Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Poker player’s losing hand turns out to be a winner for everyone

For the second time since Caesars Entertainment rolled out a promotion that favors losing poker hands, a player at Planet Hollywood has triggered a six-figure jackpot.

Four kings brought home a split pot of $914,000 for 107 poker players across Las Vegas. This is the second time the jackpot has hit at Planet Hollywood since since the progressive game's January launch.

Shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday, Jungok “Sarah” Whang pulled pocket aces to Germany native Robert Kopke’s pocket kings.

Both Whang and Kopke went all in before the flop: Ace, King, Ace.

The dealer’s turn was a king and the room reportedly erupted. Whang technically won the hand, but Kopke’s four kings unlocked the Mega Beat Progressive Poker Jackpot.

The jackpot awards both the losing and winning hands, as well as all players sitting in participating Caesars poker rooms.

Kopke’s loss triggered a win of more than $5,000 for 107 players, who split $914,474. Of that jackpot, Kopke won $182,952, Whang won $91,447, while all other players took home $5,982 for being in the right place at the right time.

Whang, whose husband was on his way to the poker tables and just missed out on the jackpot, said she plans to funnel the dough into a retirement home.

Kopke’s plans are more short term: he plans to use his winning to enjoy Las Vegas even more than he had planned.

HOW MEGA BEAT WORKS:

The progressive starts at $200,000, and four aces is the minimum losing hand needed to trigger the jackpot. For every $100,000 tacked onto the jackpot, the trigger hand decreases by a card. At $300,000, the lowest losing trigger hand is four kings, while at $400,000, it’s four queens.)

When the jackpot pushed past $1.4 million, four deuces will trigger a win. The loser then wins 20 percent, the winner pulls 10 percent, while everyone playing at other poker tables at Caesars casinos splits the rest.

A player who has folded is even eligible if he or she has paid the blind.

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