Losing hand still a $378,000 winner
A nearly unbeatable poker hand that finally met its match still turned into a $378,000 win for the Penticton man who held it.
Chaudhary Irshad had four 10s while sitting with seven others at a virtual table on PlayNow.com operated by B.C. Lottery Corporation.
“It was almost impossible to beat quad 10s, and after the turn I raised all-in and felt confident,” Irshad said in a press release.
“I wasn’t expecting a straight flush and expected my opponent to fold.”
But a straight flush it was, meaning Irshad lost the hand. Moments later, though, he got a message telling him he’d down the Bad Beat Jackpot worth $377,948.
“It’s such a huge prize and it hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” said Irshad.
Irshad hasn’t decided what to do with his winnings yet, but he’d like to take his poker buddies on a vacation overseas once travel restrictions are lifted.
Irshad, who played poker on occasion at Cascades Casino Penticton, signed up for his PlayNow.com account one month ago, shortly after B.C. casinos and community gaming centres were temporarily closed under a public health order.
B.C.’s public health officer has said such gambling facilities will be among the last businesses to reopen, because they’re enclosed spaces that appeal to seniors, who are most at risk from COVID-19.
Bad Beat is a progressive jackpot funded by the rake from online poker across the four western provinces. It’s awarded through a complex odds process to players who lose with a hand as good as, or better than, four-ofa-kind with eights.