One Vegas chain says that a hand that does not win is not a loss.

 A Vegas chain has a rule that holding a great hand but not winning is not a complete loss.

Bad beats, and the stories that go with them, are to poker players like "the one that got away” is to fishermen. These are basically hard-luck situations that lend themselves to colorful yarns, even if they're sometimes tiresome.

Bad beats happen when an extraordinarily good hand ends up losing to an even greater one. The loss is more painful when it happens on a final lucky card.

Anyone who was able to watch the World Series of Poker main events on TV witnessed Jennifer Harman (one of the best female players in poker) lose an early game of No-limit Texas Hold'em.

Harman was the owner of a pair of queens that included the queen-of-diamonds. Her opponent had the 8-9, both with diamonds. Harman had three queens, both diamonds and the 8-9 after the turn. This improved to a full-house, queens, and 10s after the turn of the fourth community card.

With the 10 and jack diamonds at the table, her opponent only had one chance to win: the 7 of diamonds. He won it on the river, which is the final community card, naturally since this is a bad beat story. Harman never recovered.

It made for great TV, as Harman's antagonist Cory Zeidman behaved like he might have been beaten before turning the straight flush.

You can't help but be surrounded by card players for long periods of time, and you will hear all the bad beat stories.

However, not all bad beats have to be bad.

Many online poker Web sites and casinos offer bad beat bonuses. These are rewards for being victims. These bonuses are calculated based on a hand with a lower limit, such as four jacks. Any player who loses with four jacks will be eligible for a bonus. Of course, the actual pot winner often shares in the bonus. Sometimes the whole table is cut in.

Station Casinos, Las Vegas, has one of the best bad beat bonus systems.

Station has a network of casinos called "locals' that caters to local residents rather than casual tourists. It is not possible to find the Las Vegas Strip from gambling halls like Texas Station or Boulder Station. Station opened the Green Valley Ranch Resort, a luxury resort located in Henderson's suburbs, a few years ago. The Red Rock resort in Summerlin will open in April.

Station Casinos Jumbo Hold 'em Bad Beat Jackpot has two significant differences. First, the progressive prize starts at $100,000 and grows incrementally every day. It also shares the bonus with everyone who plays Texas Hold'em at one the six Station Casinos.

It is possible to play at Green Valley Ranch, a 10 minute drive southeast of Las Vegas, while someone at Palace Station loses four queens to a straight flush. You then collect several hundred dollars, or more, perhaps even a thousand.

Every week, the bonus threshold is lowered one notch. The cycle starts off with four 10, then drops down to four 9s and so forth. The bad beat victim receives $35,000 and the winner of that hand gets $20,000; all other players share the remainder.

Weldon Russ, Station Casinos director of ancillary, stated that big-screen TVs are installed in every casino's poker room to alert players when bad news is coming.

Russell said, "The Jaws music plays." "Then, the supervisor checks with surveillance. Finally, the numbers come in. They all go wild when the celebratory music starts. It's quite cool when it hits.

The Station Jumbo Bad Beat Jackpot was the biggest, at $418,000. In December, it was worth more than $418,000 and the threshold was full.

The 5-high straight flush lost to the 7-high straight flush, which tripped on the jackpot. At 4 a.m., the bad beat took place and there were 263 participants. Each participant pocketed $1.373.

Russell claimed that the largest player share was $2,600. There were fewer participants than usual for this one. And the smallest was $300. It is more common to get $600.

The bad beat jackpot is funded through a special rake. This refers to the small amount that the casino takes out from most pots. It represents the house’s commission for playing the game. The bonus' maximum rake is $1 per eligible pot.

Although it is possible for players to discuss a hand while the game is still in progress, it is possible that some might change their betting strategy. One example is someone who has a qualifying hand but also considers the possibility of a better hand on the board and might decide to stop pushing the wagering so that the draw hands don't go down to the river.

Whatever the circumstances, however, a player who gets four of a sort and then has a straight flush, while still collecting a five-figure bonus, will be happy to continue that bad beat story for many years. No Limit - What is a Bad Beat?