Bad Beat Jackpot Rules
- The Bad Beat shall apply to the game of Texas Hold’Em only. “Bad Beat” means a high ranking poker hand that is beat by a higher ranking hand (e.g., Four Fives losing to Four Nines).
- A minimum of five players must be seated and dealt in at the beginning of the hand in order to qualify for the Bad Beat. (Other player minimums may apply.)
- In order for a hand to be eligible to qualify for a Bad Beat, the pot must contain a minimum of $20.
- To qualify for the Primary Bad Beat Jackpot, a player must have that particular week`s qualifying hand, or better, beaten. Every time the Primary Bad Beat Jackpot is hit, the minimum qualifying hand will restart at AAAA (quad Aces). Every 3 weeks the Qualifying hand will drop in strength according the table below.
| Week | Minimum Qualifying Hand |
| 1 | Quad Aces (AAAA) |
| 4 | Quad Kings (KKKK) |
| 7 | Quad Queens (QQQQ) |
| 10 | Quad Jacks (JJJJ) |
| 13 | Quad Tens (TTTT) |
| 16 | Quad Nines (9999) |
| 19 | Quad Eights (8888) |
| 22 | Quad Sevens (7777) |
| 25 | Quad Sixes (6666) |
| 28+ | Quad Fives (5555) |
- The Secondary Bad Beat Jackpot will be awarded any time that a player loses with a hand made up of a minimum Qualifying Hand of AAAKK, any Quads below 5s, or any of the above mentioned qualifying hands, before that particular qualifying hand threshold is met (Example 1: In week 5, the minimum qualifying hand is Quad Kings and a player loses with Quad Nines. Example 2: In week 1, the minimum qualifying hand is Quad Aces and a player loses with AAAKK). The Secondary Bad Beat Jackpot payout will be fixed at $25,000.00.
- If the winning and/or losing player has made a Full house or Four-of-a-Kind, that player must have a pocket pair to qualify (Example 1: if a player has Aces full of Kings, he/she must have a pocket pair of either Aces or Kings. Example 2: if a player has Quad Nines, he/she must have a pocket pair of Nines with two Nines on the board).
- The winning and losing players must use both their hole cards to create the highest possible 5 card hand.
• Each eligible player will be paid out as per rule #14 or #16
- $1 will be removed from each pot according to rules #2 and #3. In order for a hand to be eligible for the Bad Beat Jackpot, the hand must go to a showdown (played to the end, where all cards have been dealt and players have completed betting and show their cards to determine the winner) in order for the jackpot to be awarded.
- On a daily basis, for each $1 collected, a percentage will be added to the Bad Beat Jackpot and the remainder will be held in reserve to replenish the Bad Beat Jackpot, when hit. (Seeding of the Bad Beat Jackpot will be recouped at a rate of 20% of the daily Bad Beat Jackpot drop.) Playground Poker may change the distribution percentages at any time.
- If a hand finishes with three qualifying hands, the lowest hand will only receive a player’s share of the jackpot (e.g., Four Eights, Four Queens and a Queen High Straight Flush are dealt in the same hand).The Bad Beat hand will be the Four Queens and the winning hand will be the Queen High Straight Flush.)
- Players must play their hands independently. Any discussion of the prize during the playing of the hand may void qualification for the Bad Beat Jackpot. If any player, whether directly or indirectly involved in the hand, passes information or instructs another on how to act or reveals his/her hand to other players, the Bad Beat Jackpot will be disqualified.
- Management reserves the right to verify eligibility of all qualifying hands. There will be no recourse if the cards are mucked before surveillance was able to verify the hands and the community cards. Poker management will not be permitted to reconstruct the hands in any way.
- In order to collect any Playground Poker Bad Beat Jackpot payout, government issued identification will be required and a valid Playground Poker Players card.
- Payouts of the Primary Bad Beat Jackpot are as follows:
• 40% of the Bad Beat Jackpot will be awarded to the Bad Beat hand (losing hand)
• 20% of the Bad Beat Jackpot will be awarded to the winner of the hand
• 20% of the Bad Beat Jackpot will be awarded equally to the balance of the players on the table.
• 20% of the Bad Beat Jackpot will be awarded equally among all other cash game players on the floor.
- In the event that no other live games are in play, the 20% dedicated to all other floor players will be withheld and used to replenish the Bad Beat Jackpot.
- Payouts of the Secondary Bad Beat Jackpot are as follows:
• 50% of the Bad Beat Jackpot will be awarded to the Bad Beat hand (losing hand).
• 25% of the Bad Beat Jackpot will be awarded to the winner of the hand.
• 25% of the Bad Beat Jackpot will be awarded equally among the balance of the seated players on the table.
- A player who revokes his/her chips from the game prior to a showdown on a hand where a Bad Beat is won, forfeits his/her right to any prize money.
- A player who walks away from the game, but leaves his/her chips on the table will retain rights to his/her share of the Bad Beat Jackpot if a Bad Beat hand occurs.
- Prizes won are final. No substitution or transfer of prizes permitted.
- Playground Poker reserves the right to delay payment up to 7 days.
- In the rare occurrence of a Bad Beat Jackpot being hit on more than one game at the same time, surveillance will be contacted to determine the actual winner. The jackpot will be distributed on each game according to the percentages set forth in rules #14 and/or #16 above.
- Decisions of the Poker Room Supervisor are final and without recourse.
- In the event of the multiple boards (e.g., running it twice), only the first board shall be valid for the Playground Poker Bad Beat Jackpot.
- 5% of the total Bad Beat Jackpot payouts (Primary or Secondary) will be withheld as staff gratuities.
- Qualifying hands will be reduced at 6pm on their predetermined dates.
- By participating in the Playground Poker Bad Beat Jackpot, winners consent to the use of their names and photographs for promotional purposes without additional compensation.
