The Bad Beat Jackpot at the Chico Poker Network was hit at around 3:05 p.m. ET on Jan. 7, 2018. It had been growing since July 21, 2017 when it last paid out. Over the months since that time, the prize pool increased until it topped $990K, of which $621,125.77 was just handed out to the lucky winners. The largest recipient of this windfall was “Tyrant,” who walked away $273,382.82 richer after his quad jacks lost at showdown. “pokerplayer4ever” received the second-largest share, consisting of $149,018.49, when his Q-high straight flush prevailed. Chico Network provides online poker to the USA, Canada, and Australia.

About the Hand

The action unfolded at a 6-max $1/$2 No Limit Hold'em BBJ table. “Tyrant” opened the pot with a raise to $5 preflop, and then “pokerplayer4ever” three-bet to $18. Everyone else folded, and “Tyrant” called. The flop was dealt:

8♦ 9♦ J♦

“Tyrant” check-called a $10.17 bet from his adversary. The 4♦ turn froze the action, and both players checked. On the river, the J♥ fell. “Tyrant” once again checked, but “pokerplayer4ever” jammed his whole stack in the middle for $179.22, a massive overbet. “Tyrant” called off his last $171.83, and the hands were shown:

pokerplayer4ever: Q♦ T♦

Tyrant: J♠ J♣

“pokerplayer4ever” had flopped the winning straight flush while “Tyrant” caught his monster, yet still second-best, four of a kind jacks on the river.

“Tyrant” Picks up $273K+ From the CPN Bad Beat Jackpot



“Tyrant” Picks up $273K+ From the CPN Bad Beat Jackpot

We have obtained a copy of the bad beat jackpot playing out in its entirety. You can watch it here on YouTube.

Detailed Payout Information

As we already mentioned, “Tyrant“ took home $273,382.82 for his “losing” hand, corresponding to 27.5% of the jackpot total, while “pokerplayer4ever” collected $149,018.49, a sum equal to 15% of the pot. Two others at the table were entitled to split up another 15%, and each of these players scored $74,509.25 apiece: “matter1734” and “shara02.” This lineup accounts for only four seats at this six-person table, but the two other spots weren't vacant. They were occupied by the hapless “(seven)” and “Bimaxa,” who forfeited their opportunity for a big payday by sitting out during the critical hand and therefore not being dealt cards. Talk about an expensive bathroom break! Even those who weren't present at the fateful table got to split up 5% of the pool as long as they were seated at Bad Beat Jackpot tables. 83 lucky individuals fell into this category, and they each got $598.87. A 27.5% portion of the total prize pool, or $273,641.64, was held back to start up a new Bad Beat Jackpot while 10% was retained by the house for administrative costs.

How Does the Chico BBJ Work?

The Bad Beat Jackpot at the Chico Poker Network (Sportsbetting.ag, TigerGaming, and BetOnline) is active only at specially marked tables that have a star next to them. Only games of $0.50/$1.00 NLHE and higher participate in this promotion. A special rake of $0.10 is extracted for every $4 in any pot at these tables, and this is the mechanism by which the BBJ is funded. However, this additional drop is capped at a maximum $0.50 per hand.

The Lobby at SB.ag, Showing the Current BBJ Amount



The Lobby at SB.ag, Showing the Current BBJ Amount

In order for a hand to trigger the jackpot, at least four players must have been dealt into the hand. Quad jacks or better must go to showdown and lose, and both the winner and loser have to use both of their hole cards in composing their final five-card poker hands.

Historical Online Poker Bad Beat Jackpots

The $990K+ contained in the recently struck Chico Poker Network Bad Beat Jackpot is larger than the average such payout, but there have been several bigger ones over the years.

On July 27, 2011, the jackpot at the Boss Media network was activated at the astonishing sum of €1,265,583.34 (worth more than $1.8 million US dollars at the time). It was player “OmgoMgomGo” from the PokerHeaven network skin who collected the top prize of €442,954 (approximately $636,000) when his quad kings lost to quad aces. Upon winning the jackpot, this quote went out in the following promotional media blitz:

“WOOOOOOOOW!! I had KK and all the money went in pre-flop. Once I hit my quads and saw the second Ace come on the river I was hoping that my opponent had hit their 1 outer! When I realised it had happened I was so happy, I still cannot believe it! The atmosphere at the table when it hit was great and I would like to thank all of the players and the staff for their best wishes. As for what I am going to do with the cash, I am planning to buy a house, a car and will certainly be partying hard.” -- OmgoMgomGo

Prior to that, the most lucrative online poker bad beat jackpot ever paid out was the $1.2 million pot that was awarded at the Merge Gaming Network on Feb. 13, 2009. “RUGGIO” took a jack-high straight flush to showdown – only to discover that he was bested by a king-high straight flush! As a result of this “misfortune,” he picked up $417,396 in cash winnings.

The Second-Largest Online Bad Beat Payout Ever at the Merge Network



The Second-Largest Online Bad Beat Payout Ever at the Merge Network

Will You be the Next Jackpot Winner?

There's no telling when or where the Chico Poker Network's Bad Beat Jackpot will hit next, but you don't stand a chance of winning it unless you play. While you're waiting to strike it rich, there are a number of offers for you to benefit from, including a 100% up to $2,500 poker bonus on your first deposit. This bonus clears at a 33% effective rakeback rate. To find out more about the perks of playing at the CPN, consult our reviews of the sites housed within it: Sportsbetting.ag review | TigerGaming review (non-US) | BetOnline review