In the midst of the Full Tilt Online Poker Series, which is going on full-swing on one of its largest rivals, Bodog announced brand new features to its online poker offering. Trying to catch up with its rivals, Bodog let the world know that resizable tables, full-screen mode and detachable details are just some of the brand-new bells and whistles that users of the online poker room will be able to access immediately. According to a press release issued by the online poker room, the upgrade “follows a recent public beta test and comes just as Bodog gets ready to host its largest guaranteed tournament ever, the $250,000 Guaranteed on August 10th, at 4 p.m. (EST).”
Upgrades to tables are perhaps the most noticeable difference for users of Bodog – PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker have offered resizable tables for quite some time. The importance of being able to alter the length and width of a virtual felt is that multi-table players (those who play more than one table at a time in order to increase profitability) are better able to organize tables on their screen. In addition, Bodog notes that in case a table is too small customers “can also enjoy a full-screen, high-resolution experience that is limited only by the size of their monitors.” Typical monitors for online poker are 24 inches in diameter. Many of the top online tournament pros also use multiple monitors, dragging tables and lobbies across screens to maximize available space.
Morris Mohawk Gaming Group CEO Alwyn Morris noted, “Bodog is fully committed to offering our online poker players the most secure and enjoyable online gaming experience possible, and our new release delivers just this, giving players total control over how they enjoy the game.” Previously these features were available on Bodog, but they were in Beta mode. Morris continued, “Bodog Poker players have been a part of the process from the beginning, and we’re excited to deliver the features they’ve asked for, like resizable game play windows and detachable chat windows. Players can look forward to even more features added in the very near future.”
In November, 2007, Bodog incorporated an octagonal-shaped table to its poker room, which is considerably different from the look at an online poker room like PokerRoom or Ultimate Bet. A “spotlight” also shows whose action it currently is in any given hand. However, only three tables can be opened at one time. The octagonal shape also takes some time to get used to, especially if a player regularly plays on a different site.
Bodog is known primarily for its sportsbook. Because of that, its weekly guaranteed tournament is considerably lower than those of other sites. For example, the high-stakes guaranteed tournament at PokerStars sports a $1.5 million guarantee, while the largest tournament on Full Tilt Poker is $750,000. Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet run a $150,000 and $200,000 Guaranteed tournament weekly, respectively. Bodog recently announced that on Sunday, August 10th, the online poker room will play host to a $250,000 Guarantee tournament.
The high-stakes tournament on Sunday should bring in a new breed of players to Bodog. The $100,000 Guarantee that is part of the site’s regular tournament offering sees an overlay every single week, meaning the guaranteed prize pool exceeds the regular prize pool. This is sure to change by introducing tournament poker players to Bodog and, at the same time, giving them features they like and use regularly like resizable tables.
