Massive Bad Beat Jackpot Hit in Atlantic City

A massive bad beat jackpot that was shared between several Atlantic City casinos was hit Thursday, earning one Floridian $163,343.

Sheryl Wallace, who hails from Auburndale, Florida, was playing poker at Caesars Atlantic City Thursday morning, when she found herself staring at a nearly unbeatable hand – a straight flush. But her opponent – John Sweet Jr. of New Jersey – did her one better by showing down a royal flush, shocking Wallace.

But Wallace soon realized that losing that improbable hand may have been the best moment in her poker career. The hand allowed her to win the largest share of the Harrah’s Entertainment Bad Bead Jackpot, which stood at $535,459 at the time it was hit. Wallace took home 30% of the jackpot, while Sweet pocketed 20% -- or $109,797 – for winning the hand.

This jackpot was somewhat unusual, as it was spread over four different Atlantic City casinos: Caesars, Harrah’s Resort, Bally’s and the Showboat. The multi-casino jackpot was introduced on August 24^th, and was hit in just two days.

However, the most unusual aspect of the jackpot was the way the prize money was distributed. While Wallace and Sweet both received sizable prizes, they only combined to take half of the total jackpot. The other half was split, not just among those players at their table, but among all players at the four Atlantic City casinos participating in the jackpot. Given that the jackpot was awarded at 11:16 am on a weekday morning, traffic was naturally light, meaning fewer players took a portion of the jackpot than might normally be expected. In the end, every player playing at a bad beat jackpot eligible table in the poker rooms received an incredible (and unexpected) $2,705 award.

Don Marrandino, Eastern Division President of Harrah’s Entertainment, commented on the first ever awarding of the multi-casino jackpot.

"The combined $535,459.60 payout from Harrah's Resort, Caesars, Bally's and Showboat is one of the largest Bad Beat Jackpots in Atlantic City casino history,” he said. “We look forward to continue to introduce new initiatives to Atlantic City and rewarding the loyal poker players of our four properties."

After the jackpot was hit, it was reset to $100,000. All four casinos seed the jackpot, and all winners at eligible tables are always guaranteed a minimum of $100.