San Antonio Poker Palace has caused outrage on social media after refusing to pay out a $100,000 bad beat jackpot on a minor technicality.
Cedrric Trevino, a poker pro from Texas, reposted the management’s reasoning for withholding the prize and, unsurprisingly, the card room was castigated for its decision.
Texas Poker Room Wriggles Out of Bad Beat Jackpot Payment on a Technicality
So apparently yesterday a bad beat jack pot hit in San Antonio for $100k but was not paid out. Here is why the cardroom said it was nullified:
What do you think 🤔???
Apparently it wasn’t a badbeat just a #SADbeat #poker pic.twitter.com/dKziYLjIjD
— Cedrric Trevino (@Poker_Traveler) April 7, 2023
The hand was a straight flush against quads, a confrontation that would usually trigger any poker bad beat jackpot. The problem for the disgruntled players is that there are rules in place to ensure that any such hand plays out naturally.
In this case, one of the rules is that if any player exposes their hole cards before betting is complete, the hand is not eligible for the bad beat jackpot.
— Cedrric Trevino (@Poker_Traveler) April 7, 2023
The video above shows the player with the straight flush appearing to show his hand before his opponent makes the call.
Did San Antonio Poker Palace Make a Shady Move?
We all know that rules must be adhered to, but did San Antonio Poker Palace make a shady move to avoid paying out the bad beat jackpot?
The player holding quads only had to make a call of $10 more to see a showdown, making it unrealistic that he would ever fold.
The hand would play out exactly the same way regardless of any player exposing their cards, leaving poker players under no illusion that this decision was an opportunistic move to save the money.
One poster tweeted:
“The losing hand is never folding river for $10 more, you can even see he makes forward motion as the player in SB tables his hand, almost in unison. In what world is this player ever folding? He’s only inches away from crossing the line as other player tables his hand, in motion.”
“This casino cheated these players out of $100k”
Former poker pro Alex Jacob was scathing in his post:
“People dream up elaborate poker cheating conspiracies but this is how they really get you. This casino cheated these players out of $100k. Don’t offer a jackpot like this if you’re gonna weasel out of it when someone actually gets four of a kind vs. a straight flush. Shameful.”
This isn’t a good look for the live poker industry in Texas. For the last year, law enforcement has been cracking down in some counties, claiming that poker clubs cannot operate legally in the state.
Negative press such as this case will only serve to harm the industry as a whole, potentially putting live poker in the Lone Star state at risk.
- Get the best rakeback deals
- View all poker strategy articles
- View the latest poker news
- Watch more poker videos
- Get the biggest poker bonus
- Watch the best Twitch Poker streamers
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Please gamble responsibly! Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, visit www.begambleaware.org
