any appropriate combination of winning hands and payoff amounts as an alternative embodiment progressive jackpot component of the game may be utilized as a consolation payoff for a player who otherwise loses during the play of the regular game for example assume the regular game being played is five card stud players a and b are both eligible for the progressive jackpot amount because each has placed a gaming token in the coin acceptor prior to the beginning of the play of the hand player a holds a hand having four of a kind player b holds a full house because player a 39 s hand is higher according to the customary poker hand ranking priority player a wins the pot wagered on the five card stud game as a consolation however player b receives a payoff amount from the progressive jackpot for his full house e g 25 tokens player a does not receive a payoff from the progressive jackpot because he already has won the pot from the regular five card stud game thus under this alternative embodiment a player only receives a payoff from the progressive jackpot if the player both has a hand of the preselected type and loses to a higher hand in the game being played another modification would have the two players sharing in the progressive jackpot amount the player with the preselected type of.