Why Do My Two Bitaxe Gammas Have Different Best Shares? Understanding Bitcoin Mining Luck
At Plebsource.com, we’re passionate about empowering pleb miners—hobbyists and home enthusiasts like you who are joining the Bitcoin mining revolution with a Bitaxe in hand. We love hearing your questions, as they help us all grow in this anarcho-capitalist mission to decentralize Bitcoin’s hashrate. Recently, a customer reached out with a great question: they have two Bitaxe Gammas, both set up identically and running on the same network, but they’re seeing widely varying “best submitted shares” on their mining pool dashboards. One Bitaxe might have a best share difficulty of 1,000, while the other’s at 10,000—why the big difference? The short answer is: it’s just luck. The longer answer dives into the random yet probabilistic nature of Bitcoin mining, often likened to rolling dice, and how this variance drives the network. In this blog, we’ll explain what “best shares” mean, why your two Bitaxes are showing different results, and how Bitcoin mining luck works. By the end, you’ll see why this variance is normal, expected, and even a beautiful part of what makes Bitcoin mining so unique. Let’s roll the dice and break it down.
First, What Are Shares and Best Shares?
Let’s start with the basics. When you mine Bitcoin with your Plebsource Bitaxe Gamma, you’re generating hashes—random numbers produced by the SHA-256 algorithm—at a rate of 1.2 terahashes per second (TH/s). Each hash is like rolling a massive, trillion-sided die, with a tiny chance of hitting a “winning” number that meets a specific target. If you’re solo mining, you’re aiming for a jackpot: a hash that meets the network’s difficulty (80 trillion in 2025) to find a full block—worth 3.125 BTC ($280,000 at $90,000/BTC in March 2025). But most plebs mine in pools (like Slush Pool or F2Pool), where you team up with others to share the work and rewards.
In a pool, you don’t need to find a full block to get paid—you earn a portion of the reward based on the work you contribute, measured in shares. A share is a hash that meets a specific difficulty set by the pool (via Vardiff, as we’ve covered previously). Think of shares as raffle tickets: the more you submit, the bigger your slice of the pool’s payout. The pool sets a target difficulty—say, 512—for your Bitaxe, and every time you find a share at or above that difficulty, you submit it to the pool.
Now, here’s where “best shares” come in. While most shares you submit are at the pool’s target difficulty (e.g., 512), every hash your Bitaxe generates has a chance to meet a higher difficulty—sometimes much higher. These are your “best shares,” and pools often display them on your dashboard as a point of pride. A best share of 1,000 means your Bitaxe found a hash that met a difficulty of 1,000—a harder target than the pool’s standard. A best share of 10,000 is even harder. But why do your two Bitaxes, both rolling at the same 1.2 TH/s on the same network, show such different best shares? It all comes down to luck.
The Role of Luck in Bitcoin Mining
Bitcoin mining is a game of chance, often compared to rolling dice—random yet probabilistic. Every hash your Bitaxe generates is like rolling a massive, trillion-sided die. Each roll (hash) has a tiny chance of hitting a “winning” number that meets the pool’s target difficulty (e.g., 512) to count as a share, and an even smaller chance of hitting a much higher difficulty—like 1,000 or 10,000—for a best share. Here’s the key: every roll is independent, and the outcome is completely random. Your Bitaxe doesn’t “know” what the last roll was—it just keeps rolling the dice, 1.2 trillion times per second.
This randomness is what we call variance in Bitcoin mining. Variance means that, even if two Bitaxes are identical—same hashrate (1.2 TH/s), same network, same pool settings—their results can differ wildly over short periods. One Bitaxe might get lucky and roll a hash that meets a difficulty of 10,000, while the other rolls nothing above 1,000. It’s not because one Bitaxe is better or worse; it’s just the luck of the roll. Over time, these differences tend to even out, but in the short term (hours, days, or even weeks), variance can lead to big gaps in best shares.
Why Variance Happens: A Dice-Rolling Analogy
Let’s break it down with a dice-rolling analogy. Imagine you and a friend are rolling a 100-sided die, trying to roll a number higher than 90 to “win.” You each roll 1,000 times. On average, you’d expect each of you to roll a “win” about 100 times (since there are 10 numbers above 90: 91-100). But here’s the catch: those wins are random. You might roll a 99 (a “best share” equivalent) on your 10th roll, while your friend’s highest roll after 1,000 tries is a 94. Does that mean your die is better? No—it’s just luck. If you both keep rolling for 1,000,000 tries, your highest rolls will likely be much closer.
Bitcoin mining works the same way. Each hash is a roll of the die. Your Bitaxe Gamma rolls 1.2 trillion times per second, trying to “win” a share at the pool’s target difficulty (e.g., 512). But every roll also has a tiny chance of hitting a much higher difficulty—like 1,000 or 10,000. If one Bitaxe hits a 10,000-difficulty share and the other only hits 1,000, it’s not because they’re different—it’s because the first Bitaxe got luckier with its rolls. Over a short period (like a day), this variance can look dramatic. Over a longer period (weeks or months), the luck evens out, and both Bitaxes will have similar best shares on average.
How Luck Affects Best Shares
Let’s put some numbers to it. At 1.2 TH/s, your Bitaxe generates 1.2 trillion hashes per second. If the pool’s target difficulty is 512, it submits shares every 30-60 seconds (1-2 shares per minute). The chance of hitting a share at difficulty 512 is relatively high—about 1 in 600 billion hashes. But the chance of hitting a share at difficulty 10,000 is much lower—about 1 in 12 trillion hashes. In a day (86,400 seconds), your Bitaxe generates 104 trillion hashes (1.2 trillion x 86,400). Statistically, it might hit a 10,000-difficulty share once in that time—or it might not. It’s all up to luck.
If one of your Bitaxes hits a 10,000-difficulty share, it’s like rolling a 99 on that 100-sided die—a lucky break. The other Bitaxe, rolling the same number of times, might only hit a 1,000-difficulty share (like rolling a 91). It doesn’t mean the second Bitaxe is underperforming—it just hasn’t gotten as lucky yet. Over time, as both Bitaxes keep hashing (billions of rolls), their best shares will converge closer to the statistical average. But in the short term, variance rules the day.
Why This Variance Is Normal—and Beautiful
Here’s the reassuring part: this variance is not only normal, it’s a fundamental feature of Bitcoin mining. The random, probabilistic nature of hashing—akin to rolling dice—is what makes Bitcoin secure. If mining were predictable—if every Bitaxe always hit the same best share difficulty—the network would be easier to manipulate. An attacker could game the system, timing their hashes to dominate the network. But because every hash is a random roll of the dice, no one can predict or control the outcome—not even industrial miners with their $5,000 S21 Pros (200 TH/s).
Your two Bitaxes having different best shares is proof that Bitcoin’s proof-of-work system is working as intended. The variance ensures fairness: every miner, from a pleb with a Bitaxe to a megafarm, has a chance to get lucky. In 2024, a Bitaxe Gamma hit a solo block—3.125 BTC, $280,000—because of this same luck. Variance means that even a small miner can win big, and it’s what keeps the network decentralized. Industrial miners might have more hashrate (80% of 600 EH/s, per CoinMetrics 2024), but they can’t control luck. Your Bitaxe’s 1.2 TH/s is a tiny but mighty part of that unpredictable, anarcho-capitalist system.
Does This Affect My Earnings?
If you’re pool mining, variance in best shares doesn’t directly affect your earnings. Pools pay you based on the total number of shares you submit at the target difficulty (e.g., 512), not your best shares. Best shares are more of a bragging right—they show the hardest target your Bitaxe has hit. Your two Bitaxes, both running at 1.2 TH/s, should submit roughly the same number of shares per minute (1-2 shares at difficulty 512), meaning they’ll earn the same payout over time. The difference in best shares is just a fun side effect of luck, not a sign of performance issues.
If you’re solo mining, best shares don’t matter at all—you’re only paid if you find a full block (difficulty 113 trillion as of today). A high best share (like 10,000) shows your Bitaxe is capable of hitting tough targets, but it’s still a long shot from a block. Either way, your Bitaxes are performing as expected.
What Can You Do About It?
The short answer: nothing, and that’s okay! Variance in best shares is out of your control—it’s pure luck. But here are a few tips to ensure your Bitaxes are running smoothly:
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Check Your Setup: Make sure both Bitaxes have stable internet, good cooling (60-70°C), and the latest AxeOS firmware (check Plebsource.com or Skot’s GitHub,@skot9000on X). Issues like overheating or network lag can slow share submissions, but they won’t affect best shares.
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Keep Mining: The longer you mine, the more your best shares will even out. After a month, both Bitaxes will likely have similar highs as variance balances out.
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Compare Hashrate: If one Bitaxe is consistently submitting fewer shares per minute (check your pool dashboard), there might be a setup issue—like a loose fan or bad WiFi. But if both are submitting 1-2 shares per minute, they’re working fine.
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Join the Community: The Bitaxe community on X and Discord is full of plebs sharing their best shares. You’ll see the same variance—some hit 50,000-difficulty shares, others 5,000. It’s all luck, and it’s fun to compare notes.
The Bigger Picture: You’re Securing Bitcoin
Here’s the best part: whether your best share is 1,000 or 10,000, every hash your Bitaxe generates is helping secure the Bitcoin network. Your 1.2 TH/s contributes to validating transactions, enforcing the 21 million coin cap, and pushing back against industrial centralization. A 2023 CoinMetrics study showed 10% pleb hashrate cuts 51% attack risks by 30%. Your two Bitaxes, even with different best shares, are part of that fight. Industrial miners cluster in a few hotspots; plebs are everywhere—unstoppable.
At Plebsource.com, we’re here to support you every step of the way. Variance in best shares isn’t a problem—it’s a feature, a beautiful part of Bitcoin’s design. Your Bitaxes are doing exactly what they’re supposed to: rolling the dice, chasing luck, and securing the network. So keep them running, enjoy the ride, and know you’re part of the anarcho-capitalist dream. We’ve got your back!