Solo Bitcoin Miner Lands $222K Reward With One Machine And Long-Shot Odds

TLDR

• A solo Bitcoin miner solved block 944,306 on April 9 and earned 3.128 BTC.
• The miner used about 70 TH/s, equal to one 2019-era Antminer S17+ machine.
• CKpool said the miner faced about 1 in 100,000 odds of solving a block that day.
• The reward included 3.125 BTC in subsidy and 0.003 BTC in transaction fees.
• This was the second solo Bitcoin block win reported within 10 days on CKpool.

A solo Bitcoin miner has won about $222,012 after solving a block on April 9. The miner used just 70 terahashes per second. That output matches a single 2019-era machine. The result came despite odds of about one in 100,000 for that day.

The miner solved block 944,306 and received 3.128 BTC. The reward included 3.125 BTC in subsidy and 0.003 BTC in fees. CKpool handled the solo mining setup through its European server. The event adds another rare solo win to Bitcoin’s mining record.

How the solo miner claimed the full reward

The block reward came from Bitcoin’s standard subsidy and a small fee total. On that day, the combined value was about $222,012. Most of the payout came from the 3.125 BTC subsidy. Fees added only about $212.

CKpool developer Con Kolivas confirmed the result on X. He wrote, “A miner of this size has only a 1 in ~100,000 chance of solving a block per day, or once every 300 years!” That statement drew attention because the miner used limited computing power. It also showed how rare such a result remains.

The reported hashrate was 70 TH/s. That level equals roughly one Bitmain Antminer S17+ from 2019. Many large mining firms no longer rely on hardware from that period. Still, the machine solved a valid block and received the full reward.

Mempool data also showed the block and its payout. The network’s total hashrate was about 1.02 zettahashes per second that day. That means the miner controlled only a tiny share of the network. Even so, the miner completed the block before larger competitors.

Why solo mining remains rare on the Bitcoin network

Bitcoin mining now depends mostly on large pools. Foundry USA, AntPool, and ViaBTC together control a large share of global hashrate. These pools combine many miners and split rewards. That system gives miners steady payouts instead of long dry spells.

Solo mining works in a different way. One miner provides the hashrate and keeps the entire reward after a successful block. However, a miner can wait years without finding one. That makes the model far less predictable than pool mining.

Mining difficulty also remains high. On April 9, Bitcoin difficulty stood at 138.97 trillion. A later adjustment was expected to lower that figure slightly. Even then, the network remained hard for small miners to compete in.

Transaction fees have also dropped. Recent median Bitcoin fees were about $0.38, the lowest level since 2017. That means fee income offers little support for miners. In this block, fees formed only a small part of the payout.

What the win says about mining economics and network access

This block was the second solo mining success reported within 10 days. Another solo miner solved block 943,411 around March 30. That earlier block also produced a reward near $210,000. Two wins in a short period drew attention because solo wins are uncommon.

The latest result became CKpool’s 313th solo block since 2014. That record shows solo mining still exists, even in a market led by large firms. At the same time, these wins remain rare events. They do not change the broader balance of mining power.

Mining economics have tightened since the April 2024 halving. The block subsidy fell from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC. That cut miners’ main revenue source in half. Smaller miners now face more pressure from power costs and weaker fee income.

A single Antminer S17+ uses about 2,000 watts. At an electricity rate of $0.12 per kWh, that costs about $5.76 each day. Based on one-in-100,000 daily odds, the expected daily value is much lower. The latest win shows that solo mining can still pay, but only in rare cases.

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