Bad Beat Jackpots
To give players a chance at a huge prize (and to keep them coming back for more), many of the best poker websites now offer a Bad Beat Jackpot. A Bad Beat Jackpot is a progressive pool of funds collected at cash game tables that a lucky table will eventually share. Bad Beat Jackpots commonly reach well into the 6-figures, but the highest Bad Beat Jackpot ever recorded was over $1.2 million USD. One reason Bad Beat Jackpots are so popular is because you only have to be sitting at the winning table when the jackpot is hit in order to collect from the prize pool. You don’t have to win or lose the pot yourself, just be sitting (and dealt cards) when the hand happens. Obviously this greatly increases your odds of collecting a nice prize.
Much like any other progressive jackpot, the larger the prize pool, the more action the games receive. Big prizes get the poker forums buzzing, and everyone wants to play. This creates a snowball effect, driving the prize pool up at an even faster rate.
How Does a Bad Beat Jackpot Collect Funds & Distribute Winnings?
At different poker sites, funds may be collected and distributed a bit differently. However, here’s how most sites collect & distribute Bad Beat Jackpots.
At most poker rooms, players need to play at Bad Beat Jackpot specified cash tables. Then, a certain percentage is taken out of every pot that is played at each of these tables. Most sites collect $.25 per pot, but there is variation depending on the site. From the total jackpot amount, the poker room will remove a % of the prize pool for profit processing fees, and a % to feed the next jackpot. Together, these normally add up to 10-25% of the Bad Bead Jackpot. So, a $100,000 jackpot would lose $10,000 – $25,000 off the top, and the next winning table would collect the remaining balance ($75,000 – $90,000). Payouts are usually given to players in the following percentages: 50% of the jackpot goes to the loser of the hand, 25% goes to the winner of the hand, and the remaining players at the table split the remaining 25%. The loser of the hand is the big winner because he’s the one who took the bad beat.
To win a Bad Beat Jackpot, one big hand needs to get beat by a bigger hand. At one site, the Bad Beat Jackpot might get triggered when quad-8’s (or better) gets beat. At another site, it might be quad-J’s or better. At other sites, you might need to see a straight flush get beat. For hands to qualify for the Bad Beat Jackpot, both players must use both of their cards to create their hand.
Example 1: Requirement is that a straight flush gets beat.
Board: 6h, 7h, 8h, 9h, X
Hero: 5h, X
Villain: 10h, Jh
Our hero does not have a qualifying hand because he only holds one card to the straight flush. The villain did his part by having two qualifying cards, but since the hero did not, this hand does not qualify for the Bad Beat Jackpot.
Example 2: Requirement is that quad-8’s or better gets beat.
Board: 9h, 9d, Jc, Js, X
Hero: 9c, 9s
Villain: Jh, Jd
In this case, our hero has quad-9’s, and the villain has quad-J’s. This is a qualifying Bad Beat Jackpot hand because both players are using both of the cards in their hand. Our hero would collect 50% of the jackpot, the villain would receive 25%, and the remaining players at the table would split 25% amongst themselves.
Bad Beat Jackpots at Live Poker Rooms
A lot of live poker rooms offer Bad Beat Jackpots as well. It’s not uncommon to see live Bad Bet Jackpots reach well into the six-figures, always creating a buzz in the poker room. Some live casinos will lower the minimum hand requirement for their Bad Beat Jackpots, which creates smaller, but more commonly hit jackpots. Any time you sit down at a cash game in a live casino, make sure to ask the dealer if there is any Bad Beat Jackpot being run. Then, if you make a qualifying hand and your opponent shows a better hand, never much your cards. If you much your cards during a qualifying hand, the Bad Beat Jackpot will not get paid.
Keep in mind, if you’re the Bad Beat Jackpot winner at your table, you’re buying the next round.