On Thursday night, an anonymous miner solved block #903,883 with a modest 2.3 petahashes per second (PH/s) of computing power. To put that in perspective, the Bitcoin network’s total hashrate is over 881 exahashes per second (EH/s)—meaning this miner’s rig accounted for just 0.00026% of the global computing muscle. For comparison, Foundry USA, the pool that validated the previous block, commands a massive 271.7 EH/s.
This miner opted for Solo CK, a platform tailored for those bold enough to mine without joining a pool. For a 2% fee, Solo CK lets miners keep the full reward if they crack a block. And that’s exactly what happened here—the miner claimed 3.173 BTC, covering both the network’s block reward and transaction fees.
Dr. CK, the platform’s administrator, notes that a miner with such limited power has roughly a 1-in-2,800 chance of solving a block each day. Statistically, a win like this should only happen once every eight years. It’s a remarkable underdog story that proves Bitcoin’s “lottery” is still open to everyday individuals, even as the mining landscape grows increasingly professionalized.
Solo Mining Holds On in an Industrial Era
Bitcoin mining has come a long way from the days when anyone could mine with a laptop. Today, massive mining farms packed with thousands of specialized ASIC machines dominate the network. Most small-scale miners join pools to combine their computing power and share rewards, making solo mining a rare and risky endeavor.
Yet platforms like Solo CK keep the dream alive for determined solo miners. Since 2014, Solo CK users have collectively mined over 5,200 BTC—worth about $595 million at current prices. Most of these blocks were found by individual miners, highlighting the unpredictable, lottery-like nature of solo mining.
The odds are getting tougher, though. Over the past year, the Bitcoin network’s hashrate has surged by 46%, making it even harder for small players to compete. Still, this miner’s success shows that with a bit of luck and persistence, even modest setups can defy the odds.
This story is a reminder of Bitcoin’s core principle: as long as you play by the rules, you’ve got a shot—no matter how small—at striking it big. In a world where mining is increasingly centralized, this win brings a human, unpredictable spark to a system designed to be open and decentralized.