Epic bad beat pushes PK 8 carryover past $80K at Big M
At 0h04, on March 13, 2026 • By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
Everyone who has been a lifelong horseplayer has experienced something the track provides a little too often, if you ask them.
The bad beat.
If you heard a noise Saturday (March 7) night at the conclusion of the 10th race at The Meadowlands that sounded like someone groaning in great pain, it might have been the player who was, apparently, on his or her way to cashing in big on the $1 PK 8.
Only to have their big-money dreams crushed.
Had 2-1 favorite Four By Four held on for the victory, that punter would have been the lone winning-ticket holder for the track’s new wager and cashed in for approximately $84,000. That player settled for seven out of eight correct and collected $1,610.00 when Captain Up burst onto the scene late and defeated Four By Four by the smallest of noses.
The wager was placed through 4njbets.com.
“That was a nasty beat,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “And all of us who have played the horses can sympathize. But horseplayers know that’s part of the game. That’s the kind of excitement – or pain – that this wager can create. The PK 8 has the potential for six-figure carryovers, and interest in the PK 8 – as well as the amount of money carrying over – will increase as the PK 8 continues to go unhit.”
When racing resumes Friday night, the PK 8 carryover will stand at $82,301. The wager is offered on races three through 10 nightly.
The eight-leg puzzler is the brainchild of Peter Kleinhans, the renaissance man behind the $1 PK 8 curtain. Kleinhans wanted to find a way to create some buzz at The Big M with the PK 8, and was willing to put his money where his mouth is by seeding the pool with $50,000 of his own green.
The PK 8 debuted on Feb. 6, and was hit the second night it was offered by two players, who each cashed in for $26,543.90. Kleinhans then reached in his pockets to seed the wager again. Since then, the bet has not been hit for seven consecutive offerings.
