What is Poker Bad Beat & Bad Beat Jackpot?

With a surge in the popularity of poker game, both online and in cardrooms, hundreds of new participants fall down the game each day. Today, no poker lover is untouched from ‘bad beats’ and that is what make the game a ‘great game’. Bad beats take place because there is indeed a luck element in game. The hand which is irresistible ‘favorite’ to take the pot down before river, turn, or flop, is just ‘favorite’. Odds and probabilities do not assure results.

In essence, bad beats in poker are required to hold the interest of new players and keep the money carried by them to tables. In any case, nobody would wish to play poker if they did not have odds to defeat more experienced participants on any day. Also, keep the fact in mind that skills do prevail over ‘luck’ in long term, because if they did not, there would not be so many skilled poker players.

What is poker bad beat?

Poker bad beat is the ‘hand’ in which a participant with what seems to be strong card however loses. This situation most often happens when you bet on an apparently strong hand, and your opponent makes ‘poor call’ that eventually wins or hits. Typically, there is no agreement among poker participants as to what constitutes ‘bad beat’, and so they will conflict regarding whether or not the hand was ‘bad beat’.

Common Bad Beats types

Almost any hand which appeared favorite to ‘win’ may end-up losing when other cards are played, but usually bad beats include one of below given two scenarios.

1. The participant who wins through ‘bad beat’ is rewarded for precisely unsound play. ‘Calling’ a bet regardless of having neither accurate pot odds nor best hand, then, winning is trait of this bad beat type. It may also incorporate substandard hand catching cards when 2 cards in row are required to appear from behind. For instance, catching the cards on both river and turn in Texas Holdem game that completes a flush or a straight.
2. A strong-hand loses to stronger hand.

Some online poker rooms show statistical details to illustrate the uncertainty of hands created.

Bad-Beat Jackpot

A bad-beat jackpot is paid when adequately strong-hand is drawn and loses to stronger hand shown by another participant. Not all games proffer such jackpots, and the games that offer do have certain prerequisites for how powerful the losing-hand should be to be eligible for jackpot. Bad-beat jackpots are often progressive, usually with ‘small rake’ being taken from every pot to support the prize. When the jackpot is announced, it is often split among the participants sitting at table during the game, with losing-hand receiving biggest amount followed by winning-hand. In general, only the most appropriate losing-hand is entitled to largest share of prize amount, even if other hand qualifies.  

The major purpose of bad-beat jackpot, to a degree, is to improve customer relationships by mitigating the emotional blow, and support even more aggressive game play.