Havant man scoops £51,000 at Grosvenor Casino at Gunwharf Quays as 7 others walk away with cash

The casino erupted with excitement on a busy Saturday night, as a National Poker Bad Beat Jackpot of £170,000 was claimed for the first time since February 2025.

Ethan Benfield, from Havant, took home £51,000 with the ‘losing’ hand. The runner-up walked away with £25,500 despite having the stronger hand.

The six other players on the table shared £8,500 between them, whilst the remaining £85,000 was distributed among all active tables across the UK in Grosvenor cardrooms, ensuring a night of shared celebration and unexpected fortune for a total of 417 players.

Speaking about his win, Ethan said: “Winning through a Bad Beat is such a unique experience. It felt surreal, and I plan to invest the majority of my winnings. The atmosphere was fantastic - the entire table was ecstatic. I'm absolutely thrilled and still can't believe this has happened to me.”

A ‘Bad Beat’ in Poker refers to a situation where a player with a significantly stronger hand loses to an opponent who had a weaker hand but managed to improve it to a winning hand by the river, the last community card in Texas Hold'em. This often involves a surprising and a low probability turn of events, resulting in the favoured player losing despite having very strong odds of winning earlier in the hand.

In this particular game, the winning hand was 'Straight Flush', which means having five consecutive cards of the same suit - a very strong hand in Poker.

The losing hand was 'Quad Threes', which means having four of a kind with the rank of three. Despite having an exceptionally strong hand, the player with quad threes was unexpectedly beaten by the player with the straight flush, perfectly illustrating the dramatic nature of Bad Beats.

Tracey Collins, general manager at Grosvenor Casino, said: “We’re absolutely thrilled for Ethan and the runner-up to claim not one but two huge cash prizes as part of the National Bad Beat Jackpot game. The energy in the room was electrifying and made the night unforgettable for all players.

"Moments like these have made Grosvenor Casinos a destination for extraordinary experiences. Lady Luck is shining down on our casino right now with another jackpot winner landing a huge £24,000 cash prize playing Blackjack in the same week. We wish all of our customers the very best fortune when visiting us.”

Play Texas Hold’em Cash Game Poker in one of Grosvenor Casino’s qualifying cardrooms, between 6pm and 6am daily, to be in with a chance of winning a share of the National Bad Beat Jackpot. The jackpot increases weekly, every Thursday at 6pm, until claimed.

Grosvenor Casino Portsmouth Gunwharf Quays offers players a premium gaming and live entertainment experience with state-of-the-art casino games such as Blackjack, Roulette, and Poker.

The casino also features a stylish bar and restaurant, making it a perfect place for those in search of a quality night out and dining experience.