Justin Bonomo Player Profile, Biography, and Net Worth

Jon Sofen
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Posted on: August 11, 2021 9:25 pm EDT
Justin Bonomo is the second winningest live poker tournament player in the world. And he’s also one of the most controversial players in the game. The Virginia native certainly has his share of haters out there in the poker community, and there are a couple of reasons for that, of which we’ll discuss in his player profile.

Who is Justin Bonomo?

If you’ve followed poker for any period of time, especially the high stakes scene, you’ve likely caught a glimpse of Bonomo on TV or a live-stream, probably in a high roller event. He began playing poker online in his early 20’s on PokerStars, much like millions of players around the world over the years, especially during the poker boom era. Bonomo first became known under his online screen name, “ZeeJustin,” one of the most successful online poker accounts in history. He made millions playing mostly tournaments and heads-up games on PokerStars. Then he began entering the live tournament scene, where he would quickly go on to gain fame and fortune.

Justin Bonomo biography

Justin Bonomo was born September 30, 1985 in Virginia. Like many poker pros such as David Williams and Bryn Kenney, he conquered Magic: The Gathering, another card game, before discovering his poker talents. In 2005, at age 19, he became the youngest player ever to appear at a televised feature table when he placed 4th during the inaugural year of the EPT French Open. Bonomo made a quick rise up the stakes and began playing five-and-six-figure buy-in games in his mid-20’s. By the time he turned 30, he was already one of the winningest tournament players in the world. But his poker resume and reputation certainly isn’t untarnished, which you’re about to learn. Bonomo is a staunch liberal — a far left liberal — by his own admission. He believes strongly in women’s rights and claims to be a feminist. The poker pro often takes criticism from the less-liberal members of the poker community for his political and social views.

Multi-accounting scandal

There’s a dark side to Justin Bonomo that many poker players have forgotten or never knew about. And that is his multi-accounting days online. Multi-accounting, which is against terms of service at all poker sites and a form of cheating, is when an online poker player plays under multiple accounts or plays under someone else’s account. In 2006, Bonomo entered and won a tournament on Partypoker for a six-figure score. During the event, he was caught playing under six different screen names. The 20-year-old poker player at the time was immediately banned for life from the poker site as soon as his misdeed was discovered. It took years for “ZeeJustin” to repair his image within the poker community. In fact, many poker players still have no respect for him for that incident. Multi-accounting is a form of cheating as it gives a player an unfair advantage, and the poker community frowns upon the act.

Justin Bonomo poker accomplishments

Putting aside the multi-accounting scandal many years ago, and the outspoken political and social views that irritate many within the poker community, Bonomo is one of poker’s all-time greats. And if the voters let his multi-accounting incident slide, he’ll be a lock for the Poker Hall of Fame when he turns 40, the minimum age for eligibility. Bonomo has over $53.2 million in lifetime live tournament cashes, three World Series of Poker bracelets, and three World Poker Tour final table appearances. He’s been crushing the high roller tournaments for a decade. Only Bryn Kenney, with $56.4 million in cashes, has cashed for more throughout his career. Bonomo’s greatest accomplishment came in his magical year of 2018 in which he seemingly won everything. He cashed for over $25 million throughout the year, far and away a poker record. That included a $5 million score for winning the $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl, $10 million for winning the $1 million buy-in WSOP Big One for One Drop, and two other seven-figure scores. He completely obliterated Fedor Holz’s record-setting year of 2016, in which he cashed for just over $16 million.

What is Justin Bonomo’s net worth?

Bonomo is often criticized by conservative poker players who refer to him as a hypocrite for obtaining such wealth. They argue that since he speaks out against capitalism and wants the U.S. to become more socialist, he should be willing to give away more of his money. With that said, he sure does have a lot of money, seemingly an endless supply thanks to his hot run back in 2018 (and other years). According to AnalyzePoker.com, Bonomo has a net worth of around $43 million. But, like any poker player, that wealth is fluid. However, Bonomo, unlike many other high rollers, doesn’t put his net worth at risk. In 2019, he began cutting back on the amount of poker he plays, which is a smart financial decision. He’s made his money and no longer needs the game to build his wealth as he can already retire comfortably. Featured image source: Flickr

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