On Sunday, August 17, 2025, something remarkable happened in the Bitcoin community: a solo miner, operating through the Solo CK pool, successfully mined block 910,440 on their own. They earned 3.125 BTC as a block reward, plus around 0.012 BTC in transaction fees — a total of 3.137 BTC, worth approximately $371,000 at the time.

How rare is it to mine a Bitcoin block?

Today‘s mining industry is dominated by large-scale operations with massive computing power. That makes it extremely unlikely for solo miners to find a block on their own. A miner with 1 PH/s (petahash per second — one quadrillion hashes per second) has only about a 1-in-650,000 chance of solving a block in a 10-minute window. This particular solo miner operated with roughly 9 PH/s, boosting their odds to around 1 in 800 per day. Since CKpool launched in 2014, only 305 solo blocks have ever been found through the pool. So yes — winning the block is a rare event, similar to winning the lottery.

How hard is it to mine a Bitcoin block?

Bitcoin mining has become a fiercely competitive industry — even major players are feeling the pressure. Since the most recent halving in April 2024, the block reward was cut to 3.125 BTC, while network difficulty has continued to rise. According to data from CryptoQuant, **Bitcoin network difficulty** stood at roughly **129 trillion** at the time — near all-time highs. This metric reflects how complex the cryptographic puzzle is. The higher the difficulty, the more hashpower is needed — and the lower the chances of a solo miner finding a block. Even established mining firms are feeling the squeeze: rewards are down, competition is up, and energy costs remain high. That‘s why many are diversifying into fields like **artificial intelligence (AI)** and **high-performance computing (HPC)** to stay profitable. In that context, a solo-mining success story like this is truly exceptional.

How much is a single block worth?

The base reward per block is currently 3.125 BTC. In this case, an extra 0.012 BTC in transaction fees — collected from roughly 4,900 transactions — brought the total to 3.137 BTC. Depending on the Bitcoin price at the time, this amounted to around $371,000. Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. Always do your own research and consult a professional before making investment decisions.