A phrase for "extremely bad luck"

Is there a (short) phrase or idiom meaning that someone had extremely bad luck?

In the context of a sports match: as you would have a "perfect game" or the even more specific "perfect hand" (when playing cards); that would mean having such good luck that you couldn't possibly lose. I'm looking for a phrase with the opposite meaning: having such bad luck that the players can't possibly win, no matter what they do.

I'm looking for something with a stronger implication than just "a bad luck streak". For example, similar in meaning to "a terrible game" or "a disaster/debacle", but which also implies that it was based solely on chance, not on the players doing something wrong (the way "terrible" implies).

Is there a way to convey this meaning in a single phrase, without an additional clause or sentence explaining it? Either a general-purpose or sports-related term would do

Solution 1:

Depending on the tone of your piece, you could say something like "seemingly cursed", but a more general term would be "misfortunate":

Misfortunate

Adjective: deserving or inciting pity; "a hapless victim"; "miserable victims of war"...

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/misfortunate

Solution 2:

A jinx suggests the idea of very bad luck:

• A condition or period of bad luck that appears to have been caused by a specific person or thing.

Ex: Jinx strikes again as Fuller is ruled out!

Source:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/jinx

Solution 3:

If you wish to describe a person as consistently unlucky, you can call them a schlemiel. This word is borrowed from Yiddish but is generally understood at least among AmEng speakers in my experience.

(The related word schlimazel is actually closer to your desired meaning, but less well understood, and the difference is difficult to articulate except via metaphor:

The schlemiel always spills his soup.
The schlimazel always gets soup spilled on him.

)