Microgaming has announced that the MPN (which was formerly known as the Microgaming Poker Network) Bad Beat Jackpot is currently standing at its highest value of over € 793,000. The Bad Beat Jackpot is now the second largest in online poker history.
The Bad Beat Jackpot is also due to be overhauled as from 19th March, 2013. The MPN system gives players at any €0.10 / €0.20 or Higher Hold’em table an opportunity to opt in and out of the promotion at any time they wish whereas they were previously required to sit at designated Bad Beat Jackpot tables. Participating players in the network-wide jackpot are required to pay 2 cents per hand to opt in and the payouts extend to all those players who have opted in across that stake.
Included in the changes is the fact that the jackpot can be triggered by any four of a kind beaten on condition that both hole cards are used. Even if both players involved in the winning hand have not opted in the jackpot can be triggered without any administration fee taken from the jackpot.
According to Lydia Melton, head of network games at Microgaming, the new trend in the industry has been to remove jackpots permanently. Melton added that this is a shame as Poker is a game of skill and even poker players enjoy a shot at a jackpot prize occasionally.
Steve Cutler, head of poker at MPN licensee, Unibet said that although Bad Beat Jackpots have proved to be a powerful acquisition tool, it has restricted the Bad Beat pool to particular tables which can diminish its value and result in split liquidity and less frequent payouts. By offering a Bad Beat payday on all their tables, Cutler hopes to significantly enhance their offering and increase their players’ satisfaction and lifetime.
