Poker is one of the most popular casino games played at online casinos. Although the game itself is enjoyable and makes for hours of good entertainment, average players find this a difficult game to win. This is especially true when they are matched against players who are skilled at this game or have a number of years of experience playing it. If you are losing game after game of poker at your online casino, then you can turn this ‘bad beat’ around by participating in a ‘bad beat’ jackpot.If your interested in playing on your phone, have a look at our list of iPhone poker sites here.
What is a ‘Bad Beat’ Jackpot?
A ‘bad beat’ jackpot is one that is awarded to a poker player who, in spite of having a strong hand, loses to another with an even stronger one. Remember that not all poker games come with this kind of jackpot, nor do all casinos offer them.
Some conditions have to be met for your losing hand to qualify for the bad beat jackpot. The various casinos that offer such jackpots may have different conditions for this prize. For example, at PartyPoker, if you lose in a hand where you have four 8′s or better, you qualify for the bad beat jackpot.
Why do Casinos Offer Bad Beat Jackpots?
Most players visit online casinos to have an enjoyable time playing their favorite games. Some also play at online casinos because of the lure of winning big money. That is why when such players, who have a hand that seems to have the winning combination of cards, feel very disappointed when overtaken by someone with an even better hand. The online casino knows that such disappointments can put players off gaming that is why they offer bad beat jackpots as a way of giving such losing hands a sporting chance at winning another prize – the bad beat jackpot.
Different casinos may have different ways of distributing the jackpot when a losing hand matches the bad beat combination. For example, at LockPoker, the bad beat player gets the largest chunk of the jackpot while the player with the winning hand gets half of this amount. Every player at Lock Poker’s bad beat game table also gets a $1000 prize. In most other casinos, all players at a bad beat jackpot table do stand to win some portion of the jackpot.
How is the Bad Beat Jackpot Built?
Casinos typically add a small share from every qualifying hand played at the table to the bad beat jackpot in addition to the regular rake. For instance, a 50 cent share is taken out of every hand at the bad beat table when you play at PartyPoker. This makes these jackpots progressive, meaning that the longer the gap between wins, the bigger the jackpot grows. When a player at this table loses the game but has the qualifying card combination, he can win a large portion of this progressive jackpot.
If you are an average poker player who wants to enjoy the game, but fears losing big to more skilled players at your table, then choose a bad beat jackpot to participate in. When you come close to winning, but lose to a better hand, you can still walk away with some prize money to assuage your disappointment.
