I know it’s hard to find a legit Ignition poker information since there are so many phony cookie-cutter reviews out there. I am a real player and have logged well over 1 million hands on the network and can tell you everything you need to know. So, if you are looking to make an informed choice and learn the truth about Ignition Poker, you have come to the right review.

Ignition poker is my favorite place to play online poker because it has amazingly soft games, smooth software, and a fun recreational feel to it. Anonymous games do not allow sharks to easily prey on amateur players, as a HUD will only keep session stats. This is the best place for US players to play.

I have an intimate knowledge of Ignition poker, and I hope you’ll trust me to guide you to an informed decision on whether or not to play there. If you are looking for something specific, I have included a helpful table of contents below.

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So What is Ignition Poker?

Ignition is based out of Costa Rica and is on the Bodog network. The site is well-known for its innovative anonymous game structure and dedication to protecting non-professional players.

Ignition is setup using the recreational model, which does not allow long-term tracking of its players. They have attempted to create the atmosphere of playing in a live casino. The only reads you have on opponents are obtained from actually playing with them on the current session.

If you are a casual player, you will love this site. However, if you are looking for a site that has high rakeback or rewards, along with tough battles with strong opponents, then you might want to try a different poker site.

Ignition Used to Be Bovada

A few years ago, Ignition bought the poker rights to Bovada. Then, a couple of years later, Bovada was back in business.

Now both sites share the same player pool.

Ignition Poker Quick Details:

Website	https://www.ignitioncasino.eu
Banking	Visa, MC, Amex, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash
Software	PC, MAC, Mobile
Games	Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Fast-Fold, Jackpots
Min Buy-In	30bb minimum/30-minute rathole timer
Fish Rating	Softest games in the United States
Sign-Up Bonus	Yes (Click here to check latest bonus amount)
Rakeback	No, there is a small VIP program
MTT	Best in the United States

The Site Ratings Based On My Experience

In order to clarify the strengths and weaknesses of Ignition, I assigned a rating from 1 to 10 on seven important considerations.

Support	Fish	Traffic	Banking	Software	Bonus	MTT
10/10	9/10	9/10	9/10	8/10	8/10	10/10

Overall rating= 9.0

The Software Is Attractive and User-Friendly

Several iterations of the software have evolved over the past several years. Having its ups and down, the interface is now smooth and attractive. Ignition currently has one of the best software clients in the industry.

How is Ignition?

What makes Ignition stand out from the crowd is the innovative way the site is set up. There is definitely a relaxed atmosphere at the tables. You will seldom find the same cutthroat type of play that is now common on sites that are set up with the traditional model.

If you have played on Pokerstars or America’s Cardroom in the past few years, you know what I am talking about. Long-term tracking and data mining have simply poisoned the atmosphere in their games. Hopefully, everyone follows Ignition’s lead and moves toward a more sustainable poker site model.

Why Play On Ignition?

If you are in the United States or Australia, you have limited options on where to play. The great news is, that even if I lived somewhere else in the world, I would still want to play on Ignition. Here are the reasons:

Ignition summarized details:

• There are plenty of fish around to make the games profitable
• The traffic is immense on this site so you never have trouble finding a game
• You can find a game from the lowest micro-stakes, small stakes, all the way up to high-stakes
• You will be pleasantly surprised at the quality of the MTT schedule
• The initial deposit bonus is lucrative and easy to clear
• Deposits and payouts happen lightning-fast
• The site is legit ,and there has never been a scandal

Overall, the best reason to play on Ignition is the consistent quality of the poker experience across the entire spectrum. You really do not ever need another poker site.

Reasons Not to Play on Ignition: Are There Any Complaints?

While I love Ignition and it is a perfect fit for me, I realize that there are some things that many players may not like. Here are a few of them:

1. Cash Game Software Issue

The software on this network has gone through quite an evolution over the years. Back in the mid-2000s, it was a very simple program that actually worked quite nicely. Then, when Bovada came around, the software made a big leap to one of the more modern designs at the time. Things, for the most part, ran very smoothly, and I was happy with the overall look and feel of it.

Problems started when they changed the way cash games worked, and “quick seating” began. I understand why they did it: to make the game selection more difficult for pros. While I agree with the premise, in practice, all it essentially did was make it very difficult for anyone to play four tables at once. Add to that a couple of years of intermittent periods of heavy crashes, and I can officially say that the entire concept should be scrapped.

Besides, the anonymous games already make the site friendly enough to recreational players, so why fix something that isn’t broken? Luckily, the software has mostly been fixed and crashes seldom happen anymore. If you are a tournament player you should have no problems at all. I have never once been kicked out of a tournament or sit-and-go.

I understand the concept and why they added this feature. Unfortunately, it does not work that great in practice

Here are 5 reasons they should just go back to the old way of doing things for cash games:

1. It’s Hard to Get 4 Tables Up
   Sometimes, it’s impossible to start a session and actually find 4 tables to play on.
2. Freaking Heads-Up
   The software sometimes seems to give preference to short-handed or even tables with one person sitting on it when you are trying to find a game. In fact, I sometimes have to “trick” the software and open a new table while I already have 4 tables up. At the last second, I leave the heads-up table, and it actually takes me to a 4 or 5 handed game. This doesn’t always work, but often does.
3. Occasionally Causes Crashes
   All of this difficulty getting 4 games up will occasionally cause a complete crash. Once in a blue moon, I get frustrated and just quit a session due to a crash happening after it took me 5 or 10 minutes just to get 4 tables up.
4. They Tried To Fix Something That Didn’t Need Fixing
   The games were really soft before they added quick seating. Why mess with success? Anonymous games already made the poker economy work on Ignition, making quick seating completely unnecessary.

If anyone at Ignition is reading this. Please take my advice and consider going back to the old way, and you’ll have the perfect poker site.

Related How Soft is Ignition Poker? | Insights from an Online Pro.

2. Increased Rake

The funny thing is, I didn’t actually hear about this until recently. The announcement was somewhat under the radar for a long time. It wasn’t until after I had played over 100,000 hands in 2017 that I even learned about it.

The good news is that I didn’t really notice any significant drop in win rate. Maybe this is because a lot of the regulars left the site? I really have no idea, but I was able to grind from 5NL all the way up to 400NL in just a few months after starting with $25.

The fact is, while I don’t like anything that is going to hurt my bottom line I understand that the margins for poker rooms are very thin. I would rather lose a couple of bucks per hour off my win-rate than have the site close down completely. Even so, this actually makes fish and formerly break-even players lose even faster which is a really bad thing. On the bright side, they didn’t make any rake changes to tournaments or sngs. Here is a list of the rake changes, collected directly from Ignition’s website:

Ignition Rake Changes

• Rake will be collected at $0.01 for every $0.20 in the pot, instead of the previous $0.05 per $1.00
• Max rake will be moving on Heads-Up Tables from $0.50 to $1.00
• Max rake will be moving on Pot Limit and No Limit tables at stakes higher than $0.10/$0.25 from $3 to $4

I did compare the rake between this network and Pokerstars and found it to be pretty much in line. Ignition is lower for some stakes and Pokerstars is higher for others. Here are the rake levels found on this network, taken directly from their sites:

3. No Official License

I’m not really sure this even qualifies as a con but, for full disclosure, I thought it should be included for information purposes. Since September of 2016, Ignition has been operating without an official gaming license. However, this was not a matter of choice as they were forced to relinquish it due to a new policy by the Kahnawake Gaming Commission to no longer license any casino that services players from the US.

Once again this is part of the fallout from Black Friday. In fact, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement was the main driver of the change in policy. Why a gaming commission from Canada is allowing another country to dictate their policies is beyond me. I’m pretty sure there are good reasons but this is not something we should be blaming the poker sites for. I guess I am a bit biased since, in order to keep the license, no one in the USA would be able to play!

It is likely that they will obtain a new license at some point from a different jurisdiction like Curacao, Costa Rica, or Panama.

4. Lack of VIP Rewards

There is a definite lack of value to be had on this network. This is done on purpose as part of their “recreational model” since big VIP rewards typically only really attract professionals who in turn prey on the weaker players.

The good news is that the increased win rate you will almost certainly enjoy here will make up for the lack of rakeback or lucrative VIP system you might be used to on other sites. That being said, Ignition is not completely void of promotions. They do offer VIP points which about to about 3% rakeback effectively (more if you are a really strong tournament/SNG player).

If you are looking for a site that offers more value, try America’s Cardroom or Black Chip Poker. Or, if you prefer a balanced site, try BetOnline or Sportsbetting Poker.

5. Anonymous Games

If you are a player who likes to use a complicated HUD and form complex reads on your opponents based on history, this is not the network for you. Since only session stats can be tracked, it’s impossible to know who you are sitting with at a table since Ignition is a “clean slate” site. Once you leave a table everyone’s read on you disappears and you get a fresh start the next time you sit down.

For some players, this type of “readless” poker is a deal-breaker. Personally, I love anonymous games since it seems to attract many more recreational players than I see on other poker sites.

How Soft Are The Games?

Anonymous games make it, for all intents and purposes, difficult or impossible to follow around bad players. This makes for tables that have more fish spread around. You won’t locate an easier legit and genuine poker site that is accessible to US poker players.

In poker, our objective ought to be to maximize profit, correct? If you agree on this point, then choosing Ignition over tougher cardrooms like America’s Cardroom or Pokerstars should be a no-brainer.

How Soft Are the Cash Games?

I really will not play poker above 100NL on some other sites. For examination purposes, 200NL on Ignition plays like 50NL on America’s Cardroom. Except if you are playing 20 tables, it is a less than ideal situation to try to eke out a little win-rate on tables brimming with regs.

In the event that you are an accomplished player, you have a great shot of beating 1000NL or even 2000nl on Ignition. There are rich whales that show up regularly enough to make giving high stakes a go. In the event that you are beating 200NL on another site, you most likely would make more cash playing 4 tables of 600NL+ on Ignition.

How Soft Are the Tournaments?

Ignition is currently by far the BEST choice for MTT players in the US. The fields are the softest for real money poker of any site I’ve ever played. The schedule is well structured and there are tons of reasonable buy-ins with large guarantees. The site even has a couple of huge annual tournament series. These include the Black Diamond Open and the Golden Spade Open.

The cool thing is, that they divide the series in two, one cater to micro players and the other to mid and high stakes player. Buy-ins range from $1.10 all the way up to $162 and even higher during their series. They have something for everyone.

I have personally had great success in these tournaments with an ROI of over 50%. I can’t believe how soft they are. One night I took a break from cash games and this happened.

An extra $1,800 to the bankroll was a nice boost!

Is Ignition Profitable?

The truth of the matter is that if Ignition isn’t profitable than no site is. This is by far the softest poker option for players in the US and many other areas of the world.

While no poker site is as soft as 2008, you will not find more fish on any of the other major networks. This is mostly due to the anonymous games and lack of rakeback rewards. A lot of pros avoid this site, which makes the ratio of recreational players much higher.

How Many Players Are on Ignition?

The traffic is by far the highest of any poker site that allows US players. The cool thing is the makeup of the player pool. This is up for debate, but in my experience, the breakdown of the various player types on this network is as follows:

What Type of Players Are on Ignition?

*Based on my experience, I used the WAG (Wild Ass Guess) method to come up with these numbers

When Are the Peak Traffic Times on Ignition?

Like most other poker sites, peak traffic is during evening hours Eastern Time and anytime during the weekend.

More specifically, you can expect peak times to happen:

• 7 PM to Midnight Eastern weekdays
• Noon to 2 AM Eastern weekends/holidays

Related How Many People Are Playing Ignition Poker?

Which Cash Game Format Has the Most Traffic?

While Zone traffic tends to be sporadic and only up to small stakes, you can find the most players playing normal ring games all hours of the day.

Cash Game Limits

All stakes except $2,000 NL have a 30 big blind minimum buy-in and 100 bb max buy-in.

Here are the details:

Stake	Min Buy-In	Stake	Min Buy-In
5NL	$1.50	200NL	$60.00
10NL	$3.00	500NL	$150.00
25NL	$7.50	1000NL	$300.00
50NL	$15.00	2000NL	$1,000.00
100NL	$30.00

Which Tournament Format Has the Most Traffic?

The format tends to be less important than the time of day and the cost. Generally, guaranteed tournaments during peak hours will have the highest MTT traffic.

How Anonymity Affects the Games

At first, anonymous games may seem like a huge disadvantage for players who are used to having long-term stats and tracking opponents in their database with a HUD. However, the loss in your ability to have deep reads on your opponents is generally more than offset by the fact that the games are typically much softer than you will see on non-anonymous sites. That is because regs cannot just camp out the lobby and wait for weak players to sit down at a table and then pile into the waitlist. In that type of atmosphere, you typically end up on a table full of strong regs and only one mark. That is if you are lucky enough to get seated at the table before the “fish” leaves.

The Recreational Poker Model

In order to maintain a healthy player pool where all of the money does not rapidly ascend to the best players, many poker sites are migrating more toward a recreational poker model. By not offering huge rewards for players to grind out insane hours, the better players become less focused on maximizing rakeback and bonuses and instead looks to slow down and maintain the highest win-rate possible over fewer tables. The ultimate effect is that tables become less “reg-infested” which creates an atmosphere much friendlier to those just playing occasionally for fun.

On Ignition, it’s virtually impossible to track weaker opponents which makes for a much more consistent experience when you sit down at a table. The normal makeup of a table will include one or two really good players, 2-3 average players, with the rest of the seats being occupied by recreational players. Even so, the games are not completely anonymous.

Session Stats Can Be Tracked Via a HUD

This network is actually not completely anonymous. While long-term statistics and notes cannot be maintained on other players, it is still possible to keep track of what other players are doing in the current session. This can be of great benefit to good players while not giving them an overwhelming advantage or the ability to prey on weaker players via predatory table selection. These stats can be manifested via a HUD, accomplished by purchasing third-party software.

How to Use a Hud on Ignition

There are two ways to use a HUD on this network:

1. Hold’em Indicator
   Hold’em Indicator is a stand-alone program that tracks player statistics. Of course, on Ignition only keeps session stats. I have used this program for over 10 years and highly recommend it.
2. Ignition Card Catcher
   If you prefer to use your Hold’em Manager or PokerTracker HUD then you can do so by using a hand converter and card catcher. I have also used this software for years and it works surprisingly well.

Banking Options

Here is a comprehensive list of things you need to know about financials on Ignition.

What are the Deposit Options?

Deposits are fast and easy on this network. If you have any problems during the process don’t hesitate to call them at 1-855-370-0600. I once had an issue depositing with my Visa card. They solved the problem in less than 2 minutes, and I was in the game playing very quickly.

Here are the current deposit options.

• Visa Credit, Debit, Gift, or Prepaid cards
  Cards must be eligible for international purchases. US/Domestic only cards will not work.
• Bitcoin
  Bitcoin is the easiest way to both send and receive funds from this network. If you don’t have a Bitcoin account, you can get a free $10 by signing up through this review.

Deposit options are subject to change, please check the website for the latest methods.

What Are the Deposit Limits and Fees?

Ignition Deposit Method	Min Deposit	Max Deposit	Fee
Credit Card	$20	$1,500	5.9%
Bitcoin	$10	$5,000	Free
Bitcoin Cash	$10	$5,000	Free

How Fast Do Deposits Get into My Account?

Credit card deposits, if they go through, usually happen instantly. Bitcoin usually takes just a few hours. My last deposit with Bitcoin took about 2 hours.

Does Ignition Accept PayPal?

Unfortunately, Ignition nor any other major poker site currently takes PayPal.

Does Ignition Accept Bitcoin?

Ignition takes Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.

For the least amount of hassle, I recommend Bitcoin. (Click here to earn $10 free for using Bitcoin)

How Safe is My Money?

Based on their long history, you can play on this network with confidence knowing that your money is as safe here as it is anywhere. In fact, I have no qualms about keeping reasonably large amounts of money on the site even when I am not putting in much volume. Every single time I have ever gone on a hiatus I always come back to find my money till safely present in my account. And while I have had my share of downswings and then some, I know that it is just short term variance and not some conspiracy to steal my money.

Overall, All signs point toward both Ignition being completely legit with no evidence whatsoever of having ever been rigged. The poker site makes money no matter who is winning. If any shenanigans ever do occur, trust me, people in the poker community will find it very quickly. I have had upwards of $10,000 on this at various times over the years and have slept like a baby at night knowing my money is probably much safer than it would be under my mattress!

How Does Ignition Payout?

My last payout came to my Bitcoin account within 2 hours. That’s fast! I haven’t withdrawn with any of the other options in years. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the typical timeframe is 5-10 business days for a wire transfer and 8-15 days for a check by courier. Some have gotten them a bit faster and some a bit slower. I guess it depends on where you live in the world.

You have multiple options for withdrawing money from Ignition:

• Bitcoin
• Wire Transfer
• Check By Courier

Payout options are subject to change, please check the website for the latest methods.

How Long Do Payouts Generally Take?

Ignition payouts happen really fast. Almost all requested are processed within 24 hours. For the fastest possible service, I recommend Bitcoin. (Click here to earn $10 free for using Bitcoin)

Are There Any Withdrawal Fees?

The vast majority of the time, payouts are free. The fee schedule is as follows:

Method	Fee	Minimum	Maximum	Process Time
Bitcoin	Free	$10	$9,500	Within 24 hrs
Bank Transfer	Free	$1,500	No Limit	10-15 days
Courier Check	Free	$100	No Limit	10-15 days

Fee schedule subject to change. Be sure to check the site for any updates to payout options.

How is the customer service?

Ignition has a huge fan base that continues to rave about the amazing customer service and payout or cash out speeds available on the network. You can rest easy knowing that the site is legit, not rigged, and legal for you to play. Most of my playing bankroll is kept on the site if that tells you anything. I have no doubts that it is safe and secure.

How Do I Contact Ignition?

There are two ways to contact Ignition:

Phone

• 1-855-370-0600

Email

• service@ignitioncasino.eu

How Does the Ignition Bonus Work?

Ignition has a very nice deposit bonuses that release very quickly. Offers do sometimes vary, so please click here to check the latest offers.

How Easy Is It to Clear the Deposit Bonus?

The Ignition bonus releases very quickly. This is the schedule for how the bonus is released:

Level	VIP Points	Bonus Released	Total
1	15	$5	$5
2	85	$20	$25
3	185	$25	$50
4	500	$50	$100
5	1,500	$150	$250
6	5,000	$250	$500

To give you some perspective on how fast this clears, you can expect to get about 6,000 poker points a month by playing 30ish hours a week at 100NL. This is totally doable for a lot of players.

Earning Poker Points

You can earn between .05 and 1 poker point every time you pay a tournament buy-in or cash game rake. Here is the rake schedule for both cash games and tournaments:

Amount Raked	Poker Points Earned
$0.01 to $0.04	0.05
$0.05 to $0.24	0.10
$0.25 to $0.49	0.25
$0.50 to $0.99	0.50
$1 to $4	1.00

Are There Any Tips on Clearing the Bonus Faster?

While cash games are the fastest way to clear a bonus, I recommend not even thinking about the bonus as you play. In my experience, worrying about a deposit bonus and trying to clear it quickly just makes me play badly.

Instead, just focus on playing good poker and know that the bonus is there helping you have a better hourly rate. If you clear it all in time, great, if not, no big deal. At least you played your best and made the most money possible.

How Can I Spend Poker Points?

There are only two ways to spend your points. You can either buy tickets for tournaments or you can use them to get casino bonuses. Unless you are an avid casino player, I would recommend spending them on tournaments tickets only.

Ignition Changes Their Rewards System

In early 2019, Ignition made some changes to how their rewards are handled. There are now tiers and instead of points, you earn “miles.”

Basically, every poker point you earn now gives 5 Ignition miles. You can then use those miles in exchange for casino bonuses or tournament tickets. Here is what it looks like:

I have not had time to move up through the levels yet, so I am not sure what the benefits of each are. They do have more info on the site, however. I am not sure if the levels are actual “rakeback” or what.

Reward Level	Redemption Rate
Steel	2,500 Miles= $1
Chrome	2,250 Miles= $1
Bronze	2,000 Miles= $1
Silver	1,750 Miles= $1
Gold	1,500 Miles= $1
Platinum	1,250 Miles= $1
Titanium	1,000 Miles= $1
Diamond	1,000 Miles= $1

False Advertising?

The so-called cashback levels listed on the site are really misleading. They claim 6% cashback for the lowest level but it only comes out to .006% cash back and can only be redeemed for casino bonuses.

Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but they say you get 15 ignition miles for every $1 in rake paid. And it takes 6000 miles to earn a $2.20 tournament ticket???? $400 for a $2.20 ticket is insanely bad. It was around 3% before the “improvements“ if I remember correctly.

Redeeming Tickets Is Still Best for Poker Players

If you are a poker player, your best bet is to still use your points on tickets. However, don’t expect to earn a huge rate of return for rake spent. To illustrate, here are the reward levels and the cashback equivalent when converted to tournament tickets for the Steel level:

Ticket	Cost In Miles	Rake Paid	“Rakeback”
Any $2.20 Tournament	6000	$400	.6%
Any $5.50 Tournament	15,000	$1,000	.6%
Any $7 Jackpot SNG	18,500	$1,233	.6%
Any $15 Jackpot SNG	40,000	$2,667	.6%
Any $162 Tournament	450,000	$30,000	.5%

Time for Me to Calm Down, This Isn’t a Huge VIP Site Anyway

Okay, so I am a bit disappointed that they made the rewards system even worse. The silver lining is this is supposed to be a recreational site anyway. Adding in huge rewards just wouldn’t make any sense and might attract way too many “pros” to the site. I’d rather keep the games soft, but that’s just me.

What About the Clearance Rate for Tournament Players?

Unless you are playing a huge tournament schedule, it will be really difficult to clear a full bonus. But, once again, the best thing to do is just view the bonus as temporary rakeback and play your normal schedule.

Is Ignition Legit or Rigged?

Ignition is 100% legit. Today, this should not even be a consideration for a serious poker player. Ignition, and all other major poker sites now in operation, now have seen years and years of play, without a scandal of any sort.

This leads me to have only one conclusion. Legal online poker is as safe to play, if not safer, than even live play. In fact, I have not read or heard of any legit incidents where someone was cheated in a hand or the software made an error. And if such an occurrence did happen, you can rest easy knowing that Ignition poker would make it right. They seem to really care about their patrons having a safe and fun experience.

Ignition has a huge fan base that continues to rave about the amazing customer service and payout or cash out speeds available on the network. You can rest easy knowing that the site is legit, not rigged, and legal for you to play. Most of my playing bankroll is kept on the site if that tells you anything. I have no doubts that it is safe and secure.

This network has been in business since 2004 and there has never been a legitimate case of someone losing their money or being ripped off. Even so, no poker site is immune from scandal or the effects of legislative powers around the world.

My advice is to never keep more than the absolute minimum to play your chosen stake on any poker site. Also, only play on sites that have a long-running positive track record when it comes to solid security. Ignition definitely fits the bill in that regard.

For more on this topic, check out my article Is Ignition Poker Legal in the U.S.? | What You Should Know.

Are the Games Rigged?

As far as being rigged, that should not be a concern for anyone playing on this network. Sure, bad beats will happen. They will happen in any online or live casino and with great regularity. In my numerous years playing on Ignition, I have amassed a pretty extensive database and all frequencies appear to be perfectly in line with what one would expect based on random card generation. But don’t take my word for it. If there were anything amiss, there are a lot smarter people than me who would notice it very quickly and blow the whistle.

After all, rigging the game makes absolutely no sense from a business perspective. Exactly who would they rig it against and would the risks of getting caught and having a huge scandal really be worth it? I mean they only make money off the rake anyhow, what do they have to gain by selecting a chosen few to benefit from a rigged game?

What About This Business of Rigging the Games to Benefit Bad Players?

As for the games being rigged toward bad players, by what measuring stick would the site consider someone a bad player? Putting in place some sort of complicated algorithm to benefit one person or another seems like a huge investment. Last time I checked, poker sites were about making money, not investing large sums of money to screw a particular portion of the population. Call me crazy, but common sense makes the notion of rigging laughable.

How Is Ignition Legal?

Except for specific jurisdictions, online poker is not illegal to play in the United States! Ignition is legitimate companies that are simply filling a void in the market and giving legal access to millions of people who have limited options in the current climate.

Are There Bots on Ignition?

I have no data or way to confirm it but I am pretty sure there are bots on every single poker site in the world. Even so, it is very difficult to beat the games as a human player. Imagine trying to get a bot software program to be able to profitably navigate all of the nuanced situations that are faced during any given session. At best, these bots are likely to break even or slight losers. It’s actually a good thing to have a bot on your table since they are very easy to beat and will not be adjusting to your play.

So to answer the question, no bots are not really something to be worried about. Also, I am pretty sure that poker sites have measures in place to hunt down and ban bot accounts. Ultimately, the threat of playing against bots is nothing to lose sleep over.

What Random Number Generator Is Used?

Ignition uses a pseudo random number generator (RNG) that has a computational algorithm that produces a sequence of numbers that is impossible to be anticipated mathematically. The RNG is tested frequently by a 3rd party for compliance with industry standards.

What Countries Are Excluded From Playing On Ignition Poker?

Not everyone in the world or in every US state can play on this network. I have contacted the poker sites to gain an updated list of who they serve and here are the findings.

Here are the countries who can play on Ignition:

• USA, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela

Can People in Every State Play in the United States?

Unfortunately, people who live in a few states cannot play on Ignition due to regulations:

• Delaware
• Maryland
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New York
• Washington (Has a law that prohibits online gambling)

Related States Where Ignition Poker is Banned – Where Can’t You Play.

How Are the Tournaments on Ignition Poker?

If you love MTTs and are in the good old USA, then this network is definitely the best option you have for making money. There are numerous guarantees daily and multiple weeks to month-long series through the year. Can you say max ROI?

Daily Tournament Schedule

Ignition has one of the nicest schedules around. There are numerous high-value guarantees every single day of the week. There is also a lot more than this on the weekends.

Time (ET)|GTD Prize Pool|Buy-In|Starting Chips

Time	GTD Amount	Buy-In	Starting Chips
12:00 AM	$5,000	$11	5,000
12:45 AM	$2,000	$16.50	5,000
7:00 AM	$3,000	$55	5,000
8:00 AM	$1,500	$33	10,000
8:08 AM	$3,888	$16.50	88,888
9:00 AM	$2,000	$82	10,000
12:00	$3,000/$5,000*	$22	5,000
3:00 PM	$7,777	$22	77,777
4:00 PM	$2,000	$55	5,000
5:00 PM	$4,000/$5,000	$5.50	10,000
6:30 PM	$500	$7.70	3,000
7:00 PM	$7,777	$11	77,777
8:00 PM	$25,000	$55	5,000
8:15 PM	$15,000	$135	10,000
8:45 PM	$4,000	$11	10,000
9:07 PM	$7,777/$17,777	$33	77,777
10:00 PM	$15,000	$109	15,000

*Means Weekday/Weekend GTD amounts

Here is a Sunday tournament schedule to give you an idea of what the weekend might look like:

The 100k Guaranteed is the biggest tournament of the week at this time. It is affordable, has lots of satellite opportunities, and is generally really soft.

Does Ignition Have Freerolls?

Players who frequent the casino part of Ignition and achieve “Chrome” status can take part in a weekly $2,500 freeroll which takes place on Thursdays at 9:05 PM ET. You must be a Chrome player or above to be eligible.

What Are the Satellites like on Ignition?

There are numerous satellite options for players wishing to try to get into some of the bigger buy-in tournaments more cheaply. Buy-ins range from $1 all the way up to $82. Once you win a satellite you are issued a ticket for the appropriate tournament.

Tickets have to be used in the right tournament and cannot be traded in for cash. Unfortunately, being a “pro’ satellite player is not really an option on this network.

Are There Ever Overlays?

I can’t remember the last time an overlay happened on Ignition. This is a good thing, however, since the guaranteed amount is almost always exceeded.

How Are the Sit and Go Games?

This is one weak spot on Ignition. There are very few traditional SNGs that run, even at peak times. However, this is a common trend among poker sites in recent years.

Even so, an SNG player should still be able to find enough action to keep him busy. Even 3-table SNGs run up to the small stakes level. Just don’t expect to mass multi-table them.

Are There Jackpot SNGs?

Yes, you can play Jackpots on Ignition. Jackpot poker is a sit & go style game where three players compete for a prize pool that is determined at the start of each mini-event. If you have ever heard of spin and go poker on Pokerstars, this is virtually the same thing with games typically only lasting a few minutes. Jackpots are essentially a skilled lottery that rewards players who put in a large amount of volume.

How Is the Gameplay in Jackpots?

Each player starts with 500 chips in a hyper-turbo format. The blinds go up every 3 minutes so it doesn’t take long to get to the push-fold phase of the sit & go. Successful strategies vary across a wide spectrum.

Some players like to play tight and wait for push-fold to become involved. Others get right in there and mix it up early to try to build a big stack for the later stages. The beauty of jackpots is that you don’t have to wait long for your next game if you bust out.

What Jackpot Stakes Are Available?

Buy-In|Main Jackpot Prize|Typical Wait Times

• $2 | $2,400 | A Few Seconds
• $7 | $8,400 | A minute or less
• $15 | $18,000 | 1-3 Minutes
• $30 | $36,000 | 2-6 Minutes
• $60 | $72,000 | 5-10 Minutes

*Odds of playing for the main prize is 1 in 100,000

Are There Jackpot Omaha Games?

No, currently jackpots are only available for Texas Hold’em.

What Is the Rake for Jackpots?

The site withholds 7% of the buy-in as rake. This makes it very tough to beat this games as the margins for profit are slim in a hyper-turbo format. Unfortunately, you also do not earn VIP poker points in jackpots.

Are There Double-Up SNGs?

Yes, there are double-up and triple-up SNGs on Ignition.

What is Zone Poker?

Zone poker is Ignition’s answer to Pokerstars Zoom. Basically, instead of playing on a table of static players you are instead part of a player “pool” of dozens or even hundreds of players. At the start of each new hand, a random table is created that is populated with a full table of players derived from the player pool.

• Pros of Zone Poker
  During a hand, players are allowed to “fast-fold” anytime that they wish and move on to another hand. You no longer have to wait for a hand to finish before you get dealt more cards on another table. The beauty of this is that it allows you to maximize your hands per hour. Playing 200-300 hands per hour as part of a single player pool is not uncommon. The cool thing is that you can buy-in to multiple different games and essentially multi-table. This allows for an insane amount of hands per hour.
• Cons of Zone Poker
  While you are able to play a larger amount of hands you also are unable to gain significant reads on your opponents. In my opinion, Zone is not true poker in that you basically are required to just play a nearly complete vacuum game without making any real adjustments based on the table dynamic. Additionally, these games seem to be full of regular players who camp out the games and inundate much of the player pool. For whatever reason, it seems that weaker players and fish favor the traditional tables. Also, the minimum buy-in is 50bbs for Zone. What this effectively does is shut out a lot of players who prefer to play a short or cap-stack strategy. This may well be the reason the games are not as soft as on the regular tables.

Is There a Play Money Option?

There is an active play money crowd that populates Ignition. You can play $2/$4 cash games. Everyone starts with $1,000 play chips that can be reloaded if you run out. All you have to do is turn on practice mode on the “cash games” tab, as shown below.

How Are the PLO Games on Ignition?

In my opinion, there is no better place in the world to play PLO. Game selection is huge, with tables running all the way up to 2000PLO nearly all the time. When I play PLO, this is the only site I even consider sitting down at.

Is Mobile App Gaming Possible on Ignition?

Ignition has a mobile gaming option where you can play on any device you desire. Zone Poker is a popular option for mobile gamers. The completely anonymous atmosphere makes the need for a HUD obsolete. If you are not familiar with Zone, it is fast-fold poker, very similar to Zoom on Pokerstars. At this time, players are limited to cash games for mobile play. Hopefully, they add tournaments and SNGs soon!

Mobile Requirements

• Android OS 5 or higher is required
• iPad 3 or iPhone 4 or higher are required

How to Play Ignition on iPhone

You do not have to download an app to play mobile poker on Ignition. Just go to the website from your mobile device and click on the “Poker” tab, sign in, and start playing.

Are Casino and Table Games Offered?

Ignition has just about every possible Casino style game you can imagine. This includes:

Casino games include:

• Table Games with 19 different types of blackjack, roulette, craps, and more.
• 183 Slots of every variety and type.
• 15 Video Poker Games including all the common favorites and novelty games.
• 21 Specialty Games from Keno to Bingo.
• 45 Progressives

Is Sports Betting Possible?

Ignition does have a sportsbook that you can make use of. Just login to the website and click the “Sports” tab.

Software & Client Info

This is one area that has seen massive recent improvements in stability and aesthetics. The software is attractive and functional, and due to recent changes, is no longer as slow and clunky as it was a year or two ago.

I just love the “out of the box” look of the various themes found on the site. The design is just amazing looking, in my humble opinion. Check out the screenshots below and see for yourself.

Social Features

There are plenty of site features that improve the user experience, especially for recreational players. All-in percentages are listed, there is a fold and show option, rabbit hunting, and attractive animations that occur after you make very strong hands.

Skin Customization Features

Unfortunately, you cannot add your own custom look to the site as everything is controlled server-side by Ignition. However, there are several attractive skins for your client that are available right out of the box.

Table Skins

There are three basic skin options for tables:

1. A Modern Look in 6 Color Choices

2. A Traditional “Racetrack” Look in 6 Color Choices

3. 5 sports themes:

Note: These screenshots are from Bovada, which is a site on the same network that has exactly the same skin options.

Card Deck Skins

There are only two looks you can choose from for the card faces, regular or 4-color. You may choose from 6 different card backings as well. Nothing fancy here, but the stock stuff doesn’t look bad.

What Are the Maximum Number of Tables That Can Be Played at a Time?

There is a 4 Table Maximum For Cash Games. This may be a detractor for some of you. Even so, before you consider this a deal-breaker, let me point one thing out to you. Since you can likely play a higher stake on Ignition than you can on other sites, you do not need to play as many tables to achieve the same hourly rate or higher.

Furthermore, since you can find fish up to the highest takes available, the sky is the limit on the win rate you can achieve. If you have ever dreamed of moving up and playing mid or high stakes, the dream is still alive on Ignition for any serious player.

Here are some more details:

• No Limit On Tournament & Jackpot Games
  If you are an MTT or Jackpot grinder, then you can play as many games as you want without hitting a cap.
• 4 Table Maximum For Zone Poker
  For Zone, you can play two tables of each stake for a maximum of four tables. This allows someone to play pretty much as many cash game hands as they want.
• 4 Table Maximum On Standard SNGs
  Unfortunately, SNGs work just like cash games as you can only play four at once. I’m not sure if this is a bug in the software but that’s the way it has been that way as long as I can remember. By the way, if you mix SNGs and cash games, you can still only have 4 tables up at one time. I once had a notion to try 6-tabling with 4 cash games and 2 SNGs and it not allow me to do so. However, if you are an SNG player and simply have to have more action, I recommend loading up a couple of supplemental MTTs or Jackpot games while you grind four SNGs.

What Are the Typical Game Speeds Like?

I typically see about 60 hands per hour on 6-max cash game tables. While this may seem slow, it’s actually a good kind of slow since it’s mainly due to the rampant limping that goes on across all stakes.

Auto Buy-in and Auto Top-Off

Most sites have a feature where the site will automatically reload chips into your stack based on the criteria you set. This is one feature that I wish the developers would add to Ignition. Currently, if you lose your entire stack and don’t rebuy quickly, you will be sat out for a hand. Annoying.

Are Short Stacks Allowed?

Ignition is short stack friendly. The minimum buy-in is 30 big blinds and there is no rathole timer, allowing you to come and go from tables without having to wait a long time to get back into the action. You never have to worry again about crashing and then not being able to rejoin a table. As a bonus, fish love to play a short stack and the fact that Ignition allows them only makes the games that much softer.

Here is a list of short stack poker rooms.

Ongoing Promotions & Added Value

Here are ongoing promotions that you can take advantage of on Ignition:

• Bad Beat Bonus
  Ignition offers a bad beat bonus if you lose with Aces full of Kings or better. Win up to $1,000 at 100 times the big blind. The money is not automatically paid out when you win, you have to email support to receive the payout.
• Royal Flush Bonus
  You have to use both hole cards to take advantage of this promotion, but if you do, you win up to $200 at 50 times the big blind. Once again, you have to contact support in order to receive the money from this promotion.
• Casino Bonuses From Poker Points
  This is a fairly recent addition and great for players who occasionally like to dabble in the casino side of the site. You can buy casino bonuses with your poker VIP points and clear them at your favorite table game. Go to the “account” tab under “my poker” to buy these bonuses.
• Refer-A-Friend
  If you refer people you know to the site, they will give you a bonus of up to $100. The great thing is, there is no limit to this. You can send as many people as you care to.
• Weekly Freerolls
  Weekly poker freeroll tournament tickets are given to casino enthusiasts as a reward. The freeroll takes place every Thursday at 9:05 PM ET.

What Are Ignition Poker Miles?

Formerly known as poker points, you now collect poker miles instead. You get 15 miles per $1 in rake. This is actually the weakest VIP system of any network I’ve ever seen. Even so, on a recreational site, any amount of rewards is just gravy.

Are There Reload Bonuses?

There are almost never any reloads for poker. There are pretty much only reload bonuses for games of luck, ie. casino games.

Is There a Bad Beat Jackpot?

There is a bad beat jackpot. If you lose with Aces full of Kings or better, you can win up to $1,000 at 100 times the big blind. You will have to email support to request the bonus as it is not automatically given.

I wonder how many players actually know about this bonus? I bet thousands of dollars go unclaimed every year.

Rake Rules

As is standard with most other poker sites, no rake is taken before the flop nor in uncalled pots. This works the same in both No-Limit Hold’em and Omaha games.

I compared the rake between this network and Pokerstars and found it to be pretty much in line. Ignition is lower for some stakes and Pokerstars is higher for others. Here are the rake levels found on this network, taken directly from their site.

Ignition uses a fixed schedule to calculate rake. This is based on the limit of the table and the number of seats.

NL/Pot Limit up to $25NL
Number of Players	Rake / Pot	Max Rake
2 Players	$0.01 / $0.20 in pot	$0.50
3-4 Players	$0.01 / $0.20 in pot	$1.00
5+ Players	$0.01 / $0.20 in pot	$2.00
Stakes Higher than $25NL
2 Players	$0.01 / $0.20 in pot	$1.00
3 Players	$0.01 / $0.20 in pot	$2.00
4-5 Players	$0.01 / $0.20 in pot	$3.00
6+ Players	$0.01 / $0.20 in pot	$4.00

Does Ignition Have Rakeback

I am actually glad there is no rakeback offered. This is because many strong players do not play anywhere without rakeback. If this keeps them away from this network, I am just fine with it. We wouldn’t want the waters overfished, would we?

Should I Play on Ignition?

I simply love both Ignition. The anonymous play makes for an over-the-top fun social experience. Since the players cannot be tracked, I never seem to make it through a session without laughing out loud at some point at some of the comments made in chat. A guy on my tables was recently calling anyone who bought in for less than 100 big blinds a “peasant”. Classic! I guess the anonymity makes players much more uninhibited on how they are willing to talk to each other. However, most of the time, the comments are not mean but rather obviously all in good fun.

As for the games themselves, while the software is a bit bulky and slow to load at times, the cleanness of the layout and sophisticated social features more than makes up for any of the negative laggy aspects you might experience. And while you can only play 4 cash game tables at once, you can still achieve a reasonable number of hands per hour at around 230-250… even higher on Zone poker tables. Also, if you are an MTT player, there are no maximum restrictions. Feel free to register for 5,10, or even 20 tournaments at once and rack up that hourly rate.

Overall, I am thankful to have Ignition poker as an option in the United States. The site continues to be a model for what a poker network should be all about. Online gaming is supposed to be fun and safe for everyone, even the grinders. Ignition gets this right above everything else. Additionally, due to the fact that the soft games allow anyone to achieve their highest win-rate possible today, playing on Ignition should be a no-brainer for any poker player who wants the best experience possible when he or she logs on.

Who Is the Target Audience on Ignition?

While the target audience for Ignition is definitely gamblers and recreational players, there are just enough features available to attract pro poker players as well. In my opinion, even if there were no added value, this would still be the site to play since the softness of the playing field alone adds plenty of value. There’s nothing better than Friday night on Ignition. It’s possible to still find 1-3 fish on every table, even at 500NL and above! They don’t call it free money Friday for nothin’.

Why Should I Trust Your Opinion on Ignition?

I am a real player who has been around the game for over 10 years. I am a best-selling poker author and have spent countless hours teaching and researching better ways of playing poker. I have learned what it takes to win on every poker site and am giving that information away for free to anyone willing to listen.

I have played literally millions of hands on just about every poker network out there. Through hard work, I have managed to become a marginally big winner along the way. Here is the graph from my brief play in 2018.

The fact is, I’ve logged over 2,000 hours of play on this network. I started playing on the original skin, Bodog and then played Bovada from 2012 until 2016 when Ignition Casino bought them out. I have been playing there ever since.

Along the way, I have played numerous other places including Pokerstars, Full Tilt Poker, America’s Cardroom, Black Chip Poker, Cake Poker, Intertops, and BetOnline. I would have played on more sites but options are limited for Americans. Also, while I specialize in cash games I have also played thousands of MTTs, STTs, and Jackpots as well as over 100,000 hands of PLO. This experience gives me a unique insight into how poker rooms work and what the pros and cons are in comparison to each other.

I am a real player with real facts. If there’s something I don’t like, I include it in the review. Fortunately, Ignition gets a lot more right than they do wrong. Sure, no network is perfect but in my opinion, these guys are currently blowing all of the other sites out of the water.

A Brief History of Ignition

Bodog Poker was launched in 2004. In 2011, Bovada was introduced to serve US players. After 5 amazing years of success, the poker rights are sold to Ignition Casino in 2016. One year later, Bovada is back and using the same player pool as Ignition and Bodog. I am still confused as to exactly why this was done and I’m not sure anyone outside the companies knows the details of what transpired. The good news is that players now have three different choices of where to play, depending on where you are in the world. US players can choose between Ignition and Bovada.

Suggested Strategy

I have maintained a very high win-rate on Ignition for many years, check out the final video from my “spare change” bankroll building challenge for proof.

I know these games as well as anyone and don’t mind passing along that info to you. Here are 3 tips and adjustments you might consider making when playing the anonymous environment on this network:

1. Play Exploitative Poker
   Forget about balancing on this network. You no longer have to worry about your opponents tracking your play over thousands of hands and exploiting any imbalance you might have in your game. Therefore, you should look to fully exploit whatever tendencies the players on your table seem to exhibit over the first few orbits. If they seem tight then steal close to 100%. Of course, if you see someone else who seems to be adjusting as well and stealing every time, then 3-bet bluff them with a high frequency. Don’t worry about c-betting too much or folding to 3-bets too often. Just work to profile your opponents as quickly as possible and make exploitative adjustments fast.
2. Buff Less, Value Bet More
   Due to the overall loose-passive nature of the games on this network, you definitely don’t want to make a habit of trying to run complex multi-street bluffs with a high frequency. Instead, value bet a wider range than normal and take a general bet-fold strategy. Don’t get caught with the 2nd best hand when facing aggression against the typical passive reg or fish on this network!
3. Use a HUD
   In order to get the best reads as quickly as possible, you should definitely have a way of tracking session stats. Either use Hold’em Indicator or a card catcher and use a simple HUD that gives you a basic idea of what your opponents are doing. Here’s what my HUD looks like.

How to Download the Ignition Poker Client

To download Ignition, click the link below and click the “start playing” button on the site. You can then sign up and start playing.

Video Review

Summary

Ignition Poker has established itself as the model for all future poker sites. They have found the right balance between catering to the pros while also not destroying the fun for the recreational players. There is no doubt that this network is the best place to play for anyone living in the United States. No matter whether you play cash games, tournaments, or sit and go’s, Ignition is the place to be. Let’s take a final look at the reasons to try this poker site:

1. Soft Games
   Anonymous games make it virtually impossible to bum hunt which makes for a player with more fish spread around equally among tables. You will not find a softer legal and legit poker site that is available to US poker players. In poker our goal should be to make the most money possible, right? So, if you agree and want to play against bad players and maintain the highest hourly rate or ROI possible, then Ignition Poker is the best option for you. And it’s not even close! Welcome back to 2008!
2. High Traffic
   This network has the 3rd most traffic of any poker site in the world & nearly double the traffic of it’s nearest US competitor. The huge game selection allows anyone to find action 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whether you play cash games, tournaments, or sit and go’s, Ignition poker is the best option for any serious player who wants to maximize his or her win rate.
3. Stellar Reputation & Not Rigged 
   Bovada, and now Ignition, have a huge fan base that continues to rave about the amazing customer service and payout or cash out speeds available on the network. You can rest easy knowing that the site is legit, not rigged, and legal for you to play. Most of my playing bankroll is kept on the site if that tells you anything. I have no doubts that it is safe and secure.
4. The Best Tournament Schedule For US Players
   If you love MTTs and are in the good old USA, then this network is definitely the best option you have for making money. There are numerous guarantees daily and multiple weeks to month-long series through the year. Can you say max ROI?
5. Quick Releasing Deposit Bonuses
   Both sites have very nice deposit bonuses that release very quickly. Offers do sometimes vary, so please click the deposit coupons below to check the latest offers.
6. Numerous Deposit & Pay Out Options
   There are many ways to both deposit and payout. For deposits, you can use Visa, Visa Gift/Pre-Paid Card, Mastercard, or American Express with a minimum deposit of $20. Or, you can go with the cryptocurrency option and use Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash with a minimum deposit of $10. To withdrawal, you have four options. You can cash out to Bitcoin or Bitcoin Cash as well as via a wire transfer. If those don’t work for you, they will send a check out by courier!
7. Super Fast Payouts
   My last payout came to my Bitcoin account within 5 hours. That’s fast! I haven’t withdrawn with any of the other options in years. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that the typical timeframe is 5-10 business days for a wire transfer and 8-15 days for a check by courier. Some have gotten them a bit faster and some a bit slower. I guess it depends on where you live in the world.

I have personally played on this network for over 10 years now, so I know what I’m talking about. Let me summarize by covering the reasons I love Ignition. Soft games? Check. High traffic? Check. Safe and legal games? Check. Enough said.

Final Thoughts

I don’t get much time to play anymore and instead write about poker and try to find ways to improve the lives of poker players. I give honest reviews of poker products and sites.

With the limited choices in poker sites today, Ignition Poker is a really good option. It’s, in fact, the best option if you want to play with as many fish as possible. Otherwise, go with one of these other sites.

A Quick Note About Affiliates

It took me a lot of hours (actually 3 days) to write this review. I tried to only include details that I would want to know before joining a new poker site. I left out a lot of the fluff that other reviews include just to bolster their word count. If I missed something, please let me know in the comments.

If you appreciate my honesty and the hard work I’ve done please click on one of the signup links in this review. That way I get a few pennies from the poker site for my hard work. It would make my day.

Jim

If you have heard all you need to know and are ready to play, then click the link below to claim your sign-up bonus. Thanks for reading and good luck at the tables!

Related Questions

Is it legal to play poker online? Save for a couple of US states, it has never been illegal to play online poker. The UIGEA of 2006 only outlawed banks doing business with gambling websites. There is even some gray area since poker is officially known as a game of skill and does not qualify as gambling.

Can you still make money playing poker? If you work hard on your game and/or play on the correct poker site, you can totally still make money at poker. My win-rate has stayed about the same since 2012 at 8bb/100 on average.

Are Bovada and Ignition the same? Bovada and Ignition are two separate skins on the Bodog Network. Although I am not sure, it appears that they are owned by the same company. Which one you choose all comes down to personal taste, visit both websites and choose the one that you think feels best to you. Many players might pick one or the other based on how the client looks. No matter which one you pick, you can sleep well at night knowing that you are playing on a top-notch, quality online poker site.