Teen hits Bad Beat jackpot at UltimateBet
January 31, 2009
An online poker player who signed up for a free UltimateBet account just nine days ago in hopes of winning big like 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth has discovered that losing is just as lucrative. UltimateBet today announced that a 19-year-old online Texas Hold’em player from Canada has won $173,693.20 playing Texas Hold’em at UltimateBet’s Bad Beat Jackpot tables.
QUANTOM47, a 19-year-old Texas Hold’em player from Alliston, Ontario, Canada who registered his UltimateBet account just nine days ago, lost a hand of Texas Hold’em when his Quad Queens were crushed by RUSTY_1’s Royal Flush.
At ordinary Texas Hold’em tables, a loss like that would leave even the most hardened poker player feeling devastated. But at UltimateBet’s Bad Beat Jackpot tables, it’s a completely different story. QUANTOM47 secured $173,693.20 for his loss while RUSTY_1, who dealt the final blow, walked away with $86,796.60. 373 other players who either participated in the hand or were seated at a Bad Beat Jackpot table with the same stakes shared in an additional $86,796.60.
Bad Beat Jackpot is just like traditional Texas Hold’em poker with an added jackpot component. In addition to rake, $0.50 is collected from qualifying poker hands and placed into a constantly growing pot until someone hits the jackpot.
When an online poker player loses a hand with four 8s or anything better, 65% of the jackpot is divided among Bad Beat Jackpot players (25% remains in the pot for the next jackpot and 10% is dedicated towards administrative fees). All players seated at a Bad Beat Jackpot table featuring the same limit and game type as where the bad beat occurred also win a piece of the jackpot.
Since November, UltimateBet has seen its Bad Beat Jackpot skyrocket to near record-breaking levels faster than ever as a result of the online poker site’s significantly expanded player base. Thanks to CEREUS, the poker network that UltimateBet joined late last year in an effort to provide its players with bigger promotions, enhanced features and tighter security, the number of players seated at Bad Beat Jackpot tables has grown significantly.
Winner Crowned at Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship
January 31, 2009
After five very long days, the Borgata Winter Poker Open Championship has finally come to a close.
This $3,000 + $200 event drew 1,017 players, completely crushing the $2 million guarantee on the prize pool and creating a $3+ million prize pool. The closest comparable event was the $3,000 No Limit event at the 2008 WSOP and that event only seated 716 players (John Phan won his first of two bracelets in that event this past summer).
The final 27 players returned to carve up the remaining prize pool on the final day. The departures came rapidly at first as the shorter stacks consolidated. The most famous player remaining, Bill Edler, began the day second in chips and had been playing well, but then departed on a real head-scratcher.
Edler sat in the SB and came over the top of Shawn Pilot’s opening raise. After Pilot moved all in, Edler decided to call off his stack with Js9s rather than dump it, and ran into pocket jacks to finish 18th. At least “the Stunning One” is on the board with a cash for 2009, after going all of 2008 without cashing in a major event.
The other two well-known pros departed soon after. John Myung ran pocket Queens into pocket Kings and ended up finishing 16th ($18,306). Andrew Barta was out the door right behind him, finishing 14th for $28,984.
Thirteen hours after they started, Steven Weinstein of Andes, NY, came out on top, earning $658,405.
