Bovada’s revolutionary poker room offers you Bitcoin bonuses as well as the Monthly Milly event, meaning that you can win big money on the popular site. With a huge Poker Welcome Bonus and Jackpot Sit N Go tournaments, Bovada has a lot to offer poker players of any level.
There are $1.5m in weekly guarantees, including the $150,000 and $100,000 guaranteed events. Bovada’s poker lobby is really impressive with slick graphics and a secure hub for your funds whether you’re depositing to get in the game or withdrawing your winnings!
Overall Rating
4.9/5
Betting Availability
4.8/5
Deposits & Payouts
4.9/5
Bonuses
4.6/5
Site Experience
4.7/5
Top Bonuses
Welcome Bonus
Bovada offers one of the redeemable welcome bonuses around. By playing and collecting points, players can quickly earn their 100% match bonus of up to $500.
Loyalty Program
Players can earn rewards just by playing on Bovada. The points you earn can be redeemed for bonuses or even entries into tournaments.
Referral Bonus
By referring your friends and family to Bovada, you can earn additional cash. Once your friend makes a deposit, you earn a 200% match bonus up to $100. If they use Bitcoin, you’ll get an additional $25!
Welcome to our Bovada poker review, highlighting the biggest online poker room in the United States. When it comes to USA online gambling, Bovada is the biggest by a wide margin. This site also has a long history. Originally, this site went under the name Bodog Poker. The U.S.-facing part of that brand was spun off in 2011 following Black Friday and renamed Bovada Poker. When you join the games, you will be playing against people from several brands on a shared poker network.
We identified some great reasons to play at Bovada.lv. Not only will you find the biggest selection of poker tables of any United States site, we found policies in place to keep the games ‘recreational.’ With the games at other sites suffering from too many pro grinders, you will notice the difference.
Pros
Tons of cash games, poker tournaments available
Great site for first timers and advanced players
Solid bonus options
Fast-fold poker game
Instant-play mobile gaming
Cons
Only accepts players from USA
Lack of high-limit games
Bitcoin bonus only for casino, sportsbook
Expert Testimonial
We absolutely love Bovada’s poker room. While you won’t find the biggest sign-up bonuses, ongoing promotions like the Monthly Milly lead us to give Bovada our highest recommendation.
Rated
4.8/5
Veronica TaylorIn-House Casino Expert
Bovada Poker Welcome Bonus and Promotions
While it is not the biggest bonus you’ll find, we found the first deposit offer at Bovada is the easiest to clear. This is a 100% welcome match up to $500. As we discovered, it works in increments, passing money from your bonus account to your real money account in stages. The first installment requires only 15 points. You will collect these by online poker for real money or tournaments.
Here is how the bonus clears:
After 15 Points: $5
After 85 Points: $20
After 185 Points: $25
After 500 Points: $50
After 1,500 Points: $150
After 5,000 Points: $250
You will have 30 days to earn as many points as possible. Note that if you cash out before your point collection is completed, you can’t reach any more milestones.
Other Promotions at Bovada Poker
Loyalty Program
There is a tiered loyalty program at Bovada Poker. The same points you earn to clear your bonus are used for this. As you reach milestones, you will move up a level – getting progressively better points earn rates. You can swap your points for tournament entries or bonuses.
You can earn 15 Rewards Points per dollar rake in cash games
You can earn 15 Rewards Points per dollar of tournament fees
You can earn 1.5 Rewards Points per dollar of buy-in in sit-n-go tournaments
You will also find plenty of promotions on offer. These change all the time, and include satellite qualifiers, freerolls and reload bonuses. Players will also be offered deals for the other parts of the brand – with sports betting and casino games offers available.
Adding cash to your bankroll is as easy at 1-2-3 at Bovada Poker. Simply share your referral link with friends and family, and when they make a deposit, you earn a 200% match up to $100, as well as a bonus $25 if they use Bitcoin.
Casino and Sports Bonuses
While this is a poker review, the other offerings at Bovada will also include a welcome bonus. Check out what their sports and casino bonuses are to start!
This is just a taste of the poker games you will find at Bovada Poker. There is always a game to be found, especially when it comes to Texas Hold’em online and Omaha poker.
Types of Poker Games
We found a long list of games at Bovada. These are just some of the games you will find at Bovada Poker:
Cash Games
This U.S. poker room has the biggest list of tables online. The vast majority of the games are No Limit Hold’em, with 6-max poker tables the most popular. You will find full-ring and heads-up games on offer too. While many smaller sites are only busy at the micro limits, you will find action up to $5 / $10 blinds ($1,000 buy-in) regularly at Bovada. Pot Limit Omaha and Omaha Hi-Lo are also spread.
Zone Poker is an entertaining variation for cash game players. This is a ‘Fast-Fold’ format. You choose a buy-in and then play new opponents each hand. The second you fold, you’ll be combined with new players and start the next hand. This is at least 3x faster than a regular cash game – and entertaining too. You can play more than one table for even more action.
Zone Poker and regular cash games are both available on mobile phones. The format of Zone Poker in particular makes it perfect for a quick session on your phone.
If you enjoy lower to middle buy-in online poker tournaments, then the selection at Bovada is huge. While this site does not have many ‘high-roller’ events (outside of the Black Diamond Open), their lower-stakes games are busy throughout the week.
Other than the occasional PLO tournament, NL Hold’em is where all the action is. Turbo (fast blind) tournaments are popular here. You will also find re-buy events and satellite qualifiers. You can win tickets into bigger buy-in games, and even win packages to live tournament events.
The biggest event of the week is the $75k Guaranteed, held each Sunday. When the Black Diamond Open events run, you will find tournaments with guarantees many times this size.
Sit-N-Go’s are also available, with nine-handed single-table tournaments at $22 and under where you will find most of the action.
When Bovada first introduced their ‘Recreational Player Model’ a few years ago, some eyebrows were raised in the poker community. These policies ensure that recreational and amateur players get a fair shot in the games. Poker tracking tools and data services which identify fish are often used by online pros – and give newer players little chance of growing a bankroll before their inexperience is taken advantage of.
Bovada has banned these tools. To make it impossible to track players beyond a single session, you are seated at anonymous tables. You’ll play as a seat number (or tournament entry number). You can start fresh each time you sit in a new game.
The restriction on multi-tabling also helps recreational poker players. Pros at other sites tend to sit in 10-plus games, playing a tight, difficult-to-exploit strategy. This kills the action.
The recreational player model has been a huge success. Bovada is many times bigger than their closest rivals, and their games are amateur-player friendly.
Bovada was one of the first poker sites to offer Bitcoin deposits and withdrawals. You will not play in Bitcoin, as your balance is transferred to dollars to use in the games. Setting up a Bitcoin wallet is very easy these days. Taking the time to do this will make depositing and withdrawing from any gambling brand quick and easy. You can also use Bitcoin SV, which helps with bigger transactions and the poker room can process more transactions.
Your credit card can be used for deposits, though keep in mind that your bank may sometimes decline the transaction. Your card must be able to make payments outside of the U.S. for this to work.
Prepaid Visa Cards
You can buy these at convenience stores for a small fee on top of the loaded amount. These work well, though I do recommend you speak to the Bovada support staff and find out which brands to buy before you head out and purchase one.
You can pop to your local Western Union or MoneyGram branch office and wire money. This will involve contacting Bovada first; you’ll need to send this money to an individual. This is a reliable deposit option, though it is more expensive – especially for smaller deposits.
Zelle
A United States digital payment service (EFT) and formerly clearXchange.
Voucher
Receive money from fellow Bovada poker players.
Note: available deposit methods vary based on region and/or account origin.
Unless you are using Bitcoin, your withdrawals will arrive via a paper check. U.S. banks will accept these – though keep in mind that if you need the money quickly, this is a slower option. Money transfer and bank wires may also be possible, though you’ll usually have to pay the fees for this.
How to Deposit Bitcoin
Get an E-Wallet
The first thing you’ll need to do is get an e-wallet and purchase Bitcoin. Once you’ve done that, making a BTC deposit is a simple 3-step process. Bovada recommends using the desktop wallet Blockchain, or the mobile wallet Exodus.
From here, the next thing you need to do is sign up for a FREE Bovada poker account.
Visit Cashier
Once you’ve registered at the casino, visit Bovada’s cashier to make your first deposit. Select “Deposit”, then “Bitcoin”. Bovada will give you two options to pay with Bitcoin: a unique Bitcoin address to send your payment to, or a QR code to scan to send your payment through the BTC wallet app. Make sure you only send BTC to the payment address, not BCH or BSV.
Make a Deposit
Once you’ve made your payment using one of these methods, click “Done” and your payment will be added to your Bovada wallet in USD. Keep in mind, it may take up to 10 minutes for your money to be available to use.
Once it has gone through, you’re good to start gambling with Bitcoin.
Bovada Poker Details
Mobile Gaming
Bovada Download: You will find Windows and Mac versions of the mobile poker client. This is quick to download, and gives you access to all the games and tournaments. The design is a smart black and red. While the graphics and design are not eye-catching, this site is easy to use. I like the way that a spotlight appears on your seat when it is your turn to act. You can play up to four cash games or Sit-N-Go tournaments at once. For regular tournaments, you can play up to 16 poker tables.
Bovada Mobile / Instant Play: This makes games available on mobile devices, as well as on a browser on your desktop. The number of games is restricted, featuring only cash games and Zone Poker. You can access the same account both ways (though you can only log in at one at a time). This means cash game players can enjoy the occasional session on the go – and save your bigger sessions for when you are using your laptop or desktop.
With their long history and solid service, Bovada is one of the best-trusted poker sites around. They are located in Antigua. Until 2016, Bovada was licensed by the Kahnawake Gambling Commission. They voluntarily relinquished that license.
Games are tested by iTech Labs, who have certified the deal as random. This site also uses the latest SSL encryption, and has a comprehensive responsible gaming policy.
Add to this the 24-7 support and dedicated phone line – and lack of any scandals or payment issues over their long history – and you have a trusted poker brand.
If you have any questions about Bovada’s poker platform, the site offers several customer support options. There is a community section that allows poker players to share information, feedback and help answer questions.
There is an email option that typically garners a response in 72 hours. Bovada also provides a customer support phone number and on-again, off-again LIVE chat options.
Bovada Poker benefits from an immutable law of poker rooms: size matters. With decades of built-up goodwill, Bovada has the size to offer the best tournaments and other poker variants for every player.
Though you don’t need to take advantage of the Monthly Milly, we recommend Bovada Poker for players looking for a huge variety of online poker options.
Bovada Poker FAQs
With a long history and dedicated player base, Bovada is one of the most trusted and safest gaming sites on the internet. Games are tested and audited by iTech and the website is SSL-encrypted, which is needed for responsible gaming policy.
Yes, it’s often ranked as the No. 1 U.S. poker site on the internet. With several poker games and tournaments as well as generous welcome bonuses and promotions, Bovada poker continues to gain new players all the time.
Bovada’s popularity has a lot to do with the fact it’s legal to play poker in most U.S. states except Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware – plus Maryland and New York. Be sure to review the latest USA gambling laws to stay abreast of the latest legislation.
Your method of withdrawal can depend on how you deposited your money. Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Check by Courier and Vouchers are the current withdrawal banking options. If you deposited via credit card, Bovada will require you to fill out a CC verification form before processing your request.
It depends on which withdrawal method you prefer. If you request a Bitcoin cash-out, it can take as little as 15 minutes to process after your request is approved. If you prefer check by courier, it can take up to two weeks to receive.
Veronica Taylor
Editor
Veronica Taylor is a card game enthusiast who you can find checking out the latest themed online casino games or sports betting trends. When she’s not writing about what’s new in the gambling world and industry (both online and on land), you can find her watching the NBA and looking up assorted player facts. (Did you know Lebron snacks on apples and almond butter everyday?)
