Bovada Poker Review: Is It Safe and Legit in 2021?

Bovada Poker has been in the online poker scenes since 2004. It stopped its operation for a short time. But then it made a triumphant return in 2017. It made its place as the number one poker room.

Bovada has a reputation for offering online sportsbook and casino. The Bovada site has a professional eye-catching design. It is built with high-quality graphics and an easy layout. Altogether, it stands as an appealing site. 

Bovada History

Bovada Poker was originally launched in 2004. It was called Bodog at the initial launch. It was in the year 20011 when the site rebranded itself as Bovada after Black Friday.

Bovada made an announcement about its sale to Ignition. This sudden announcement socked a lot of its players. But, Bovada reclaimed itself. In 2017, less than a year after its announcement, it made a comeback. Bovada is made with a recreational model. It offers soft games. 

Bovada License

Bovada Poker is not licensed. It is an offshore casino poker room. The sportsbooks and poker room was regulated by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission up to 2016. They were forced to give up due to the new policy by Kahnawake Gaming Commission. This is due to the fallout of black Friday. 

Bovada Download

Downloading Bovada is extremely easy. There is no waiting in the installation time. The whole process can be finished quite fast actually. The tables do take some time to load. But the actual installation is instant. There are three steps mentioned on how to install the poker software.

After registration, you can log straight into the software and proceed with the funding and playing. There are no more waiting between this. There are no different processes in MAC computers.

All the processes of the download are more or less the same. There are different links in the operating system. You just need to follow up on those with the instructions. 

Bovada Registration

You will need to create an account for joining the poker site. It is extremely easy. Click on the JOIN button at the top of the page which will take you to the required place.

You will need to fill out a registration form. The form requires you to fill up the basic information. Make sure to enter the correct address (country and residence). The information needs to be accurate and verifiable to create an account.

Bovada Fund

Bovada offers a number of funding options. You can fund through credit cards, checks, money orders, transfers. All these have different ways and waiting periods. The minimum and maximum limits differ in funding option type and games. 

Bovada Deposit

The deposit in Bovada accounts is a simple process. There are several payment methods that can be used. You can choose the one convenient for you. Through the maximum and minimum rates are different. The waiting period also differs. You can check them out yourself and make a clear decision. 

1. Cryptocurrency

Over the years, cryptocurrencies have become very popular. The payment processing is fast and easy. Bitcoin is a famous cryptocurrency. The funds are transferred in minutes. So, players opt for this. Also, there is no fee for bitcoin deposits. A lot of players have moved towards these cryptocurrencies in the past few years. Mostly because they require the least work. And the result is almost instant. They can just play and deposit and withdraw. 

2. Visa, MasterCard, and American Express

You can pay the deposits with VISA. The visa card provides the opportunity for credit, debit, and gift cards. You can use them to send cash to your account. The minimum deposit limit is $50 and the maximum deposit limit is $1,000. There is a master card option. The minimum and maximum deposits are the same as the VISA card.

3. Visa Credit, Debit, and Prepaid cards

The cards that are eligible for international purchases will work. The domestic ones won’t work. The minimum deposit for the card is $20 and the maximum deposit is $1,500. It has a fee of 5.9%. The fee is not much considering the other means. 

4. Bitcoin and Visa Debit Card

You can make the transfer with your Bovada account. Deposits are instant. They will allow you to play poker right away. 

5. Chase Quickpay

Chase Quickpay is another deposit method of Bovada poker. The minimum deposit here is $10 and the maximum deposit is $5,000. 

Bovada Withdrawal

Bovada offers cashouts through various methods. They include cryptocurrencies, cash transfers, and checks. The withdrawal options are mentioned below:

1. Bitcoin

Bovada poker offers cashout through bitcoin. The minimum withdrawal limit is $10 and the maximum withdrawal limit is $9,500. The frequency in this withdrawal system is 3 days. You can make the withdrawal within a couple of minutes. 

2. Bitcoin Cash

Bitcoin cash offers the same benefits as bitcoin. You can make the withdrawal almost instantly. The minimum and maximum withdrawal limits are the same as the bitcoin. 

3. Check by Courier

The check offers a minimum withdrawal limit of $100 and the maximum withdrawal limit of $3,000. The frequency for this withdrawal system is 7 days. They arrive in about 15 days. In this method, Bovada will cover the first withdrawal every 90 days. There is a $100 processing fee in this. 

Bovada Interface

The design of the Bovada is extremely easy. It makes the software uncomplicated. The tabs are assigned to take the players to web pages allotted to those particular activities. There is Sportsbook, Casino. 

Bovada Games

The game of Bovada poker site includes a lot of options. They provide a good selection of games.  It has Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Jackpots, and Fast-Fold. Let's look at the game limits of the site: 

→ For Hold’em, it is $0.02/$0.05$10/$20 and high is $0.05/$0.10$30/$60

→ For Omaha, $0.02/$0.05$10/$20 and the high is Lo$0.02/$0.05$10/$20

Bovada Bonus

The Bovada poker site offers a welcome offer. The welcome offer provides the new players a 100% bonus on top of the initial deposit. It has a maximum value of $500. You need to click the Deposit button underneath the bonus you want to receive. And then you start playing games and start entering tournaments.

There you earn Poker points and from there you earn the bonus. You have 30 days from the activation of your account to gather a bonus. You are recommended to earn as much bonus as you want at that period. Let’s look at the bonuses for all the poker points. 

  • $5 bonus when you earn 15 Poker Points
  • $20 bonus when you earn 85 Poker Points
  • $25 bonus when you earn 185 Poker Points
  • $50 bonus when you earn 500 Poker Points
  • $150 bonus when you earn 1,500 Poker Points
  • $250 bonus when you warn 5,000 Poker Points

Bovada Software

The Bovada software has gone through a lot of changes over the years. It was simple at the beginning that worked quite nicely. The software jumped to a more modern design when Bovada came. The beginning of problems began with cash games and quick seating.

It became difficult to play four games at a time. With the addition of the intermittent period of a few years, the whole concept was not of huge success. 

Increased Rake in Bovada

The rake changes of the site may have cost them some of their regulars. The rake changes are not applicable to tournaments. The rake changes are:

  • Rake is collected at $0.01 for every $0.20. The previous one was $0.05 per $1.00
  • The maximum rake on Heads-Up Tables from $0.50 to $1.00
  • The maximum rake moves on Pot Limit and No Limit at stakes higher than $0.10 per $0.25 from $3 to $4

Anonymous Games in Bovada

In Bovada poker, only the session stats can be tracked. It is not possible to find out the player you are sitting against. It is a ‘’clean slate’’ site. You disappear as soon as you leave the table.

You get a whole new start the next time you sit down. This anonymous game attracts recreational players. Some people love it while it is a deal-breaker for others.

PROS

  • It is ranked number 1 in the USA
  • It has a modern game lobby and tables
  • This site is mobile compatible
  • You have a cryptocurrency funding option
  • There is Anonymous table gaming
  • Weekly poker tournaments
  • There is a large player pool

CONS

  • It is not licensed
  • This site does not allow you to choose a spot at the table
  • There are no high-limit cash games

Conclusion

Bovada poker has been on the scene for quite some time now. It has gained a huge response from people they attract traffic and user with their strategies like Anonymous play. It is the number one poker site in the US. 

If you are a newbie, looking to get a taste of the poker scene, you can try the BetOnline Poker. It is easy to register. There are all kinds of levels and deposit system for both new and experienced players.

Even though there were some issues, they are all cleared now. So, try it out and have an experience of the poker world.