The Lodge Card Club in Round Rock, Texas, made poker history with the Bad Beat Jackpot ever in Texas poker. On Tuesday night, players saw a jackpot of nearly $290,000 drop – the largest ever in the state! It all went down during a $1/$2/$5 pot-limit Omaha game where two players flopped a straight flush. And no, this wasn’t just a regular win or loss. It was the kind of hand poker players dream of… or dread.
The Rules Behind The Bad Beat Jackpot
The Lodge’s Bad Beat Jackpot (BBJ) works a little differently than other card rooms. To win, one player has to lose with quad tens or better in no-limit hold ’em. The jackpot also covers PLO and Big-O games but with stricter rules. For example, the best hand must hit on the flop, and a straight flush must lose to a higher straight flush.
There was almost a big bad beat jackpot earlier last year for $118,000, but the royal flush that hit on the river voided the win. Talk about a buzzkill.
This Time, No Royal Flush Drama
No royal flush to spoil the party this time! The big hand came with a board showing: 3♣, 4♣, 5♣, J♥, 5♥. One player had A♣2♣ K♠6♠ (straight flush), but another had A♦ K♦ 7♣ 6♣, the superior straight flush. The cooler hit, but no one was complaining – especially the losing player.
The BBJ rules mean that the losing player takes home 50% of the jackpot, around $145,000. The winning player pockets 25%, which is about $73,000. The rest is split between everyone else playing at the time.
How The Bad Beat Jackpot Works
What sets The Lodge apart from other poker rooms is how it builds up the bad beat jackpot. Instead of growing from rake (which is illegal in Texas), they add $1,000 each day from their own money. When the jackpot hits $100,000, it resets, and the cycle begins again. Pretty sweet, right?
The video of this historic hand was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Kim Fortini (Stone), a dealer at The Lodge, who learned the news from her husband, Hayden Fortini.
How Does This Stack Up?
While this is a huge win for Texas, it’s not the largest bad-beat jackpot ever. That honour belongs to the $2.6 million (CAD) hit at Playground in Quebec, Canada, in August 2023. But this Texas win still makes a splash! Another massive bad beat for $2.2 million (CAD) happened there last October.
The Bottom Line!
The Lodge is gearing up for some major tournament action, with the Lodge Championship Series kicking off on February 16. It’s going to be a packed schedule, including a $3,000 buy-in Main Event that guarantees a $1 million prize pool. It’s safe to say things are heating up in Round Rock!
So, if you’re in Texas and a poker fan, you’ll want to keep your eyes on The Lodge. With huge jackpots and top-tier tournaments, this poker room is quickly becoming a must-visit destination for players looking for big thrills.
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Picture and Content Courtesy: Poker News
