A small miner beats the odds
A solo miner using about 161 TH/s solved a Bitcoin block through CKPool Solo on Nov. 11, the pool’s maintainer said. The worker, identified as bc1q…g4m7, earned the block reward and fees. At bitcoin’s price near $73,500, the payout was worth roughly $230,000. CKPool Solo said the miner had about a 1-in-126 chance of finding a block over a year. That is a long shot, but not as long as it sounds.
Why the odds look better than Powerball
Solo mining is often described as a computational lottery. Every 10 minutes, miners get another chance. Large pools like Foundry and Antpool still find most blocks, but independent operators keep a ticket in each round. The CKPool maintainer noted that a 161 TH/s worker has far better annual odds than a Powerball player. Powerball jackpot odds are about 1 in 292.2 million. Across a year of drawings, the gap remains large. I think that contrast explains why these stories keep spreading. The reward is smaller than a top lottery prize, but $230,000 can still change a household’s finances.
Solo blocks keep adding up
The block was not an isolated case. CKPool Solo said it was the 321st block solved through its solo service. The same week, another CKPool Solo participant found block 974930, according to the report. That raised the 2026 total to 38 blocks found by solo miners. The number is small next to the network’s total output, but it is enough to keep home mining in the conversation. New small ASIC devices and solo-focused pools have made it easier for enthusiasts to try. Perhaps not every attempt will pay off, and many will not. Still, each solo block gives the idea fresh attention and a concrete result.
The risk remains real
A 1-in-126 annual chance is not a promise. Most solo miners will spend electricity and hardware costs without ever solving a block. The payout also depends on bitcoin’s price and network fees at the time. For this miner, the result was a rare win. For the broader solo mining crowd, it was another reminder that the odds are poor but not zero.
