Bad-beat jackpot

Also: BBJ, jackpot drop

A progressive prize funded by a small extra drop from each pot, paid out when a very strong hand — typically quad eights or better — loses at showdown. The loser takes the biggest share, the winner of the hand the next, and the rest of the table splits the remainder. Popular in North American card rooms, where jackpots often exceed $1 million.

Example. Playground's bad-beat jackpot stood above CA$1 million in September 2026.

Related terms

Full glossary

Bad beat

Losing a hand in which you were a heavy favourite when the money went in. Many rooms run a bad beat jackpot th…

Quads

Four of a kind. It is beaten only by a straight flush, and many cardrooms pay a bad-beat jackpot when quads or…

Rake

The venue's cut. In cash games a small percentage is taken from each pot, capped at a fixed amount; in tournam…

Bomb pot

A cash-game hand where every player posts a fixed ante, there is no pre-flop betting, and the flop is dealt st…

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