Bodog.com is one of the most respected names in all of online gambling. Along with being an industry leader in sports betting, they also offer a poker room, race book, and a first class casino. The Bodog Casino is one of the best looking online casinos we’ve had the pleasure of playing in.
But Bodog offers a lot more than just flashy graphics and stylish presentation. They also offer a huge variety of games and two excellent software packages that rival anything offered by their competitors. If you’re a video poker fan, you’ll especially love their wide selection of machines, many of which offer full pay tables that are rarely seen anywhere else online.
Overall, the Bodog casino is one of our favorites – a great mix of style and substance that should please casino veterans and newcomers alike.
Bodog.com Casino Software
Bodog offers two different software packages for casino users, both of which are provided by popular online gambling provider Real Time Gaming. The first package is their online instant play, no-download Flash casino. The Bodog instant play casino is probably the best no-download online casino in the industry. Not only is the software clean and attractive, but it also offers a huge number of games – way more than the limited selection offered by most online casinos. But our favorite part about the Bodog instant play casino is that you can try the games out absolutely free, and without any requirement to open an account on the site. Simply head over to the Bodog website, and you can try all of their games without any obligation on your part.
The downloadable client is very similar to the instant play casino interface. This was actually a slight disappointment at first; considering the very high standard set by their no-download option, we were expecting an even bigger and better experience from their downloadable client. That said, the Bodog software client is just as good as any of the other downloadable casinos we’ve tried. Games run fast and smoothly, and downloading new games or game updates takes just a few seconds.
Overall, the Bodog software package is one of the best in the business, whichever version you choose to use. If we had to pick, we’d recommend using the instant play version, but both options are very strong.
Bodog.com Casino Table Games
Online Blackjack at Bodog.com
Bodog has two different blackjack games available on their instant play website. Standard blackjack uses most typical rules; players may split to three hands, and dealers will hit on a soft 17, but otherwise the rules are exactly as you would expect to find in an American casino. The European blackjack version has dealers stand on soft 17 (good for the player), but only allows players to double down on hands of 9-11, and does not have the dealer peak for blackjack before the hand begins.
The downloadable casino offers several other variants of blackjack, including popular ones like Pontoon, Super 21, and Face Up 21. These games generally follow the standard rules for blackjack variants, though we’d like to point out that the Pontoon game uses only two decks – which actually increases the house edge in this game when compared to a typical eight-deck shoe (0.73% vs. 0.38%).
Online Baccarat at Bodog.com
Baccarat is played with a clean interface that’s easy to use, with typical rules including 9-1 payouts on ties (a bet you should be avoiding in any case) and a 5% commission on banker bets.
Online Caribbean Stud at Bodog.com
Caribbean Stud is offered (with the traditional progressive jackpot), as is a game called Caribbean Hold’em – which features a similar game structure mirroring Texas Hold’em instead of Five Card Stud. Caribbean Hold’em is known as “Casino Hold’em” in many other locations, so if you’re familiar with one game you already know the game. Caribbean Hold’em is a very good choice if you like Caribbean poker games, as it carries a much lower house edge than Caribbean Stud. Adding to the confusion, Bodog has another game called Casino Hold’em which is essentially the same game as Caribbean Hold’em! The only difference is that the Caribbean Hold’em game features a progressive jackpot, while Casino Hold’em features a standard side bet instead.
Bodog.com Craps Tables
For looks and presentation, the Bodog craps game is among the best, providing a smooth interface that plays fast and lets you action on pretty much any wager you’d find at a real craps table. The only downside is the relatively low pass line odds offered; you can only take 2x your pass line bet.
Online Roulette at Bodog.com Casino
Roulette is offered in three different varieties. There’s standard American Roulette, with the clearest table layout and the double-zero format. Bodog also has two types of European Roulette, one that carries that name, and another version called Roulette PRO. We’d recommend playing the regular European Roulette version; while the PRO version does give you a few extra statistics on screen and more ways to quickly make exotic bets (both tables have the standard French bets on the table), the interface isn’t nearly as attractive or user friendly.
Online Let it Ride at Bodog.com
Let it Ride is known as “Let ‘em Ride” at Bodog, and the game might seem to work in reverse – you’ll start by placing just one bet on the table, and then adding raise bets if you like your hand. This is just a cosmetic difference, though; the strategy you use should be exactly the same as in the original Let it Ride.
Tri Card Poker at Bodog
Similarly, “Tri Card Poker” is the Bodog version of Three Card Poker, and plays exactly like the original. This game is particularly notable for the fact that it offers an excellent pay table on the Pairplus side bet – one that carries a house edge of only 2.32%, making it a better value than the ante bet!
Online Pai Gow Poker at Bodog.com Casino
Pai Gow Poker is well designed, but lacks a house way feature for those who aren’t confident in splitting hands on their own. It does, however, make it very easy to split your hands; simply select the two cards you want in your front hand, and you can hit a split button to automatically create both hands. The commission on winning bets is the normal 5%.
Online Three Card Rummy at Bodog.com
Three Card Rummy is a game we’ve never seen in a live casino, but it’s a great addition at Bodog. The idea is to make a hand with as low a score as possible to beat the dealer; cards are scored as in rummy, with pairs and ‘suited runs’ counting as 0. There’s even a bonus bet that gives you added money for low scoring hands. We definitely recommend checking this one out, even if you’ve never played rummy before.
Online Casino War at Bodog.com Casino
In addition, Casino War is available in the downloadable client, but not in the Instant Play casino; if it’s a game you want to play, you’ll need to install the full software client.
Bodog Slots
Bodog offers an impressive array of slot machines; the instant play version of the casino has nearly 40 different machines, while the downloadable client is stocked with about 80 different slot games.
Many of these slots are the popular Real Time Gaming “Real-Series Video Slots.” These games offer bright graphics and large varieties of different themes (from Paris to Atlantis and Vikings to mermaids), but all generally work in the same way: as five-reel slots that offer bonus spins for matching three or more “scatter” symbols.
There’s a full selection of here of classic three-line slots and bonus slots too, meaning that not only is there something for everyone, there are actually plenty of choices no matter what kind of slots experience you’re looking for. There are even about a dozen different slot machines offering progressive jackpots of various sizes.
Bodog Video Poker
Bodog Casino has one of the largest video poker selections we’ve seen anywhere online, including many games that offer a choice between single and multi-line games. Here’s a quick look at all of the video poker games at Bodog:
Bonus Deuces Wild at Bodog.com
This game is only offered in a single line format, but is still one of the best video poker games you’ll find online. The payout is extremely high, offering 99.45% back to the player with optimal play.
Bonus Poker at Bodog.com
Another game offering excellent payouts, the Bodog Bonus Poker uses a strong pay table that gives back a 99.17% return to the player if proper strategy is used.
Bonus Poker Deluxe at Bodog Casino
There isn’t much “deluxe” about this game, which is essentially a Jacks or Better game with a higher payout for four of a kind. The pay table, though, is once again very good, returning 98.49%.
Coliseum Poker at Bodog Casino
This game is a lower-paying Jacks or Better pay table, but it also features a progressive jackpot that can make the game quite attractive at times. While the base game would only pay back approximately 96.1%, a large jackpot can make the game profitable for the player. Coliseum Poker can be played in one, four, and ten line versions.
Deuces Wild at Bodog.com Casino
This “ugly ducks” pay table gives back 98.91% to the player with optimal play.
Double Bonus at Bodog.com
Kudos to Bodog for offering a slightly better Double Bonus pay table than most Real Time Gaming casinos by giving 45 coins for most four of a kinds, rather than the 40 seen at many other RTG sites. That brings the return on this pay chart up to a very generous 99.37%.
Double Double Bonus at Bodog Casino
Bodog offers a reasonable pay table here too, even if it’s not one of their best; this game returns about 98.98% to players. They also offer a similar Double Double Jackpot Poker game, with a slightly better return of around 99.35%.
Double Jackpot at Bodog Casino
This game offers one of the best overall returns in the Bodog Casino; reportedly, the optimal strategy will return 99.63%.
Face the Ace at Bodog Casino
At other casinos, this game is often called Aces and Faces. Although this game is offered in single and multi-line formats (up to 10 hands at a time), we can’t really recommend it; the return on the game is just under 97%.
Jacks or Better at Bodog.com Casino
Of course, Bodog offers many versions of this classic video poker machine. The single line version of the game uses the 9/6 pay table, offering a very good 99.54% return with perfect play (check out our Jacks or Better page for a great strategy that will help you get the most from this game). Multi-line games are available from three lines up through a 52-line game, but they use the inferior 8/5 pay table that returns just 97.3%.
Joker Poker at Bodog.com Casino
Now here’s a game with an excellent pay table. In the single line version of the game, there’s actually a 100.05% return for the player with proper play! Of course, the variance is huge, since the game offers its biggest payout for a “sequential royal flush” – one that starts with a ten on the left and has a jack, queen, king and ace in that order. Still, there are few games anywhere online that give the player a positive return with perfect play! The multi-line variation of this game isn’t quite as generous, offering a reduced pay table that gives back 98.51%.
Loose Deuces at Bodog.com
While Bodog uses one of the lower Loose Deuces pay tables around (you’ll only win 5 coins for a straight flush), it’s still not a bad game, offering a 99.07% return.
Shockwave Poker at Bodog.com Casino
This unique video poker game features a “shockwave” mode that’s activated if you make a four of a kind; while in shockwave mode, the payout for a four of a kind is 32 times higher than normal, making the game extremely profitable for the player. Overall though, the game isn’t that great despite the gimmick: it offers only a 97.34% return to the player.
All of these games are available in both the downloaded version of the Bodog client, as well as in the instant play casino. A few extra games are also offered in the download version, including Pick’em Poker, Mystery Bonus Poker, 7 Stud Poker and All-American Poker.
Bodog Keno and Other Games
Bodog’s keno game allows you to play anywhere between 1 and 15 spots, with a maximum payout of $250,000. The interface is slightly clunky, but it’s a perfectly good keno game.
What’s really exciting at Bodog is the number of other unique specialty games they offer. There are two different games – Potshot and Soccer Shot – that simulate Japanese Pachinko machines. They’re definitely worth playing at least once in the ‘play for fun’ mode; if you do, we think you’ll end up giving them a try for real money, because these games are a ton of fun.
And there are plenty of other interesting “extra” games, too. There are scratch cards, card games that feel a lot like prop bets (one we really enjoyed was Poker Bet, where you could bet on which of several hands would win a Texas Hold’em hand), lottery games like Jackpot7, a Lucky Wheel game and more. We especially liked RollUp, a game that allows you to pick from a huge number of different betting options (high/low, odd/even), with the goal being to make as many consecutive bets correctly in order to win more and more money. The longer you last, the more you have a chance to win – including added bonuses for reaching certain milestones – but one wrong answer before you decide to cash out and you’ll love it all.
Bodog Deposits and Withdrawals
Bodog offers its players a number of different methods for depositing and withdrawing money from their accounts. Deposits can be made by credit card, though these deposits do incur 4.9% fees. Bank transfers are a secure option; “rapid transfers” are available through various retail outlets which can be arranged over the phone, while standard bank wires are also available, for free, and can be used to move very large amounts of money into your account (up to $100,000 at a time). Bodog also offers three different online processor/e-wallet solutions, including Digital Pin, MyPaylinQ, and Click2Pay.
Withdrawal options will vary depending on how you originally funded your account. Most players will be able to receive their winnings promptly by check or bank wire, while those using e-wallets can also receive their funds back through those same sources.
Bodog Loyalty Program
Bodog Casino doesn’t offer any fancy programs in which you collect points that are redeemable for various bonuses or merchandise. Instead, they use a straightforward cash comps system. The more you play in the casino, the more cash you’ll see automatically credited to your account. You won’t need to keep track of anything yourself; comps are automatically placed into your casino account, and you can spend them (or withdraw them) just as you would the rest of your money.
