Bad beat jackpots are loved by some and hated by others. The central issue in the debate is whether or not it’s worth paying an extra $0.50 worth of rake in every pot for a chance to win a cash prize that can be worth half a million dollars or more. Serious poker players will usually tell you that bad beat jackpots are a rip-off, while casual players will often tell you that it’s worth paying a little extra rake.
The answer to the question really depends on why you play poker. If you meticulously track your win rate and try to bring money home on a regular basis, bad beat jackpot tables are a bad deal. The extra rake that you pay can add up quickly – especially if you put in any serious volume.
If you are a casual poker player and just want to have a little fun, bad beat jackpot tables are perfectly fine. You will pay extra rake just like everyone else, but that’s just the cost of gambling it up. In that sense, bad beat jackpots at the poker table are no different than progressive jackpots at other gambling games.
Personally, I try to avoid bad beat jackpots when possible. I like the idea of winning a big jackpot, but the odds of that happening are just too low. The extra $0.50 in rake would hurt my win rate and I would probably never get anything to show for it.
However, bad beat jackpot tables do have one redeeming quality: they attract fishy players. When the jackpot reaches $300K or more, you’ll start to see more fish move over to the BBJ tables. I have no problem following the fish over there for a while and trying to win some easy money. While all the other skilled players are sitting at their regular tables, I’m happily playing with the easiest competition at that poker site. And besides, I just might win that BBJ if I’m lucky.
Best Bad Beat Jackpot Poker Sites
The Merge Gaming Network has some of the largest regular bad beat jackpots. I’ve seen the jackpot go over a million dollars in the past. Two great Merge Gaming sites include the following:
Both Carbon Poker and Lock Poker are open to players from the United States. If you live outside the United States, Party Poker also has a pretty nice bad beat jackpot.
