Those who continue to mine bitcoin on their own seem almost unyielding. For years, the math has been telling them to give up. The hashrate of the major operations, such as Riot, MARA, and others, is expressed in exahashes, a type of number that is difficult to display on a slide. However, on April 2, a single miner validated block 943,411 and took home about $210,000 with a setup smaller than what most data centers waste on cooling fans.
About 230 terahashes per second were being produced by the rig. That’s all. On most dashboards, that share amounts to nothing in a network that is currently estimated to be around one zettahash. The developer of CKpool, Con Kolivas, stated that the daily odds were one in 28,000. When you consider that most people who pursue it for years never see it pay off, it’s the kind of probability that seems almost generous.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Block Number | 943,411 |
| Date Mined | April 2 |
| Reward | 3.139 BTC (~$210,000) |
| Subsidy + Fees | 3.125 BTC subsidy + 0.014 BTC fees |
| Winning Hashrate | ~230 TH/s |
| Share of Network Hashrate | 0.00002% |
| Daily Odds of Finding a Block | 1-in-28,000 |
| Pool Used | solo.ckpool.org |
| Pool Fee | 2% |
| Miner Address | bc1qtt7cr9cxykyp9g4hq47zf5lq9t97cxvq72lun3 |
| CKpool Developer | Con Kolivas |
| CKpool Solo Win Number | 312th |
| Previous CKpool Solo Block | February 28 (33-day gap) |
| Total Solo Blocks (Past 12 Months) | 20 blocks, 62.96 BTC distributed |
Since 2014, the pool itself, solo.ckpool.org, has operated in the background. Anonymous, no frills, a 2% fee, and if you’re fortunate enough to solve a block, you keep the remainder. The victory on Thursday was the first since February 28 and the 312th in its history. A rig that most likely fits in someone’s garage or a corner of a basement somewhere broke the 33-day drought. No one is sure where. That’s a component of the appeal.
The difference with what the rest of the industry was doing that same week is difficult to ignore. Riot Platforms recently revealed that they sold 3,778 BTC in the first quarter, earning nearly $290 million. With the proceeds going toward convertible note buybacks and what appears to be a shift toward AI infrastructure, MARA Holdings sold about 15,133 BTC for about $1.1 billion. On April 1, even Genius Group sold all of its 84.15 BTC holdings. The major players were withdrawing. Just now, the network’s smallest player cleaned up.
It is intriguing because the pattern keeps repeating. Block 927,474 was cracked in December by a 270 TH/s miner for $284,633. A month prior, a miner operating at just 6 TH/s—basically, one aging ASIC, the type that statistically shouldn’t find a block in several human lifetimes—beat odds of 1-in-180 million to win $265,000. Someone allegedly rented cloud hashrate for about $75 in late February, pointed one petahash at CKpool for a few hours, and took $200,000. That one has a hint of mischievousness.
Across the network, solo victories still occur on average every 18.7 days, with the longest dry spell lasting 58 days. Thus, these aren’t exactly freak occurrences. For those who keep their computers plugged in, the fact that they are uncommon but still occur is important. Speaking with anyone who has remained in this area of mining gives the impression that the odds aren’t really the point.
It’s unclear what this miner will do next. Perhaps they purchase additional hardware. Perhaps they cash out and stop using a rig. In any case, the block remains on the chain as a tiny, obstinate reminder that the lottery does occasionally pay out. It’s easy to forget that this is how bitcoin was meant to function from the start when you watch this happen. One machine, one person, one unlikely victory. It doesn’t on most days. Then, occasionally, it does.