An unknown solo Bitcoin miner defied the odds on Tuesday, earning $180,000 by mining one of Bitcoin’s latest blocks.
According to mempool.space, block 860749 was mined through Solo CK, a unique mining pool where participants don’t share rewards. This means the miner claimed the entire 3.169 BTC, which includes Bitcoin’s full block subsidy and transaction fees.
The achievement is particularly notable as Bitcoin’s hashrate continues to reach all-time highs, making the competition in the mining industry tougher than ever. Additionally, with Bitcoin’s price struggling in recent months, solo mining has become increasingly risky due to its unpredictable nature.
In essence, Bitcoin mining works like a lottery—the more electricity a miner consumes, the greater their chances of solving the next block and receiving BTC rewards. While large-scale miners with energy-intensive machines boost their chances, there are times when solo miners unexpectedly hit or miss blocks far beyond statistical expectations.
Most miners, including corporate giants with highly efficient mining fleets, avoid solo mining. Instead, they combine their hash power in a shared mining pool, splitting rewards based on contribution. FoundryUSA and Antpool, the two largest pools, control 60% of Bitcoin’s hashrate. In contrast, Solo CK, focused on anonymity and low overhead, doesn’t even rank among the largest miners.
Despite the odds, solo miners have seen a recent streak of success. Just two weeks ago, another solo miner won over $200,000 at block 858978, following a similar payout in late July at block 853742.
According to Matthew Sigel, VanEck’s Digital Assets Research Lead, while Bitcoin’s hashrate continues to rise, lower power costs due to the end of the U.S. summer may be reducing mining expenses. As a result, miners may be less inclined to sell their Bitcoin, potentially easing selling pressure on the market.
