What is Bad Beat Jackpot?

A bad beat jackpot is a poker promotion that pays out when a very strong hand loses to a stronger one — typically quad eights or better beaten at showdown. It is funded by a small extra rake taken from qualifying pots, so the players build it themselves. That matters when judging the offer: the jackpot is not free money added by the room, it is money already taken from the table and held back for a rare event. Whether it is good value depends on how the payout is split, since most schemes pay the loser the largest share, the winner a smaller one and the rest of the table a fraction each. Qualification rules are strict and worth reading before assuming a hand counts. Most require both hole cards to play.