Texas Poker Room Declines to Payout $100K Bad Beat Poker Jackpot

Summary:

• The San Antonio Poker Palace did not award a bad beat jackpot due to a technicality
• One player broke the rules by showing his cards while the action was ongoing
• Some members of the poker community think the poker room should have paid out the $100K jackpot

A massive $100,000 bad beat jackpot was hit last week at a poker room in US, Texas but the management opted not to award the prize after one player violated the rules.

The decision drew mixed reactions from the poker community, with some saying the jackpot should have been paid out.

One Player Blew It

The poker room in question, the San Antonio Poker Palace, is firm in its decision to nullify the $100K jackpot. In a post on social media, the poker club’s co-owner explained why the bad beat jackpot turned out invalid. The explanation was accompanied by a video showing what transpired during the hand.

The player holding the straight flush showed his cards while the action was still ongoing. The losing player did not say call verbally or with motion and only found out he lost and pushed his chips in the pot after seeing the exposed cards.

Exposing your cards before all action was complete would nullify a bad beat jackpot. This is one of the most important rules implemented by poker rooms offering bad beat jackpots.

At the San Antonio Poker Palace, this particular policy is listed as Rule #6.

So technically, the San Antonio Poker Palace was right in its decision not to distribute the $100K prize.

Poker Community Reacts

Many of those who watched the video support the poker room, saying the player with the poker hand of a straight flush clearly broke the rules and the entire table must accept the consequences. It was unfortunate, but the poker room made the right call.

While some players agree that rules are rules, many are left disappointed with the poker room’s decision. Their main argument is that the losing player who had four-of-a-kind would have called the all-in bet regardless. Some also noticed that the player with quads made a forward motion suggesting that he would call.

Former poker pro Alex Jacob also chimed in on the conversation, criticizing the San Antonio Poker Palace for using technicalities as a way to cheat on their players. One Twitter user also said that’s how casinos do their thing – “the house always wins“. Others said the affected players should sue the poker club for declining the payout.

Under the poker room’s bad beat jackpot rules, the $100K jackpot is triggered when aces full of kings or better lose. The losing player gets $50K, while the player with the winning hand takes home $25K. The remaining $25K is shared by the other players at the table.