Parasite Pool Mines Second Bitcoin Block, Validates Hybrid Mining Model

A novel bitcoin mining pool, Parasite Pool, has achieved its second block, demonstrating the effectiveness of its hybrid approach. This innovative pool, launched in April 2025, has now mined block 945,601, around 48 days after its initial block at #938,713. The block contained 7,398 transactions and 0.002 BTC in fees, with bitcoin trading at $76,213 at the time. The pool's distinct model, which has no equivalent in mainstream mining, awards the winning miner 1 BTC and distributes the remaining 2.125 BTC plus fees proportionally among all participants based on their shares submitted since the previous block. Notably, there are no fees to participate in this pool, and payouts are made through the Lightning Network. The rewards are a result of the cryptographic puzzle-solving competition that secures the bitcoin network, with the winner earning the right to add the next block of transactions to the blockchain and collecting a reward. Currently, this reward is 3.125 BTC plus transaction fees, valued at around $238,000. The mining landscape is dominated by large-scale industrial operators, but Parasite Pool targets home miners. Founded by ZK Shark, the creator of Ordinal Maxi Biz, an NFT collection on Bitcoin, Parasite offers an alternative to pure solo pools like CKpool, which pay the full block reward minus a fee to the finder. By splitting the difference, Parasite preserves the lottery-style payday while ensuring participants receive satoshis during the periods between blocks. The pool's hashrate, currently at 52 petahashes per second, has retained participants through the 48-day gap between payouts, validating the proportional distribution mechanics. With a third block within the next two months, Parasite's model could be proven effective, while a six-month drought might suggest the first two blocks were exceptional cases.