Southern California’s first Mega Share Bad Beat Jackpot just hit at $208, 085 late Friday night, paying off 30 percent of the jackpot ($62,501.00) to the losing hand of four queens to Monique Tolentino of Murrieta.

The royal flush held by Perry Panno may have won the pot, but took second in the jackpot payoff, with 20 percent or $41,617.  Such is the nature of a “Bad Beat” jackpot, where the losing hand wins. In the Pechanga Poker Room, it took beating quad tens or better to trigger.

When the high hands were declared, there are two qualifying rules that come into play: both the winning and losing hands must play their two hole cards, with the board playing first. In this instance four queens (Qc,Qd,Qh,Qs,Ac) was beaten out by nothing less than a royal flush of clubs (10c, Jc, Qc, Kc, Ac). It is a requirement of the jackpot trigger to use both hole cards for each hand, which they were in this instance.

The other six players at the table shared 30 percent ($62,426) of the jackpot, or  $10,404 per seat. In addition, all 183 active Texas Hold’em players in the room took home a combined 20 percent ($41,541) of the jackpot, or $227 per seat.

The Pechanga Mega Share Bad Beat Jackpot is funded by a portion of a $1 promotional drop per hand in all live Texas Hold’em games. Thus, the Mega Share Bad Beat Jackpot increases with every Texas Hold’em hand and has now been reset to $93,453. However, in order to increase players’ chances of winning, the jackpot will begin a new tier system, whereby as each ten thousand dollars is added to the jackpot, the hand qualifier reduces by one (i.e. – quad 7’s, quad 6’s etc.) until any four-of-a-kind qualifies at $130,000. 

Southern California’s first Mega Share Bad Beat Jackpot is about to hit $100,000 in the Pechanga Poker Room, meaning that, for once, losing a hand in poker will net someone a huge payday.

You can watch the jackpot continue to rise in realtime on the Poker Room’s website.

When this progressive poker jackpot hits, every active Texas Hold’em player in the Pechanga Poker Room will take home a share of the winnings. The jackpot should hit $100,000 by this weekend. Two lucky players will trip the ‘Mega Share Bad Beat Jackpot’ when quad 10’s or better are beaten.

When the high hands are declared, there are two qualifying rules that come into play: both the winning and losing hands must play their two hole cards, with the board playing first. For example, the board shows 10 Spades, 10 Clubs, 10 Hearts, King Hearts, and Queen Hearts. If a player’s hole cards are 10 Diamond and Ace Spades, it is a qualified hand with quad 10’s and an Ace kicker. However, if the player’s hole cards are 10 Diamond and King Diamond, it is not a qualified hand, because the board’s King plays before the player’s hole King and thus, both of the player’s hole cards are not played. This qualifying hand must then be beaten by a better hand (four of a kind face or ace, straight flush or royal flush) in which both hole cards are played as well.

Having a winning hand is every poker player’s goal, but losing to a lesser hand is known as a “Bad Beat”. With a Bad Beat in play, the winning hand will claim the table’s pot, but will not get the majority share of the jackpot. Instead, the lesser hand will take home 30%, with the winning hand only receiving 20%. The next 30% of the jackpot will be split among the remaining active players at the winning table. The final 20% will be divided by the number of Pechanga Hold’em players who were actively playing live games during the winning hand.

The Pechanga Mega Share Bad Beat Jackpot is funded by a portion of a $1 promotional drop per hand in all live Texas Hold’em games. Thus, the Mega Share Bad Beat Jackpot increases with every Texas Hold’em hand and should exceed $100,000 by this weekend.

The Pechanga Poker Room is an expansive 12,000 square foot gaming floor with 54 tables offering live and tournament play daily. The Poker Room is located on the top level, directly above the Round Bar and away from the busy casino floor. The room features four 103-inch plasma TVs, 17 40-inch LCD TVs, and a three-screen LED Jumbotron. The players’ experience is further enhanced by the smoke-free environment, a conveniently located cashier, as well as tableside food and beverage service.