Bad Beat Jackpot

Hitting the Bad Beat Jackpot: Complete Guide to Rules, Conditions & Payouts

The Bad Beat Jackpot is one of the most thrilling features in online and live poker rooms, rewarding players even when they lose with a powerful hand. To ensure you’re fully equipped to chase this jackpot, it’s essential to understand the exact rules, eligibility conditions, and how the payouts are distributed.

🃏 How to Hit the Bad Beat Jackpot

To trigger the Bad Beat Jackpot, the following strict conditions must be met:

✅ Core Requirements

1. The hand must go to showdown.

2. Both the winner and the loser must use both hole cards (including two hole cards in PLO and PLO-5) to make their best 5-card hand.

3. Four of a Kind must be formed using pocket pairs for both the winning and losing hands.

This ensures that hands qualify only under fair and traceable play conditions, making the jackpot truly meaningful.

⚠️ Additional Rules to Know

• RIMT (Run It Multiple Times): Only the outcome from the first run counts toward the jackpot.

• Disconnects & Leaving the Table:

  • If the jackpot conditions are already met, you will still receive your reward, even if you leave the table or get disconnected.

  • Players not in the hand (folded or auto-folded) may still receive their share if they were dealt cards that round.

• Rush & Cash Tables: Jackpot will not be triggered on tables with 5 or fewer dealt players.

💰 Bad Beat Jackpot Payout Structure

All stakes (blinds) share the same payout percentage structure, though contributions to the jackpot fund vary. Here’s how the jackpot is split:

🔹 All payouts are made directly to players’ wallets.

🚀 Where the Jackpot Funds Come From

The Bad Beat Jackpot Fund is fueled by games including:

• Hold’em

• PLO

• PLO-5

• Short Deck

• Rush & Cash (Hold’em & PLO)

This shared jackpot pool grows progressively as players contribute to it while playing. You can view the live jackpot pool directly in both the PC and mobile client lobbies.

📈 Fund Accumulation Rules

For Hold’em, PLO, PLO-5, Rush & Cash:

• If the pot size ≥ 30 big blinds, then:

  • 1 big blind is contributed to the jackpot fund.

• In 3-blind tables:

  • If the pot ≥ 30 big blinds, 0.4 big blind is contributed.

• For tables with ≤ 4 seated players, it’s treated as a standard 2-blind table with 1 BB contribution.

For Short Deck:

• If the pot size ≥ 60 button blinds, then 1 button blind is added to the fund.

💪 Final Thoughts

The Bad Beat Jackpot is one of the most rewarding innovations in modern poker. It transforms devastating losses into massive wins and rewards players just for being part of the action. By understanding the exact rules, payout structure, and fund mechanics, you maximize your chances of hitting a once-in-a-lifetime score.

So whether you’re playing Hold’em, PLO, or Rush & Cash, keep your eyes on the pot, don’t fold those quads too soon, and chase that Bad Beat Jackpot like a true pro.

✨ Tip: Always check the latest rules and pool amounts in your poker client before playing.