Hey P5er's, I was out of town all last week but I'm back now and have some updates on many of the questions and comments from our most recent Bodog discussion thread. I want to thank you all again for your responses. It was refreshing to have a Bodog thread full of so many great ideas and so few flames. Thank You.

Satellites
As you may already know, the $T system has now been completely replaced by the ticket system. If you had $T in your account, the have been converted to ecash. Bodog is looking into running some satellites with generic tickets that can be used for any event at a given price point. They have noted our requests for SNG satellites in the main lobby, increasing the number of multi-seat satellites, and spacing out the Sunday satellites as well.

Timebank
As I noted in the thread regarding the most recent update, the timebank is now active in all MTT's!

Short Handed in Full Ring Turbo Events
What is happening is that tables aren't balancing correctly during the late reg period causing some players to sit short handed (as few as 4 at a table) in what is supposed to be a full ring event. They understand that this is an issue and they will be taking care of it.

Tournaments Series
There is a Holiday Promo coming up soon. Unfortunately, that is all I am being told right now, but I'll post specifics when I hear more.

TLB's
The door isn't fully closed on having some sort of TLB in the future. But the issue seems to be that while players who already play tournaments want TLB's, there isn't much to suggest that TLB's will attract new players, so they would prefer to spend that money on other promotions and bonuses that do attract new players.

Pre-Action Buttons
The request to have these show up immediately instead of after a player acts has been noted.

Table Settings
We had a lot of suggestions about moving the table, bringing it to front on the players turn, changing the pot bet back to max bet, and adjusting the default bet, etc. These have all been noted.

Hand History
There is a pretty significant change planned for these, but I don't really want to say much until the details are more concrete and I have some sort of ETA, probably quite a ways off right now.

Tourney Ideas
We had lots of creative ideas for new tourneys, all of which have been noted. I'll let you know which ones make it beyond that stage.

 

Originally Posted by mtrau686

Good work Nate. Bodog is on the rise. A daily $109 tourney would b nice.

I second that

how about some sng's and trnys for us lowball rec. type players. $1-2 sng that aren't beginners, $1-2 trnys would be great. soory but there's not much going in that range. also the last hand display is really poor compared to other sites and is there not sng lobby to see payout ? like the table view very much, tks. jenifer

Hiya Nate. Yeah, one other suggestion would be that someone who is apparently involved in the planning of this site should not be playing, particularly as he always seems to have pocket aces to my kings and or flops a set to crack my overpair right around the money bubble. Very mysterious Nate! Anyway, just a suggestion, if you're looking to attract more players and/or lure back some old ones.

I think bodog is looking at everything wrong...syncing breaks and upping gaurantees will bring in a lot of full-time and part-time grinders. This means a lot more money in bodog accounts--->most poker players, with thier big rolls, love some sports betting--->a lot more rake from poker and more action in the sports book.

A big part of the poker community is constantly checking in on bodog, myself included, waiting for them to get back to tournaments worth playing. Bodog just has to have the balls to up the tournies back to respectable gaurantees, sync breaks, an bring leaderboard back and the players will quickly follow, pros and casual donks. Do you think all 100,000 players on Full Tilt tonight are pros??? lmao. I've never hear the weekend gambler at a local card room say "I dont play on Full Tilt because pros play there" lol. Bodog keeps saying they want to "attract new players". New players to the site? Or new players to the game of poker? The current attitude is repelling players from other sites (pros and casuals) and i'm not too sure that there are too many brand new players to the game that will seek out strictly Bodog. You sort of have to be in the game to even know about Bodog.

If i'm wrong about any of this,please correct me...

If Bodog is determined to build up a clientelle of a lot of broke and casual micro stakes players and doesnt mind running off anyone looking to actually make usable $ at poker, then start having 1 or 2 $1 $1k gauranteed DS tournies each evening. The 1st few weeks will probsbly have 50% layover (a whole $500), but the word will spread like wildfire around these chatrooms and stuff that the broke guy has a shot at good value for thier dollar and they will flock to the bargain. As the amount of players gets close to matching the gaurantee, keep bumping it $250 or $500 at a time. Let Bodog be known for having 2 micro buy-in tournies a night that are both playable and a great value. Even if for a while u have these 2 tournies with 1500+ ppl in them and the rest of the site stays small, some of the players will eventually populate the rest of the poker room.

Just from the little bit of discussions i've seen, the biggest complaint of the micro and casual players is that they want to play super stack tournies with solid structures but dont have the $100+ per tourny that most sites charge for such tournies. If its a micro tourny, you usually have to play a turbo or start with 1500 chips and a terrible blind structure b/c the site isnt making sh!t off it and wants it over quickly. Let Bodog be the place with $1 or $2 $1k, $2k, or even higher guarantee tournies with superstacks and solid structures and layovers. Layovers dont hurt the site at all in the micro stakes. Let the site grow from the bottom up if thats what they want. But it will take a long time to get respectable results if this is Bodogs theory.

On a side note i do appreciate what you are doing, nate, and wish nothing more than for Bodog to prosper. I eargly look forward to the day when i can call bodog my home again. I hate these other sites but have really cant afford to play just bodog anymore...and with no synced breaks, its not practical to even add a few into my schedule

Nate,

This being discussed on the other poker forum site and I do agree with it, but its more for cash games/general site suggestion. Can they make the HU tables in their own tab like they should be? If you go to NL or FL ring games there are like 30 tables of HU with regs that don't play anyone. It clusters the lobby and would be nice to see it actually in the 1 v 1 section. Just a general site suggestion.

BTW, bodog has been great with payouts as of last week, 2 days for tracking #, next day check arrives, no problems going through. Echecks works great now as well, although they tend to stay as pending even though the deposits clear your bank. (i took advantage of the deposit bonus.) Just mentioning it because it would be nice if they pull it from the list once it clears your bank account, that way you can withdraw bc you have to wait for it to clear.

Can they get rid of the alert that i've been moved to a new table. Every time it happens it screws up what i'm doing on a different table.

 

Originally Posted by RigelB

Are there any plans for a better vip program? The one they have now is terrible, and a good vip program helps attract fish and experienced players alike. Not only does it attract new players if it is a good program, but the players that play on the site have some sort of incentive to play more if there are mile markers that they can achieve to get better benefits. I can guarantee that putting some sort of carrot on a stick in front of us will do wonders for the sites traffic and revenue generation.

+1

I think bodog is looking at everything wrong...syncing breaks and upping gaurantees will bring in a lot of full-time and part-time grinders. This means a lot more money in bodog accounts--->most poker players, with thier big rolls, love some sports betting--->a lot more rake from poker and more action in the sports book.

A big part of the poker community is constantly checking in on bodog, myself included, waiting for them to get back to tournaments worth playing. Bodog just has to have the balls to up the tournies back to respectable gaurantees, sync breaks, an bring leaderboard back and the players will quickly follow, pros and casual donks. Do you think all 100,000 players on Full Tilt tonight are pros??? lmao. I've never hear the weekend gambler at a local card room say "I dont play on Full Tilt because pros play there" lol. Bodog keeps saying they want to "attract new players". New players to the site? Or new players to the game of poker? The current attitude is repelling players from other sites (pros and casuals) and i'm not too sure that there are too many brand new players to the game that will seek out strictly Bodog. You sort of have to be in the game to even know about Bodog.

If i'm wrong about any of this,please correct me...

If Bodog is determined to build up a clientelle of a lot of broke and casual micro stakes players and doesnt mind running off anyone looking to actually make usable $ at poker, then start having 1 or 2 $1 $1k gauranteed DS tournies each evening. The 1st few weeks will probsbly have 50% layover (a whole $500), but the word will spread like wildfire around these chatrooms and stuff that the broke guy has a shot at good value for thier dollar and they will flock to the bargain. As the amount of players gets close to matching the gaurantee, keep bumping it $250 or $500 at a time. Let Bodog be known for having 2 micro buy-in tournies a night that are both playable and a great value. Even if for a while u have these 2 tournies with 1500+ ppl in them and the rest of the site stays small, some of the players will eventually populate the rest of the poker room.

Just from the little bit of discussions i've seen, the biggest complaint of the micro and casual players is that they want to play super stack tournies with solid structures but dont have the $100+ per tourny that most sites charge for such tournies. If its a micro tourny, you usually have to play a turbo or start with 1500 chips and a terrible blind structure b/c the site isnt making sh!t off it and wants it over quickly. Let Bodog be the place with $1 or $2 $1k, $2k, or even higher guarantee tournies with superstacks and solid structures and layovers. Layovers dont hurt the site at all in the micro stakes. Let the site grow from the bottom up if thats what they want. But it will take a long time to get respectable results if this is Bodogs theory.

Originally posted by the Great Nutzcracker!!!
Yeah, what he said X 2

 

Originally Posted by xxDAMAGERxx

Can they get rid of the alert that i've been moved to a new table. Every time it happens it screws up what i'm doing on a different table.

I'll make a request for a "[ ] Do Not show again" in the pop-up. good idea.

 

Originally Posted by RigelB

Are there any plans for a better vip program? The one they have now is terrible, and a good vip program helps attract fish and experienced players alike. Not only does it attract new players if it is a good program, but the players that play on the site have some sort of incentive to play more if there are mile markers that they can achieve to get better benefits. I can guarantee that putting some sort of carrot on a stick in front of us will do wonders for the sites traffic and revenue generation.

This is something we have discussed. The idea would be to provide incentives to increasing volume at all levels. stars does a good job of this imo. Obv this type of thing is a huge undertaking so don't expect anything soon. But it's definately something that gets discussed regularly.

 

Originally Posted by mordeci

Does everone have echeck as an option to deposit? I can't find it on my deposit options.

Everyones withdrawal/deposit options are different. Contact CS to see what is available to you. I've heard of players being offered other options beyond those available by default to them.

hmmm how about a mac client?

[QUOTE=Nate Avenson;5894085]
Please remember that Bodog used to have big guarantees and that the traffic did not meet those guarantees and so the guarantees were lower. They also used to have TLB's which were consistantly won by only a handful of mtt grinders.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I do remember when Bodog had bigger guarantees...the software was terrible and miles behind other sites, and withdrawals took ages to get to you (my 1st check from Bodog took just shy of 3 months). The withdrawal issue was well known and kept a lot of casual depositors and prospective regs from ever giving Bodog a chance. And despite these major shortcomings, the fields were decently sized and usually met, or came very close to, the respectably sized gaurantees. As time went on with noone taking care of the poker issues, players began to abandon Bodog for other reliable sites. The lack of perceived caring on Bodog's part and the many glitches in the program drove most away. Also, there were a few major meltdowns that cemented the public's mentality about Bodog poker, too. All of this obviously has led to having to drop guarantees, stress to find new depositors, etc. But all of that is definately behind Bodog.

They now have the most reliable payouts around imo. I've received checks from Bodog faster than some major sites direct wire transfers (3 days after request!). They also have amazing customer service that you can actually talk to on the phone and get direct answers from! The software is greatly improved, and having you here to help with minor issues and inconvienences is a huge plus, too. What i am saying about people waiting, wanting to come back to Bodog is very true. They know that Bodog has fixed the withdrawal issues and software glitches. It amazes me how most sites still use a terrible, fake 3-dimensional tables for thier skins that greatly restricts the usable area of the screen. Bodog has a great table layout with very easy-to-follow action. The players are just waiting for the tournies to get back to the old levels to make playing there worth thier time. I think you need a solid base of grinders to keep any site running and not trying to build this base of frequent, daily players is dumbfounding. Even a lot of decently skilled "rounders" deposit on a pretty frequent basis (poor money management, bad runs, etc).

As far as the TLB goes, i used to pay around $500 a week in rake at Bodog. Getting a little of that back from the TLB promotion helped me to justify that expense at Bodog since most other sites offer rakeback, better frequent players rewards programs, etc. I do agree with spending a majority of promotion money on attracting new depositers. But you can't neglect the grinders that support the site day-in and day-out all year long. If it weren't for them, there would likely be no traffic at all. Also, why should a casual depositor care about who wins a month-long or year-long TLB? Not having a TLB probably wouldn't matter as much if Bodog had any other real rewards for loyal, frequent players...but it doesn't. What abouut using the sportsbook as a way to reward loyalty? Set monthly earned point tiers that reward betting $ in the sportsbook. The more points earned, the more free bet $. This would reward frequent play instead of performance, hitting all of the grinders instead of a select group. And a good portion of the promo $ would be returned in losing wagers.

Are there any figures/estimates on how much the casual depositors play ring games vs SNG vs MTT? My understanding of a "casual player" is someone who deposits frequently to mostly play ring games and will occasionally try a SNG or MTT. Playing cash games on Bodog is definetly profitable to the skilled player, but i'm sure it can look intimidating to a random guy. There arent a lot of tables going (compared to other sites), each limit usually has 4 or so, sometimes more in the micros. But, when in the lobby trying to decide which table to play at, its obvious that at the 4 $50nl or $100nl 6-handed tables playing, 5 of the 6 seats at all 4 tables are taken by the same rounders. I would imagine this could be a huge turn off to the casual player. I personally dont play many cash games online for this same reason and i like to think i am decently skilled at this game. Playing against a guy that has 16 tables open who is only playing very premium hands and never "just gambling" takes a lot of the fun out of cash games. I know that Bodog only allows 4 tables at a time but, due to the small size of the site, it is very easy to notice the rounders at every table. Do you think that limiting cash tables to only 2 or even 1 at a time might have a positive effect on the casual depositor? Limiting MMT and SNG doesn't make much sense but i think it could def help in building the newbie traffic on ring games.

I'm not a marketing expert nor do i have the slightest clue on how to run a site. I do think that Bodog needs to recognize the they themselves ran off a lot of the poker world, have since greatly improved operations, and need to have faith that players will return if they are given a good reason to. Consumers are, for the most part, pretty smart and will avoid an obviously bad product. Bodog Poker was a bad product. Bodog now has some of the best tools of any site imo (customer support A+++, deposits/withdrawals, sportsbook and casino attached, table design [basic & playable], soft games, etc.) and i'm looking forward to the future growth.

sorry for being long-winded...

On the issue with turbos getting short handed...Would limitting the rebuy periods to the first 30 minutes of turbos and the first 15 or 20 minutes on the super turbos be an easy fix? It seems short handed on the turbos only becomes an issue after 40+ minutes in. And being able to enter a tournament at a time when u will only have 4 or 5 big blinds is downright crazy and appears as a rip-off/cheat to someone less experienced players...

The most aggravating lobby in the history of poker. Complaints are way to numerous to type at 8am, but when ur in a tournyu can open the main lobby or the tourny lobby......but since an update a week or so ago when u hit "tourny" lobby they both pop up.... aggravates me to no end...

I wish you could see all of a tournys info at a glance in the main lobby but since u have at least 3 useless columns taking up space.....#1...the lil man icon...wtf? we know /hope its people playing.....#2 we dont need the entire date spelled out, Nov 21 8pm, could be 11/7 8pm,,, we dont need a column saying its NL or Holdem cus....YOU HAVE NOTHING ELSE!!!

And what is the deal with that funky asss tourny that has a $20 entry and $10 rebuys..? dumbest tourny ever...

And still after 5 years they still cant find away to have an occasional Omaha or Omaha8b tourny??????????

I say for Marketing aspects to require Amanda to play X amount of tourneys at Bodog on Bodog's dime.
When someone Busts her send them a Tshirt that says............
I Busted "BUTT"
at Bodog Poker!

=/