Key Highlights
- A small 70 TH/s hobbyist Bitcoin miner (roughly the power of 1–2 older ASIC units) solved an entire block solo via CKPool’s EU service on April 9, 2026 (block height 944,306), earning roughly $222,000 (3.13 BTC) after the pool’s 2% fee.
- With the global Bitcoin network hashrate around 1 ZH/s (1,000,000,000 TH/s), this 70 TH/s setup faced roughly 1-in-100,000 daily odds of finding a block — equivalent to winning once every ~300 years on average.
- Despite industrial-scale mining farms dominating the network, CKPool’s solo mining allows anyone to point their hardware at eusolo.ckpool.org, use their own Bitcoin address as username, and keep the full block reward (minus 2% fee) if they win.
A small Bitcoin miner operating just 70 terahashes per second (TH/s) of computing power has pulled off one of the most improbable wins in the industry, solving an entire block through CKPool’s EU solo service and walking away with roughly $222,000 in rewards.
The block, mined on April 9, 2026 at the height of 944,306—marks the 313th solo block found on CKPool since the software launched in 2014.
Developer Con Kolivas shared the finding on X, highlighting the miner’s address (starting bc1q~edvj) and the staggering odds. The setup of that size faces roughly a 1-in-100,000 chance of finding a block on any given day, or about once every 300 years on average.
Block data from mempool.space confirms the details. The block carried the standard 3.125 BTC subsidy plus a small amount of transaction fees, totaling around 3.13 BTC before the pool’s 2% fee. At current Bitcoin prices near $71,000, that payout lands in the neighborhood of $222,000.
What makes this story stand out is the scale—or lack of it. Merely 70TH/s represents a modest home or hobbyist rig, equivalent to perhaps one or two older-generation ASIC miners.
In a network where total hashrate hovers around 1 zettahash (ZH/s) per second (1,000,000,000 TH/s), this miner controlled a tiny fraction of the global power. Yet the decentralized nature of proof-of-work means any valid hash can win, no matter how small the contributor.
How solo mining works on CKPool
Solo mining flips the usual pooled approach on its head. In traditional pools, thousands of miners combine their hashrate and share rewards proportionally.
Here, participants point their hardware at solo.ckpool.org (or the EU variant, eusolo.ckpool.org) and keep any full block they find for themselves—minus the modest 2% fee that covers the service’s operation. No registration, no shared payouts, and no pool operator taking a cut of your coins beyond that fee.
The setup is straightforward for anyone with compatible ASIC hardware:
- Point your miner’s stratum settings to the pool address (for EU: eusolo.ckpool.org:3333).
- Use your Bitcoin wallet address as the username.
- Add a worker name if desired for tracking.
The pool handles the connection to the Bitcoin network, so participants do not need to run their own full node. Shares submitted provide feedback on rig’s performance, but it does not affect actual odds of winning a block—those depend purely on hashrate relative to the network difficulty.
Kolivas, the Australian developer behind cgminer and CKPool, has long positioned the service as a no-frills option for those who want the pure lottery ticket of solo mining without the hassle of maintaining infrastructure. The pool has now delivered 313 such independent wins, proving repeatedly that small players can still hit paydirt.
The reality of the odds
Success stories like this one spark excitement, but they also highlight the long-shot math. A 70 TH/s rig might expect to find a block once every few centuries under current network conditions. Recent solo wins on CKPool have come from rigs in the 230–270 TH/s range, still tiny by industrial standards but with slightly better (though still remote) daily odds around 1 in 28,000.
For context, larger operations dominate the network, yet the protocol neglects the size—only about producing a hash below the target difficulty. That randomness keeps the door cracked open for hobbyists, tinkerers running a few Antminers in a garage, or even experimental low-power setups.
Electricity costs, hardware depreciation, and cooling still apply, so most small miners treat solo efforts as a side hobby rather than a business plan.
The occasional headline-grabbing payout, however, reminds everyone why some persist: the upside is uncapped, and the full reward (subsidy plus fees) goes to the finder.
This latest win adds another chapter to the lore of CKPool’s solo miners. In an era of massive mining farms and industrialized hashrate, it’s a reminder that Bitcoin’s design still allows the little guy a genuine, if statistically brutal, shot at the jackpot.
The miner in question has likely already received the payout to their specified address, turning months or years of running hardware into a life-changing score.
Also read: The 620,000 Bitcoin Blunder: Bithumb Turns to Courts to Claw Back Remaining BTC
