Our experts delve into the legality of playing real money online poker in the USA, rank & review the best poker sites to safely play, which scam websites to avoid, where to find the best bonuses such as exclusive free $10 bankroll offers and freerolls, as well as. Absolutely everyone who starts out in play-money poker before moving on to real money agrees play money games are great for one thing: learning the poker basics. A few hours at the play tables are indispensable for getting a feel for the online poker game - the order of play, how to make bets, adjusting to the pace of the action, how the controls work and more.

• Best customer support and prompt payouts
• Also offers an online casino and well respected USA sportsbook
• Easy to clear 100% to $500 deposit bonus

“Bovada has been a favorite among US players for 10 years. Good software, lots of tournaments, great support & fast cashouts.”
~ Legaluspokersites.com Staff

Bovada Poker receives a good amount of attention from Americans. With fast banking, super-soft games and quality software, Bovada is a competitive choice for anyone from the United States who wants to play real-money poker online.

How Tough is the Competition at Bovada?

Other reviews of Bovada will focus on the games available and mundane details regarding Bovada’s software. We know that US poker players only really care about one thing when they’re thinking about playing at a room – namely, whether or not they can make some money playing poker at that room.

When it comes to Bovada, the answer to that question is a clear yes. The games at Bovada are softer than the average poker room that takes US players, and there are a few unique aspects of Bovada that help to generate this weaker-than-average competition:

1. Attached sportsbook and casino: It’s always a bonus for United States online poker players when a room has a casino or sportsbook attached, and Bovada has both. We’re not saying that everyone who bets sports is bad at poker, or that all those who play slots are losing hold’em players. What we are saying is that having more gamblers in a poker room is generally going to work out well for the skilled players in that room.
2. No datamining: Serious online poker players like to have a lot of information on their opponents. Bovada makes it much harder than other rooms for players to acquire and apply data concerning their opponents, so a good percentage of serious players avoid the room altogether.
3. Fast transactions: Casual players don’t want to jump through hoop after hoop to make a deposit, and they like to get their cash quick when they make a withdrawal. Bovada has over a decade of experience of processing transactions under tough conditions, and it shows in their industry-leading turnaround times for US players.

Deposits and Cashouts at Bovada

A poker room can be the softest in the world but still be of no use to you if you’re not able to get money on and off of the site. Thankfully, Bovada receives higher-than-average ratings from players and industry observers when it comes to banking transactions.

Methods

Bovada accepts multiple methods for deposits, including credit card, bank transfer and money transfer services such as MoneyGram. Cashouts can be processed by check and money transfer services. Turnaround time for deposits is generally under one hour, and cash outs are processed in under two weeks on average.

Fees

Bovada has some of the lowest fees for US poker players of any site you’ll find online. Deposit fees for almost every method are covered by the room, and players incur only minor withdrawal fees depending on the method they choose to cash out funds.

Security

Bovada operates on the same cashier as the world-renowned Bodog brand, and brings Bodog’s decade-plus reputation and experience to the table as a result. When you’re dealing with a system that has handled billions in transactions without one significant issue, you can feel comfortable trusting you personal information and funds to that system, a level of comfort that Bovada is unique in being able to claim.

How Valuable are the Promotions and Bonuses at Bovada?

The bonuses and promotions at Bovada Poker are worth less than the value you’d find at the average US-facing poker site. Bovada lacks a robust VIP program, and the standing promotions offered by the room return single-digit rakeback percentages to players.

Don’t let this picture dissuade you from playing at Bovada, however. While the room may offer below-average promotional value, it more than makes up for that lack of value in other areas. Here are a few reasons why Bovada may still be a very profitable room for United States players despite weak promotions and bonuses:

1. Soft competition: As we mentioned earlier, Bovada has perhaps the weakest competition of any US-friendly online poker room. Getting to dine on soft competition at the tables can make up a lot of value lost on the promotional front.
2. Low-cost banking: Many rooms give US players great value upfront with bonuses, but then charge them substantial fees when it comes time to cash out their winnings. Bovada has some of the cheapest banking fees of any room serving United States online poker players.
3. Tournament overlays: The one promotional area where Bovada really shines: Generous tournament overlays on both minor and major tournament events. With thousands of dollars added to tournament prize pools every week, Bovada provides tournament players from America with a nice way to boost their ROI without lifting a finger.

Other Products at Bovada

In addition to the Bovada online poker room, players can also access a sportsbook, racebook and a full-featured casino that houses dozens and dozens of games. All of these products are linked from a single Bovada wallet.

Breaking Down the Bovada Software

In addition to multiple table views that give players maximum flexibility when playing poker at Bovada, the room also offers a completely unique feature that you won’t find at any other US online poker site: Anonymous tables. When you play at Bovada, you don’t have to worry about anyone building a profile on you, as all play takes place anonymously. This feature is in place for both cash games and tournaments at Bovada.

Mobile Options for Bovada Players

There is no dedicated mobile poker client for Bovada poker. There are mobile options for the Bovada casino and sportsbook, however. The Bovada casino works on Android and iPads.

Operating System Compatibility

In addition to the native Windows client, Bovada Poker is also available to players from the United States in a dedicated Mac poker client. Linux players will be able to run the Bovada software using Wine or a similar program for running Windows executables within Linux.

Bovada Poker Network & License Information

The Bovada poker room is licensed by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission. Bovada is part of the same poker network utilized by several international arms of the Bodog brand. When you’re playing at Bovada, you’re up against an international player pool that also serves as the poker home for players from Bodog.ca and Bodog88. The Bodog Poker Network has offered online poker to players from around the globe since the early 2000s.

Bovada Poker Compatibility Review

Bovada is a top pick for American players. Why?

1. They receive the most (US) traffic. More traffic means more games running – less downtime.
2. Bovada is rec-player friendly. You won’t find many grinders here, trying to hunt you down and take your money. They don’t allow 3rd party tools either.
3. Bovada runs many promotions, including their $1,000 deposit bonus, more than $170,000 in guaranteed tournaments every Sunday and satellites to live tournaments.

Sounds good, right?! Are you ready to get started?

The first step is to download their software to your computer. That’s what I’ll help you with now, followed by an explanation of what to expect in terms of their software once you sign up.

How to Download Bovada to Your Computer

The download process will only take a couple of minutes. But first, here are the system requirements:

1. Operating System – Min. Windows XP | Rec. Windows 7
2. Processor – Min. 1Ghz Pentium | Rec. Same
3. Memory – Min. 500Mb RAM | Rec. 512Mb RAM
4. Disc Space – Min. 30Mb | Rec. 60 Mb
5. Screen Resolution – Min. 1024×768 | Rec. 1366×768

Here are the steps you need to take to download the software:

Poker rules what is a flush. A Flush is the fourth best possible hand in the poker hand ranking system. A Full House ranks directly above it. Although 4 th on the list, it is still a very strong hand in Hold’em and is rarely beat on the river. That said, there are still quite a few hands that rank under it.

1. Visit Bovada.
2. Click download.
3. On the first screen you’ll be asked if you want to run or save the file. Choose run.
4. The next screen is the setup wizard. Click next, and choose where you want to download the files to. Then click install.

From here you’ll be asked to create an account. You’ll need to enter your name, address, phone number, email, user name and password. Once completed you’ll be asked to verify your email address. From this point forward you should be able to log-in.

How to Play Poker on Your Mac

Bovada also has a download for Macs. The process is the same as outlined above. Here are the system requirements.

1. Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard or later
2. 800 MHz G4 processor or faster
3. 1 GB memory (RAM) or greater
4. 70 MB of available disk space

Bovada Poker on the Go

Does Bovada Poker have a mobile app? Absolutely! https://withomg.netlify.app/sioux-falls-casino-poker-atlas.html. Although relatively new, the mobile poker app is smooth, clear and provides the necessary functions without any lags or delays.

Sportsbook – There is nothing that you need to download for their sportsbook. Their website is compatible with iPhone / iPad & Android. All you need to do is visit Bovada on your phone, log-in and you’ll be set.

Casino – With their casino you can add the app to your home screen. That’s just to avoid having to use your browser each time you want to play. From your phone you can play games like blackjack, roulette and more than 5 different slot games.

Bovada Poker Download / Software / Features

Bovada has a couple of software features worth pointing out.

Zone Poker – Zone Poker is Bovada’s response to the fast-fold craze that Full Tilt started with Rush Poker and PokerStars with their Zoom Poker. The idea is that you can fold your hand before the action gets to you. Once you do you’re taken to another table where everyone is dealt a new hand. This enables players to get 3-4x the number of hands in per hour. The game is a huge draw to fish players that enjoy constant action.

Anonymous Tables – Anonymous tables are just how they sound – no one knows who you are when you sit down. Each player is labeled a number (1-9). Your notes only last for one session too. The idea is to make it so that grinders don’t have an edge through 3rd party programs, datamining, lobby stats and so on.

Rabbit Cam – This shows you what cards would’ve been dealt had you continued with the hand.

In-Client Blackjack – You will have access to play blackjack from the lobby / table of the poker download.

Bovada’s software also includes standard stuff like 4-color decks, table layout options, note taking and chatting.

Are 3rd Party Programs Supported?

No. The following programs are not supported:

1. Hand trackers / HUDs
2. Data mining
3. Auto-Hotkey programs

Bovada doesn’t allow you to use this software because it would give grinders an edge, for one thing. Two, it’s not possible to use these programs anyway because they don’t label the players other than with a (temporary) number. You have no idea who your opponents are once you (or they) leave the table. You’re not even able to save notes longer than your current session.

You are able to download your own hand histories though, so that you can review your own play. But you’re not able to track or label other players. This is inline with Bovada’s attempt to create a safe atmosphere for recreational players, and to improve the poker economy as a whole.

• Website:www.bovada.lv
• Bonus:$500
• Licenced:Antigua
• Banned States:NY, MD, and WA
• Payment Options:Bitcoin, Visa, Bank Wire
• Support:Click Here
• Legal Info:Click Here

Many different paths carry first-timers to the poker table. Some come to poker via other card games, while others find poker after having sampled other gambling games in the casino such as blackjack, craps, or roulette. Sports bettors also sometimes wander from the sportsbook over to the poker room and find themselves in a game — and perhaps find poker intriguing thanks to the sports-resembling competition the game provides.

How To Play Online Poker In Us

Those who stick with the game do so for many reasons as well, although most are motivated by the prospect of making a profit at poker. Especially those who win at first — which happens quite a lot — will keep playing to try to win more, with some even being encouraged to think about winning a lot more and perhaps even to become professional poker players.

But while poker is a game that rewards skill, luck plays a role, too. Those who initially win at poker likely do so in part because of getting dealt good cards, hitting draws when they need to and avoiding others' hitting theirs. Only those who take some time to learn poker strategy and gain experience are usually able to sustain that success over longer periods.

In other words, the short answer to the question 'Can I make money playing poker?' is obviously that you can, but you also need to be willing to put in the work to increase your skills and have an advantage over your opponents. The fact is, while it's certainly possible to win at a single cash game session or go deep and win a lot in a single tournament, only a small percentage of players remain profitable long term, and invariably those players are better skilled than those who do not.

Let's look a little more closely at the question, however, by asking a few other questions addressing factors that will affect the likelihood of your being able to make money at poker as well as how much money you can make.

1. What is your win rate?

The generic term 'win rate' is used to refer to how much someone is winning at poker over a given period of time or hands played, although in truth the term is also used when referring to how much a player is losing, too. A player with a positive win rate is profiting at poker while a player with a negative win rate is not. Calculating your win rate is done differently in cash games and in tournaments.

In cash games, a win rate is usually expressed as the amount won per hour or 100 hands. In no-limit hold'em or pot-limit Omaha, the unit of measurement is often converted to big blinds — e.g., in a $1/$2 NLHE game, making a profit of $10 = winning 5 big blinds.

Meanwhile in limit hold'em, stud games, and others with fixed-limit betting the amount won is usually measured by the number of 'big bets' it represents. For instance, in a limit hold'em game where the small bet is $2 (preflop and flop) and the big bet is $4 (turn and river), a player who makes $100 is said to have won 25 'big bets.' (Somewhat confusingly, both 'big blinds' and 'big bets' are often abbreviated as 'BB.')

Meanwhile in tournaments a win rate is usually expressed as a player's 'return on investment' or 'ROI.' Divide your profits by your expenses and multiply by 100, and you get a percentage representing your ROI. For instance, if you spend $200 in buy-ins and cash for $220 total, your ROI is $20 (the profit) / $200 = 0.1 * 100 = 10%.

Obviously if your win rate or ROI is negative, you aren't making money playing poker. But even if you enjoy a positive win rate or ROI, you need to consider other expenses related to playing poker and look at whether or not your winnings are exceeding them. If it costs you $10 in gas every night to get to and from a poker room and you're only averaging winning $5 per session, your win rate is positive but you aren't making money. Or if you spend $10,000 over the course of a year traveling to poker tournaments but only have an ROI good enough to earn you $8,000 worth of cashes during that time, you're technically 'winning at poker' but losing money overall.

The biggest point to take away here is that if you are interested in making money at poker and don't keep track of your wins and losses, start doing so right now. Find out what your win rate or ROI is, take into account other possible expenses associated with playing poker, then you'll see whether or not you are making money at poker. You'll also likely be encouraged to sharpen your study of the game in order to try to increase your profit if you're winning (or to become profitable if you're losing).

2. How much do you play?

Another question to ask when addressing the larger question of whether or not you can make money playing poker is to consider just how much poker you're playing.

If you're strictly a recreational player who only joins a home game once per week or who plays online poker for an hour or two here and there, you can still win at poker but only a limited amount. Also, those who play poker only sparingly aren't necessarily gaining experience and knowledge that will help them build their skills and win more consistently.

A number of serious players who put in a lot of 'volume' at the tables are able to increase their profit steadily even if their win rates are somewhat low. Most tend to consider cash games a more reliable way to make money at poker given the higher variance of poker tournaments.

If you think about it, in most poker tournaments only the top 10 or 15 percent of finishers enjoy any profit at all, so it logically follows that the majority of players finish out of the money most of the time they play. Really only the most successful tournament players are able to cash enough to sustain an ROI as high as 10 or 20 percent (or more), with most who are profitable sitting in the 5-10 percent range.

That means when playing tournaments even good players lose money more often than they win money. But when they win they win enough to more than make up for the losses, sometimes hitting especially big scores when finishing at a final table or winning the entire tournament and getting back 10, 20, 50, or even 100 times the buy-in.

Cash games tend to be less volatile that way, although even there good players will frequently have losing sessions. They may even have more losing sessions than winning ones, although they manage to enjoy larger profits than losses, generally speaking, and thus have positive win rates. Even so, if you don't practice sound bankroll management, you can experience one very bad cash game session and lose everything you've won and then some.

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Once you've figured out your win rate, you can think about how much you need to play in order to make a desired amount over a given period of time.

You should also try to gauge what is the best amount of time to play poker for you in order to increase your chances of remaining profitable. Some are better of playing, say, only 10-20 hours per week than 40-50 hours per week, or shorter sessions instead of long ones, because they have trouble focusing and thus playing well over longer periods. Meanwhile others can put in those extra hours and not suffer as a result.

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3. What stakes are you playing (and are they right for you)?

Probably the most important question to answer when delving more deeply into whether or not you can make money at poker is to look at the stakes for which you are playing. And — importantly — whether you are choosing well when deciding upon your stakes and sitting down in games in which you can win and win consistently.

One common misconception among new players is that the best way to win more money at poker is to play for higher stakes. A player who wins consistently at the $1/$2 NLHE cash game might imagine simply picking up and moving over to the $10/$20 game will result in winning 10 times as much money, but more often than not such ideas turn out to be foolhardy.

Games of different stakes attract differently skilled players. While the lowest stakes games almost always include the least-skilled and least-experienced, they attract strong players sometimes, too. Similarly, many of the best players can be found in the higher stakes games, but there also will inexperienced or poor players sometimes sitting around the table.

On average, though, the higher the stakes the tougher the games. Thus do the profitable players' win rates actually go down as the buy-ins and/or stakes go up. In online cash games (just to cite one example), NLHE players of the lowest stakes including the 'micros' have been known to sustain win rates of as much as 20-40 BB/100 hands over large sample sizes, while the best players in the higher NLHE games online generally top out at around 3-8 BB/100 hands.

That's one reason to be realistic about moving up in stakes in poker — even if you're great and better than most in the games, you aren't going to win at the same rate you did at the lower stakes.

But you also need to be practical about your own ability as a poker player and recognize when the competition is too tough to beat. As you move around and test out which stakes work for you, continue keeping accurate records and note at which stakes (for cash games) or buy-ins (for tournaments) you are winning most consistently, and where you are winning less or losing.

Win Money Playing Poker Online

Sometimes you might find it hard to win in a lower stakes game than in one a notch or two above, simply because of your particular skill set and how well you respond to the styles and tendencies of others. More often, though, there will be a stakes 'threshold' (of sorts) above which you might take shots now and then but probably shouldn't go on a regular basis.

In any case, be honest with yourself and smart with your bankroll, and your chances of making money at poker will increase as a result.

Making Money At Online Poker

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  cash game strategytournament strategyno-limit hold’embankroll managementwin rateROIgame selectionmixed gameshome gamesvariancerecord-keeping

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