PaiWangLuo Poker - Learn About PWL Network in this Review
PaiWangLuo Poker Network Review
The PaiWangLuo Poker Network is a new name for an old favorite. Formerly known as The Bodog Poker Network, the PWLPN network has all of the games players are familiar with, including Texas Holdem and Omaha cash games, sit and goes, and multi-table tournaments. The network, much like its predecessor Bodog, is a recreational player-focused network utilizing anonymous tables and eschewing the use of tracking software and heads up displays. The resulting soft games are attractive for both newbie players to avoid overly predatory poker games and the seasoned professionals who enjoy playing against them.
PWL Poker Room Overview
PWL offers its players one of the best experiences going today - especially for US and Australia online poker players. Consistently rated #1 in both countries for cash game traffic and multi-table tournament options, this network also gives its players efficient and timely payouts as evidenced in the Monthly Poker Site Payouts Cashout Report.
This is an especially good choice for those players who like to grind live poker as the poker room offers its full suite of games – ring games, Zone Poker, sit n' gos, Jackpots, tournaments – via the upgraded mobile poker client. You can therefore get in a little action on the side while you wait for your seat to open up at a brick-and-mortar cardroom.
The Pai Wang Luo network operates four gaming sites in more than a dozen different countries. The brands are Ignition Casino, Bodog.eu, Bodog.com, and Bovada. The United States of America and Australia are serviced by Ignition Poker. Americans also have the ability to sign up at Bovada.
Bodog.eu meanwhile caters to Canadians whereas Bodog.com serves Latin Americans, and U.S. residents are not permitted to register new accounts at either Bodog site. Two other brands previously existed but were discontinued in September 2020: BodogIndia, which focused on the Indian subcontinent, and Bodog88, an Asia-centered skin.
Ignition
In a surprise move, Ignition Casino, which had hitherto avoided the online poker scene, acquired poker-related resources from Bovada.lv in August 2016. Bovada.lv thus left the USA poker market while Ignition made its debut. Even when Bovada reopened its poker room about a year later, Ignition continued to offer poker to its clients. It used to only accept Americans as customers, but in September 2017, this poker site opened its doors to Australian poker fans too, so it now transacts in both offshore poker markets.
The biggest drawback of Ignition is that it lacks the sportsbook that other firms on this network have. On the other hand, its recurring casino promos, like unlimited Bitcoin reload bonuses and poker freerolls for Ignition Rewards club members, deliver consistent value if you're a casino gamer.
Bovada
Bovada was first spun off of Bodog in 2011 especially to service America and its roster of poker enthusiasts in the wake of Black Friday: From its starting position within the ranks of middle-of-the-road online poker entities, it took just a few years before it became the #1 destination for online poker in the States. In late 2016, Bovada sold its poker-related databases to Ignition and ceased offering poker to its customers. However, this hiatus was short-lived as the firm reopened its poker division a year later.
Today, Bovada provides its sports betting, casino, and poker services throughout the United States. The main weakness of this site is that its poker bonus is just 100% up to $500 as opposed to the 100% up to $1,000 that's standard at its PWL Network partners.
Bodog
Bodog is the granddaddy of the Pai Wang Luo Poker Network. Originally established as a sportsbook by Canadian entrepreneur Calvin Ayre, Bodog has changed, moved, metamorphosed, and expanded over the decades into what it is today: one of the premier internet gambling hotspots for residents of Canada and Latin America. These Latin American jurisdictions were added to the Bodog Poker customer base starting February 2017.
Bodog Founder Calvin AyreProfessional Rakeback recommends Bodog Poker to both our professional online grinders and our recreational weekend warriors in these parts of the world. The Bodog brand is actually split in two with Bodog.com welcoming Latin Americans whereas Bodog.eu is the part of the network that services online poker players in Canada.
Bodog Canada offers the softest competition of any internet poker sites available for poker in Canada. It has the same games and player pool that USA poker players enjoy on Bovada and Ignition as they all share games and tables. The Bodog Canada poker cashier does not intermingle funds with its brothers in the grayer online poker markets, and it as well offers different options for online poker Canada players, such as Interac deposits, allowing you to deposit directly from your bank account and making for very easy poker funding! Heck, even Toronto poker players play on Bodog, and we all know what an unruly bunch they are! *wink.*
Software Features and Games
The network uses software that any former Bodog-branded players will be familiar with already. One of its most striking features is anonymous tables on which players are assigned a seat number as identification; there are no player names. This completely anonymous environment is in place in order to protect the large recreational player base from being "bumhunted" by the sharks. Players report mixed feelings about this, and the biggest complaint is a fear of collusion. The PWL network, however, constantly monitors for collusion and cheating using the sophisticated IT and security tools developed by The Bodog Network. The ability to download hand histories that reveal opponents' hole cards is also a feature of the software.
The poker client offers all of the traditional game types including No Limit, Pot Limit, and Fixed Limit structures of Holdem, Omaha, and Omaha hi/lo. Cash games range from micro-stakes penny games up to high-roller $2,000 buy-in games. Zone cash pools, which are fast-fold games that bring you to a new table with new starting cards instantly after you fold, are also available at a range of stake levels All games are denominated and played in the USD currency.
Tournaments are plentiful, ranging from freerolls up to special $540 buy-in events and lucrative tournament series. A full complement of SNGs is spread, including lottery-style Jackpot Sit & Go that could see you contend for 1,200 times the buyin if you roll the right multiplier.
Additional Reading
If you would like to learn more about the poker rooms available on this network, simply click the appropriate banner below to read our detailed reviews:
Frequently asked questions regarding Ignition, Bovada, and Bodog, the three main operations on the PaiWangLuo Network.
Professional Rakeback staff knows that there are often challenges when working with a new online poker room. With that in mind, ProfRB has created and is constantly updating and adding on to this FAQ. If you note any errors, omissions, or typos or are unable to solve your problem after reading this FAQ, please contact us for further assistance.Enjoy! If you were looking for a review, you are in the wrong place.
The PaiWangLuo Network is the new name for the old Bodog Network. It consists of the same poker, casino, and sportsbook products that you might have encountered over the years. The change came about because the network was sold to new owners in February 2017.
This is one of the recurring topics that pops up with regard to almost every poker site every so often. The network’s stance on this was illuminated by a Bodog rep on Twoplustwo several years ago and remains in force today:
The Bodog Poker Network takes collusion very seriously, and to do otherwise would be a big hit to the recreational model that (Bodog has) created. The network has taken huge steps in order to create an atmosphere for recreational players that keep them both happy and safe. In order to keep the games fair and legitimate, Bodog has invested heavily in both security software and security teams. To do otherwise would, at the very least, be a huge mistake. All allegations of collusion are taken seriously by security, and if a player has any worry at all, they should be reporting that to support [emphasis added]. Additionally, as has been mentioned, players have the ability to see the hole cards of all hands that were dealt 24 hours after the hand ends. This allows players to go back and look at hands that they may have any concerns about.
Currently, The PaiWangLuo Network is composed of Ignition, Bodog.eu, Bodog.com, and Bovada brands. Each serves a different segment of the online poker and gaming market:
- Ignition: Poker and Casino in the United States and Australia
- Bovada: Poker, Sports, and Casino in the United States
- Bodog.eu: Poker, Casino, and Sports in Canada
- Bodog.com: Poker, Casino, and Sports in Latin America
Apple fanatic, eh? You're in luck! The PaiWangLuo Network does have a fully functional Mac client. Go to our review page linked at the top of this FAQ and sign up for Ignition; the software will be made available to you after you create your account. Mac-friendly poker sites, are you in need of more of them?
The Ignition Poker bonus of 100% up to $1,000 (150% up to $1,500 with Bitcoin) unlocks at a rate of $1 for every 30 Ignition miles you earn. You get 15 Miles per dollar in rake contributed or tourney fees paid, so this works out to an astounding 50% rakeback equivalent. You have 30 days to gather as many Miles as possible to clear your bonus funds.
The bonuses at Bodog.com and Bodog.eu work in a similar fashion, but Bovada has a slightly different bonus deal that's capped at a maximum of $500 instead of $1,000.
Players can earn all or part of their bonus over the first 30 days following their initial deposit. During this time, they can deposit and withdraw as much as they please while still playing and earning their bonus. However, if you claimed any casino or sports bonuses with your first deposit, then there are probably conditions restricting your ability to withdraw until your playthrough obligations are met. You can always forfeit a casino or sports bonus within the Bonus Page of your account if you find the restrictions too onerous for your tastes.
Go to ignitioncasino.eu, click my account, click on “My Rewards” (it looks like a wrapped present). Here you'll be able to view the bonus info you seek.
Simple! Just login to your poker client, click on the "Bonuses" icon, and your pending bonuses are listed in an easy-to-see format.
If you're a customer of Ignition Casino, you can email them at poker[at]ignitioncasino.eu, contact them by phone at 1-855-370-0600, or use Live Chat on the website. Bodog clients are free to send a message to poker[at]Bodog.eu, call support at 1-877-263-6422, or launch the Live Chat window. Players at Bovada have their choice of Live Chat, email (service[at]bovada.lv), and toll-free phone number (1-888-263-0000).
Yes, you can. Call or email them. However, do NOT even jokingly, and we mean UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES** tell them that you have a gambling problem. Your account will be closed and you will be banned for life. **Unless of course it's true and you want to be banned from the site (and potentially others by being on a shared industry database for problem gamblers). PROFRB supports responsible gambling!
YES - as long as you deposit or withdraw from an American IP address.**If you have specific questions about playing at Ignition / Bovada / Bodog in other countries, please contact us directly for clarification.
EST, that is, Eastern Standard Time in the USA.
The PaiWangLuo Network imposes limits on how many tables a player can play. The limits are 4 cash game tables at a time, and up to 20 MTTs at a time.
From client: Account > Hand History > Game Transactions.
Try locating the icon you use to launch the Bodog or Bovada client. Right click this icon and choose to run as administrator.
Take a gander at the Ignition | PaiWangLuo Network Tournament Cancellation Policies. This information is culled directly from the Ignition Casino website:
In the event of a tournament cancelation, offering fair compensation to all players is our main priority. A tournament will automatically be cancelled due to connection issues if the majority of players are disconnected and unable to re-connect for 5 minutes. One of the following methods of resolution will be employed depending on the state that the tournament is in when it is canceled.
Tournament Refund
If a tournament has been canceled prior to its scheduled start time, or before one or more players has been eliminated from it, a tournament refund will be issued to all registered players. The refund will consist of players’ buy-ins and fees (including re-buys and add-ons, if applicable) and will be issued via the same method players used to buy-in to the tournament. If a player bought in using a tournament ticket, the ticket will be returned to them.
Cancelation with No Players in the Money
If a tournament is cancelled and no players are in the money, all remaining players will have their entry fee refunded and the prize pool will be divided according to the following formula:
50% of the prize pool will be allocated evenly among all remaining players.
50% of the prize pool will be allocated proportionally based on chip count.
Cancelation with All Players in the Money
If a tournament is cancelled and all players are in the money, remaining players will have their entry fee refunded and the prize pool will be divided according to the following formula:
Each player receives the minimum prize not yet awarded at the time of cancelation.
The balance of the prize pool is allocated proportionally based on chip count.
One-on-One (Heads Up) Sit and Go Tournaments
Because the outcome of a heads up tournament can be influenced by situations where one player remains connected to the game server while another does not, Ignition Casino reserves the right to perform chip count distribution should our site experience downtime warranting the cancelation of any tournaments.
Guaranteed Tournaments
In the event that a tournament with a guaranteed prize pool is canceled:
Players NOT in the money will be paid out based on the prize pool, composed of buy-ins only.
Players who ARE in the money will be paid out based on the guaranteed amount if the buy-ins fail to cover the guaranteed amount.
The Ignition Hand History viewer is broken issue is often experienced by users of Microsoft Windows 7. The problem is with "basic themes" and the very easy and simple fix to this hand history problem is to change your Windows theme from basic to one of the default “Aero themes.”
On February 15th, 2017, PWL partner site Bodog.eu began offering poker to citizens of 8 Latin American countries although support for these markets has been switched over to Bodog.com. The countries involved include: Mexico, Brasil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Chile.
On July 4th, 2017, PWL partner site Ignition began offering poker to Australian citizens. Prior to this date, Ignition had only offered online poker to players from the United States of America.
The Bodog Brand:
The most prominent brand on the PWL Network is Bodog, and in fact, the network was known as the Bodog Poker Network before being sold to the PaiWangLuo investment group in February 2017.
The name Bodog is known around the world. Bodog is a twenty-year-old, multibillion-dollar online company. It began as a sports book which became so successful that they launched an online casino. The online casino thrived and in response to market demands, the Bodog Poker Room was opened some years later. Bodog has further branded itself with numerous products including its various regional, continental, and worldwide sportsbook, casino, racebook, television, websites, music label, and even Bodog coffee! Bodog Brand is active in North America, Central America, South America, and Australia via Bodog, Bovada, and Ignition. Its founder, playboy Calvin Ayre, is in the Forbes 1000... yup, he's a billionaire and started a world class company that you can feel safe playing at!