A heart-stopping hand at Playground Poker Club in Quebec delivered one of the craziest moments in live poker this year when a straight flush lost to a better straight flush, igniting a room-wide celebration and a massive $1.6 million CAD Bad Beat Jackpot payout on October 13.
Record-Breaking Cooler at $1/$2 Tables
It all happened just before midnight in a $1/$2 no-limit hold’em cash game. Play ground to a halt at 11:59 p.m. as two unsuspecting players revealed nearly identical monsters—both holding straight flushes that qualified for the jackpot. According to Assistant Director of Poker Operations Andrew Johnson, the prize pool had grown to $1,595,087 when the unbelievable hand unfolded.
The Hand That Shocked the Room
Bill K. and Darin H. went head-to-head on a board showing 4♦5♣6♣7♣. Darin held 9♣8♣, while Bill tabled 4♣3♣, both using both hole cards, as required by Playground’s bad beat rules. The turn card sealed their fate: both players hit straight flushes, but Darin’s higher one took the pot while Bill suffered the “bad beat” of a lifetime—and ultimately the biggest win of his poker career.
Life-Changing Payouts for the Table
Bill’s heartbreak came with a silver lining. As the losing hand, he’s set to collect the lion’s share of the jackpot, pocketing 40%—around $640,000 CAD. Darin, the winner of the hand, will take home 20%, roughly $320,000. The remaining 40% will be distributed among the rest of the table and players seated across other live games in the room. Final payouts will be confirmed once Playground completes its verification review.
Playground’s Legacy of Legendary Jackpots
Playground Poker Club has a long history of massive jackpot events. The venue made headlines in August 2023 with a record-breaking $2.6 million CAD Bad Beat Jackpot when four of a kind lost to a straight flush, also during a $1/$2 cash game.
Following this latest payout, the Bad Beat Jackpot has been reset to just under $170,000, with quad aces now as the minimum qualifying hand. The Montreal-area poker hotspot continues to attract players from all over the world with its high-stakes action and major events, including stops on the World Poker Tour.
As another unforgettable cooler joins the record books, Playground once again proves why it’s one of the most exciting poker rooms anywhere on the planet.
