Although in many ways poker is a game of skill and stratagem, even the most seasoned players can succumb to the fickleness of fortune. Bad beat jackpots take some of the stings off, but they really do turn a losing scenario into a winning one.
5 Unbelievable Bad Beat Jackpots in Poker History
1. Motor City Casino: $1.068 million
One of the biggest bad beat jackpots hit this past January at Motor City Casino in Detroit, which totaled over $1 million. His losing hand held quad threes and was defeated by a straight flush, which is what propelled the large reward. The jackpot set a new casino record while also becoming one of the largest ever in the state.
2. Bellagio – Bad Beat Jackpots $1.2 Million
In 2018, The Bellagio in Las Vegas-where the stakes are high-awarded its own $1.2 million bad beat jackpot. The player with quad eights got straight flushed and his life changed with a pocket rocket. The lucky competitors split the jackpot, and the “loser” took most of the money.
3. Borgata – $1 Million
In 2017, there was a bad beat jackpot of over $1 million at the Borgata in Atlantic City. That straight flush beat the losing hand of quad jacks. Fortunately for him, he got one of the biggest paydays Borgata has ever seen in what had otherwise been a devastating beat.
4. Playground Poker Club CSPC $1.2 Million
In 2019 Canada saw an incredible bad beat jackpot when a player lost with quad kings to a royal flush at the Playground Poker Club. It paid a grand total of $1.2 million to the player on the losing end of the hand. This event showcased the magic and the madness of poker.
5. Greektown Casino: $1.07 Million
In 2021, Greektown Casino on Detroit made the news by losing a $1.07 million bad beat jackpot. One of the largest payouts in the casino history occurred when a player at quad sevens got rivered by a straight flush. The payoff was a ray of hope for a choked poker player.
One of the most unique features available in poker is the bad beat jackpot where a heartbreaking defeat can be converted into a memorable win. These massive jackpot stories remind players that sometimes you have to lose to win.