Bad Beat Jackpot

So you've maybe been playing poker for a while and have heard or possibly seen that the poker room in which you play offers a bad beat jackpot but you're not quite sure exactly what a bad beat jackpot is or exactly how it works.

This is a popular question that we are often asked, probably due to players not really needing to know what it is when they start out, therefore not bothering to find out. Perhaps in some cases players have a rough idea but need some confirmation.

How a Bad Beat Jackpot works is simple really. It is a prize that is paid out to a player with a really high ranking hand that gets beaten by a fantastic hand.

As an example : Player A has Four of a Kind and holds four cards all with a value of 10. This is a very high ranking hand that would normally win more or less all of the pots. Player B however also has four of a kind and is holding four Queens. Player B obviously wins but due to the fact that Player A is holding such a fantastic hand but still got beaten, Player A wins the Bad Beat Jackpot. Often a percentage of the jackpot is paid to Player B.

You may also hear the term a Bad Beat Limit used in conjunction with a Bad Beat Jackpot. This is the minimum hand that needs to be bettered in which to win the bad beat jackpot.