but Bodog has excelled time and time again, whenever needed.
Deposit / Withdraw Options
Sportsbook.com gets this category. They take MasterCard and Visa fast and easy, no lengthy sign ups or quadruple steps to get something done. Bodog offers similar deposit options, just call support when you are ready and trust me it will be easy. To find the deposit options at both rooms, hit the cashier… hell deposit options change often and I can’t keep up, but I’m quite certain that depositing is easy.
Withdrawls come via cheque in a few weeks from both rooms, again contact support if you need help.
Poker Room vs Poker Room Recap and Winner
Overall Winner - Bodog Poker- Software / Game Download - Bodog (barely)
- Poker Players - Sportsbook Poker (worst players online)
- Traffic - Bodog
- Game Selection - Bodog
- Tournaments - Bodog
- Bonuses - Sportsbook.com (use bonus code KICKASS for exclusive 100% / $1000 bonus)
- Customer Support - Bodog (best in the biz)
- Deposit and Withdrawl - Sportsbook.com Poker (Visa & Mastercard accepted)
Bodog Poker wins by a nose. The categories that bodog lost, they only lost slightly, with the exception of the bonus which is kind of hard to compare since it is so different). The categories bodog won in they won pretty strongly, except for the software. You will either love or hate the Bodog Poker Software. If you are new to online poker, you’ll probably love it. If you’ve been playing for years at PokerStars then you might not like it until you get used to it.
Hey, any poker room that can build a huge brand with bodog.com, lose their domain and switch to newbodog.com and then switch again to bodoglife.com and maintain player traffic, credit and ease of deposit and withdraw has to get the nod.
The real comparison is by downloading both sites and seeing for yourself:
http://www.bodoglife.com
http://www.sportsbook.com
Comments
12 Responses to “Bodog vs Sportsbook Poker”
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I like Bodog better than any other poker site I have played. It doesn’t have the graphics that some of the other sites have, but the cards seem to play like they would in a home game. I guess I am saying that the site plays “more true” than any of the other sites I have played. I have always been a fan of Bodog for that reason and I also like Bodog and have all my money on that site because I enjoy betting on sports.
GO BODOG!
-Shafer
I like Bodog, but can’t say how it compares to Sportsbook. There are fish on Bodog (I’m one of ‘em), but the SNG’s have seemed pretty tight lately ($10 & $20 are my experience). I’ve had some 1 1/2 hour SNG tourneys on there lately - (as opposed to 1 hour or less).
I like bodog as well. The SNG’s are longer because now the blinds are timed instead of by a set amount of hands. I was a little unsure of the new software, but it has grown on me. But overall I think it is one of the best for US players.
Hello All,
I quit playing on Bodog. Too many bad beats. I feel the play is more realistic at FT and PS. Hey KAP let me know if you start a league on one of the other sites.
bodog poker rocks.i took 98th in a freeroll for 2$ then turned it into 2000$ took a payout 10 days later check in mail sweet.the bad i just about lost the 500$ i had left ……back 2 the drawing board!been at this for 4 years gl all players
I like Bodog a lot. It was the first site that I used real money on. I can’t compare to sportsbook, but I do play at Full tilt and poker Stars. Full tilt to me seems to have an unusually large number of bad beats. I’ve received and delivered them at what seems to me to be clearly above the expected percentages. Poker stars is fine. I’m not overly impressed with the set-up or software, but my wifi handles it just fine and the “poker” has “added up” as would normally be expected.
That leads to my current problem with Bodog. Their software is the best IMO, but it really bogs down in a MAJOR way. My wifi just can’t handle it (I had few problems with the previous connection I used before I moved). I’m constantly being disconnected and have gaps in almost every single hand. I rarely play there these days because it’s too frustrating with my current set-up. I can surf the net and play f-tilt or p-stars with no problems while simultaneously struggling to play on bodog (I struggle even when I’m exclusively connected to Bodog). I’m not sure what the problem is, but it’s discouraging when I have a decent hand and have it auto-folded because I can’t respond in a timely manner.
Bruce, that would drive me totally insane. Make sure you download the newest version of the Bodog Poker Software… (the one I have screenshots of in this article). To me, it seemed to run smoother and with less strain on the PC to maintain the older more bulky bodog software.
Also, and this was a tip a KAP Poker League Member told me…
I will take sportsbook over bodog any day. HERE are my reasons. 1 I have played at bodog for a year and a half and I discovered 4 Patterens of cards that come out on the board.Sixes and Jacks ,Threes and eights,sevens and fours,and four of the following 2,4,6,8,10. Also 4 cards of a flush or straight on the board. 2 Bodog has no imagination in tounament play. They do not have BOUNTY tournaments. And last but not least,bodog offered a 100% bonus for the month of march but you only had 30 days to earn the bonus, that was bod enough but you could only earn max 1 point per raked hand even if the rake was 3 $, sportsbook gives you exactly what the rake is. Thank you Frank
Just starting playing on BODOG and like it alot more then sportsbook poker! Some of the transactions looked very fishy to me. .For instance i made deposits and when i looked over my transactions the same deposit was made again minutes later and didnt show in my account!As far as making withdrawls WHAT A JOKE!! one took over 3 weeks and i’m still waiting for another one which has been 44 days so far! So i started playing on BODOG!
How can you not mention the fact that bodog seems to always be offering a 100% reload bonus? On top of that, the bonuses are quite easy to clear, even playing at micro-limit ring games…
bodog is now up to two months for payment to hit your doorstep!!!
they have always been slow.