Bovada Poker Review

$500 Welcome Bonus

Rating:
Min Deposit $25
6+ Games
2,500+ Players
Deposit Options:
  • visa
  • mastercard
  • bitcoin
  • litecoin
Devices:
  • desktop
  • mobile
  • apple
  • android

Bovada.lv Poker Details

Players: 2,500+
Payout Speed: Withdrawal approval within 24-hours. One to four days for payouts.
Games Offered: No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha, Limit Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo
Banking Options: Bitcoin, Visa, Mastercard
Customer Support: Live chat, email, phone
Years in Operation: 14+

Bovada Poker Pros/Cons

Pros
  • Accepts US and Australian players
  • Large amount of traffic
  • Fast-fold poker available (Zone Poker)
  • Easy sign-up process
  • Reliable software
Cons
  • Not much support for more obscure poker games
  • Average sign-up bonus
  • Not a ton of high-stakes action

Comprehensive Bovada.lv Poker Review

Bovada.lv is one of the oldest and most reliable poker sites that still serves the US market. The site has a long history that hasn’t always been easy to follow but, on a whole, Bovada has managed to avoid screwing over players and build a solid, trustworthy platform for online betting. It’s not that hard but many competitors have failed even those basic requirements.
Bovada is a worldwide business operation and not a fly-by-night scheme. The site relocated to www.bovada.lv after the US government seized several dot.com domains in 2011.

The company has a unique relationship with Ignition but for the time being the two sites are apparently using the same software and appear to be sharing players. Online opinion on Bovada is all over the place but the site has always been reliable for me personally. It helps that Bovada gives a great deal back to their players and their loyalty program will sometimes award trips to the Caribbean, Las Vegas and Europe to frequent customers.

While the online poker industry on a whole has contracted slightly over the last few years it’s been the opposite for Bovada as the network has been growing at a rapid rate. It helps that Bovada provides a complete all-in-one betting platform with support for online poker, casino and sports betting. That means you need just one account for sports betting, online poker and casino, which is incredibly useful

Currently, Bovada does not accept players from New Jersey, Maryland, Nevada, Delaware and Washington because of state and federal laws. Please see our online poker reviews if you reside in one of those states.

Sign-Up Bonus & Promotions

Your deposit sign-up bonus is generally credited to your account in 30 minutes. Bonuses have a three times rollover for sports and 20 times rollover for casino. The bonus lacks a bunch of BS requirements that other sites require, although it will still take some time to unlock completely. View Bovada for current bonus amounts (it changes a couple of times a year).

Other Promotions

Casino and Sport Bonuses: these offerings also include a welcome bonus.

Loyalty Program: The points used to clear your bonus is also used for this. You will move up a level as milestones are reached, earning more points. These points can then be swapped for bonuses or tournament entries.

Refer and Earn: Everyone who signs up gets a referral link. You share it with friends or family and when they deposit, you’ll earn a 200% match up to $100. If they use Bitcoin, you’ll also get a $25 welcome bonus.

Banking Options

For depositing, if you have a VISA credit card you will not likely run into any problems because that is their primary credit card. They also accept MasterCard, “Rapid Transfer” which is nothing more than Western Union or MoneyGram.

These days Bitcoin is being pushed as the best way to deposit or withdraw and it’s easy to see why. Cryptocurrency offers extremely fast deposits and withdrawals. Not to mention there are no fees. Plus you don’t have to involve your bank at all!

Tip: If you have problems depositing call Bovada.lv’s live support. They will run it through almost instantly via “special methods”. A fee of 4.6% is charged on card deposits. Once per month withdrawals are free and take on average one week.

Here’s a look at all the options for depositing and withdrawing with minimum and maximum amounts allowed:

Method Minimum Deposit Maximum Deposit
Visa $25.00 $350.00
MasterCard $25.00 $550.00
American Express $25.00 $550.00
Ria Money Transfer $60.00 $460.00
Bitcoin $10.00 $25000.00
Litecoin $10.00 $25000.00
Ethereum (Ether) $10.00 $25000.00
Bitcoin Cash $10.00 $25000.00
Dash $50.00 $4500.00
Ripple $50.00 $4500.00
Eos $50.00 $4500.00
Zcash $50.00 $4500.00
Dogecoin $50.00 $4500.00

Withdrawing is simple, there are four options: Check, bank wire, Bitcoin, or Rapid Transfer (aka Western Union or MoneyGram). Below is a sample of what it looks like when you are doing a bank wire withdraw… with my $.66! Take note of the two important notations about one free withdraw and the estimated time-frame.  No site should ever have an actual longer wait period of 20 days. Bovada is often on the quicker end and it usually arrives faster than stated.

January 2019 Payout Speeds: Checks are taking 10-16 days to reach players, bank wires 4-7 day, and rapid transfer (MoneyGram and Western Union) 3-5 days. Bitcoin generally only takes 15 minutes once the withdrawal has been approved.

How to deposit on Bovada Poker with Bitcoin

Depositing Bitcoin on Bovada is a breeze. It’s also free. The site has fast deposits, fast withdrawals and there are never any fees. You even get bigger bonuses when you deposit with Bitcoin. In nearly every case, you’ll have your cryptocurrency in the site and ready to play in less than 60 seconds.

To deposit, all you have to do is have your Bitcoin wallet, select Bitcoin as your deposit method and you’re good to go. You can even use a QR code to do it. Check out our Bitcoin poker page for more information on how to use Bitcoin to play poker. Bovada Poker is one of the best Bitcoin gambling sites out there.

Bovada's Poker Room

Bovada has a really nice look to it that harkens all the way back to the Bodog days. I’m talking about dark red with black backgrounds (they have several color options for backgrounds actually). I’ve always enjoyed the black and red of Bodog and it has a nice VIP feel on Bovada.

One aspect of the site that nearly every poker player should enjoy is that the level of play is quite bad and it’s somewhat easy to win money. The beginner players are from the sportsbook and can be found heavy at the site during the NFL season as they play during non-game days.  With so many people grinding and being good players these days, this is the only way to really make money.

They have anonymous accounts which is good for your bankroll if you suck, but bad if you like to feel like a person and not a number.  On the flip side, players generally complain about slow play and sometimes slow software loads. If you’ve ever played on Ignition then you’ll instantly recognize Bovada as the sites share the same software. Bovada features solid security and Mac compatible, which are both huge for a lot of players.

Types of Poker Played at Bovada

Bovada offers the following types of poker that can be played:

·      Daily/Weekly Tournaments

·      Zone Poker

·      Video Poker

·      Omaha Poker

·      Omaha Ho-Lo

·      Texas Hold’em

Types of Poker Games Offered

Cash games: The majority of the poker variants played on this site is No-Limit Hold’em. Additionally, this site has the largest list of tables online.

Recreational Player Model: Poker tracking tools are used to ensure that big fish are staying out of a small pond. This allows beginner players or just-for-fun players to get a fair shot at winning the game, growing their bankroll and gaining some experience before moving on to higher stakes.

Poker Tournaments: While Bovada doesn’t offer too many high-stakes tournaments, low to middle buy-in games see quite a few players throughout the week.

Bovada.lv Sportsbook

Bovada caters to the average person and VIP customer service, they are not interested in sharp bettors or rude customers. Unfortunately, their lines reflect this with not necessarily the best odds online. But, they make up for it in promotions, bonuses and the best customer support I’ve spoken to.

They supply all the major leagues but for smaller niche lines you may have to check out another sportsbook. There is a bit of a sacrifice, you get worse odds for a more legit sports betting site. A site like 5dimes may have slightly bettered odds but I still prefer Bovada.  Here is a sample image of their live betting page from my account. I have insufficient funds so was unable to place a bet, but you get the point.

Bovada Casino

The casino at Bovada uses RTG (Real-Time Gaming) software, renowned as one of the best. Our independent statistics show Bovada’s casino payout rate of 98.3% for combined casino games is statistically high.

Conclusion

When personal friends ask me what gambling site is best my immediate response is always Bovada. You can’t beat the all-in-one-approach of Bovada that offers online poker, sportsbook and casino with just one account.

Bovada.lv also boasts some incredible traffic numbers so you’ll be getting access to a wide assortment of cash games and big-money tournaments.

Perhaps the best thing about Bovada, however, is the high-level of trust and reliability. While Bovada has changed (both in name and corporate structure) over the years, they have always been good to players. In the end that’s the most important factor for most players.

Click here to visit the website, www.Bovada.lv. For alternatives to Bovada please see our full online poker reviews page.

Bovada FAQs

Can Bovada be trusted?

Bovada can definitely be trusted with your information and money and is totally legit.

Does Bovada actually pay out?

Bovada offers fast payouts that are efficient and effective.

 Is it legal to bet on Bovada?

Yes, it is definitely legal to bet on Bovada.

How long does it take to get your money from Bovada?

It can take 24-48 hours to get your money from Bovada.

Does Bovada report winnings to IRS?

No, Bovada does not report or disclose any winnings to the IRS.

Will Bovada be shut down?

Not for the foreseeable future.

Are Bovada slots rigged?

Bovada uses random number generators to combat rigging or cheating.

Why is Bovada not secure?

Bovada is actually totally secure. They are safeguarded by an Secure Socket Layer (SSL) that encrypts the information so it’s only relevant to staff of a need-to-know basis.

Is Bovada legal in CA?

Yes, it is!

How do I close my Bovada account?

Players wanting to close their account will have to contact their customer service team to complete this process, considering the sensitive information involved with the account.

Is Bovada allowed in New York?

As of June 2022, Bovada has suspended their services in the state.

Is it safe to use a credit card on Bovada?

Yes, it’s safe. Players can use Visa or Mastercard.