There is a pattern to Justin Bonomo’s behaviour at the poker table. The one-time leader of the All-Time Money List on The Hendon Mob tends to pick up the wins in the tournaments containing the most significant prize pools.
In 2018, Bonomo won $25.4m during a run that saw him win two Super High Roller Bowl titles and the Big One for One Drop. In 2019, during the aftermath of Bryn Kenney ripping his All-Time Money ranking from his grip, Bonomo reacted by winning the £100,000 No Limit Hold’em Short Deck at the Triton Million London for $3.2m (the largest score outside of the £1m buy-in event).
Then you have the Super High Roller Bowl Online (SHRBO).
Of the 27 preliminary events, Event #11: $25,500 No Limit Hold’em distributed the wealthiest first prize ($622,634), and who would go on to win it – yes you’ve guessed it: Justin Bonomo.
Not content with his five cashes and more than $800,000 in prize money, Bonomo became the first player in history to win three SHRB titles, after conquering the 50-entrant field in the $102,000 buy-in masterpiece.
The Final Table
The final day began with Ali Imsirovic holding the chip lead, but the former Poker Master fell in ninth leaving Pauli Ayras to enter the final table with the biggest stack.
The final began with eight, and the name missing from the picture is Orpen Kisacikoglu unceremoniously cut from the frame by Michael Addamo to send everyone else into the money. The London-based Turkish star left with nothing.
Addamo would continue to play a pivotal role in the final, eliminating both Ayras and David Peters in fourth and third to set up a heads-up clash with Bonomo, holding 65% of the chips in play.
Both Addamo and Bonomo had won events during the preliminary rounds. Bonomo collected the $622,634 purse in Event #11: $25,500 No Limit Hold’em, and Addamo won the $228,800 top prize in Event #27: $10,300 No Limit Hold’em a day before this event began. Two top pros, both in form, as the heads-up duel reflected.
The final fight took longer than the entirety of the final table action that preceded it. The lead moved from top brass to top brass until in the final hand, Addamo called from the button holding a pair of ladies, Bonomo jammed with the more towering stack and Kh5d, and Addamo made the call. Bonomo flopped a second king and turned the third king to win the title, and capture the biggest prize of the series.
Here are the results.
Results
Justin Bonomo – $1,775,000
Michael Addamo – $1,187,500
David Peters – $762,500
Pauli Ayras – $487,500
Dan Shak – $325,000
Linus Loeliger – $250,000
Sam Greenwood – $212,500
As the great asphalt desert of the Las Vegas Strip prepares to step into the unknown, poker’s hierarchy doesn’t have to venture out of the house just yet.
Poker Central’s Super High Roller Bowl Online continues to pepper partypoker’s poker platform, and Justin Bonomo emerged as the big winner on Day 5.
The one-time winningest live multi-table tournament (MTT) aficionado in history emerged triumphant in Event #11: $25,500 No Limit Hold’em. Bonomo conquered a field of 72-entrants to win the $622,634.40 first prize and moves into fifth place on the preliminary leaderboard.
Vicent Bosca Ramon and Ludovic Geilich also experienced the uncanny synchronicity that accompanies any tournament win in poker. Ramon took down the 77-entrant field in Event #10: $10,300 No Limit Hold’em Six Max. The Spaniard sits in 7th place on the leaderboard after recording his third cash of the series. Geilich outlasted a 69-entrant field in the other $10,300 No Limit Hold’em encounter, his first in the money (ITM) finish of the series.
There was no dearth of near misses for Matthias Eibinger. The Austrian finished ITM in all three events, coming closest in Event #10, losing to Ramon, heads-up for the title.
Kristen Bicknell, Wiktor Malinowski, Luuk Gieles, Andrii Novak, and Ali Imsirovic each finished ITM in two events. Daniel Dvoress also finished ITM in Event #11, enough to see him rise to third in the overall rankings behind Viktor Blom and Dan Smith neither of whom made their mark.
Here are the day’s results.
Event #10: $10,300 No Limit Hold’em Six Max
77-entrants
Results
Vicent Bosca Ramon – $240,860.62
Matthias Eibinger – $150,150
Luuk Gieles – $92,400
Wiktor Malinowski – $67,375
Michael Watson – $48,125
Nick Petrangelo – $32,725
Andrii Novak – $25,025
Markus Leikkonen – $25,025
Rok Gostisa – $25,025
Kristen Bicknell – $21,096
Ali Imsirovic – $21,096
Rob Lipkin – $21,096
Event #11: $25,500 No Limit Hold’em
72-entrants
Results
Justin Bonomo – $622,634.40
Artur Martirosian – $405,000
Matthias Eibinger – $216,000
Salahaddin Bedir – $162,000
Wiktor Malinowski – $117,000
Ali Imsirovic – $81,000
Michael Addamo – $65,455
Daniel Dvoress – $65,455
Mikita Badziakouski – $65,455
Event #12: $10,000 No Limit Hold’em
69-entrants
Results
Ludovic Geilich – $238,676.52
Alexandros Kolonias – $155,250
Seth Davies – $82,800
Andrii Novak – $62,100
Giuseppe Iadisernia – $44,850
Jonathan Van Fleet – $31,050
Luuk Gieles – $25,091
Kristen Bicknell – $25,091
Matthias Eibinger – $25,091
Leaderboard Standings
Viktor Blom 625 points
Dan Smith – 511
Daniel Dvoress – 471
Alex Foxen – 402
Justin Bonomo – 397
It’s
the event that changed poker’s landscape.
It
intimidates.
It
seduces.
It
turns mild-mannered men and women into war machines.
The
Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) has taken a vacation. Destination, London, and by
the time you would have read this, the action in the £250,000 buy-in event
would have already begun.
With
17-hours to go before kick-off, Poker Central is keeping their powder dry on
who will be in the field. We know there is a 49-player cap, with 30 seats
subject to a random draw, and 19 reserved for Poker Central and Aspers
figurines to handpick the final bamboozlers and manipulators.
But not
a single name.
Nada.
So
without a cast, I’m going to take a punt at the likely winners, should they be
(a) in London, and (b) lucky enough to get a seat.
Bryn Kenney
Bryn Kenney
Bryn
Kenney is in London, so I am reasonably confident we will see the man who makes
bathrobes look cool competing in the game. Kenney’s goal is world domination,
and events like this are in the war plan. Last month, Kenney finished runner-up
to Aaron Zhang in the £1m buy-in Triton Million, but he banked the lion share
of the money after agreeing upon a deal that saw him net £16.9m.
Kenney
deposed Justin Bonomo at the top of the All-Time Money List after that win
($55.5m). It’s worth noting that ahead of the event, Kenney was the 2019 Money
Leader with more than $9m taking from felts across the globe. Wins include the
Aussie Millions Main Event, and two Triton titles in Montenegro.
Justin Bonomo
Justin Bonomo
Justin
Bonomo held the high stakes poker scene to ransom in 2018, winning more than
$25.4m (a record until Kenney’s 2019 exploits). Included in that haul were
victories in the SHRB Las Vegas for $5m and the SHRB China for $4,8m. Add his
win in the $1m Big One for One Drop, and we may not have a cast for this one,
but we do have a man more than equipped to play the role of End Boss.
I
interviewed Bonomo in London at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series, and
the man glowed. I got the impression that he could make sitting cross-legged
look easy, and it showed on the felt winning the £100,000 Short-Deck Main Event
for £2.67m. He was never going to improve upon his 2018 haul. However, it’s
worth noting that the $5m he’s already secured this year, is his second-best
annual performance of his life.
Stephen Chidwick
Stephen
Chidwick is the Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1, and the man his peers
believe to be the best in the world. They stitched that label into his hoodie
many years ago, the only difference of late, is he’s turning 2nd and 3rd place
finishes into wins.
The
UK-born pro is one of the most consistent performers in the world. This year
alone he has won titles at the US Poker Open, the British Poker Open (BPO) and
captured his first gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Include
his epic performance at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in London
(where he finished fourth in the big one for more than £4.4m), and who would
bet against him.
Rainer Kempe
Rainer Kempe
Rainer
Kempe has the t-shirt.
The
German star conquered a field of 49-players in the 2016 SHRB, collecting a
career-high $5m after beating his buddy Fedor Holz, heads-up. Until last week,
Kempe had led the GPI Player of the Year (POY) for eight-weeks, until Sean
Winter took his crown.
Kempe
has won five tournaments this year and sharpened his toolkit by finishing
runner-up to Sam Soverel, in a £25,100 No-Limit Hold’em event at the BPO.
Charlie Carrel
Charlie Carrel
It was
interesting to watch a recent VLOG from Charlie Carrel explaining his omission
from the Triton Million London event. Carrel explained how his backer, Orpen
Kisacikoglu, bypassed him, because he hadn’t played poker for six-months, and
he felt the game had passed him by.
Carrel
responded by winning the £50,000 No-Limit Hold’em at the Triton Poker Super
High Roller Series in London for £1.3m. He then travelled to Rozvadov and
finished 7/510 in the MILLIONS Europe Main Event for €130,000 (he went into the
final table with the chip lead). Then he turned up at the European Poker Tour
(EPT) in Barcelona, making the final table of two €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em
events.
Steve O’Dwyer
Steve O’Dwyer
Despite
financial metrics being an unreliable indicator of form, Steve O’Dwyer’s 2019
is annus horribilis. The American star has pulled $1.5m (gross) from the live
tables, but that’s his lowest haul since 2012.
Financial
results aside, O’Dwyer, re-entered the GPI Top #10 after making the final table
of the €50,000 and €100,000 No-Limit Hold’em events at EPT Barcelona. He also
picked up two runner-up finishes in the BPO.
The Dark Horses
Luc Greenwood
Luc
Greenwood competed in 12 Triton events without cashing before making money,
finishing runner-up to Linus Lloeliger, in the £25,000 No-Limit Hold-em
Six-Handed Turbo at the Triton Poker Super High Roller Series in London. He
then went to EPT Barcelona and finished fourth in the €50,000 No-Limit Hold’em
before winning the opening £10,500 No-Limit Hold’em at the BPO.
Danny Tang
Danny
Tang has been a revelation since turning up at the Triton Poker Super High
Roller Series in Montenegro and leaving with more than $2m in prize money. Tang
proceeded to win his first WSOP bracelet, winning the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em
for $1.6m, and made two high roller final tables at EPT Barcelona, including a
third in the €100,000.
Sam Grafton
Like
Tang, Grafton is another player who has entered the high stakes stratum in
sparkling form. The Squid made money in the $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em during the
WSOP, finishing 11th, and then finished 13th in the $100,000. Grafton then
finished 5/510 in the MILLIONS Europe Main Event in Rozvadov for €220,000, and
later earned the most significant score of his career, finishing runner-up to
Sergi Reixach in the €100,000 at EPT Barcelona for €1.3m.
The
SHRB London starts on Friday 13 September and ends two days later.
I’m listening to William Shatner on Spotify.
What’s going on?
William Shatner?
He’s banging on about mountains in the air, and the need to get it together man. I would have thought a man like Shatner would have been on the scrapheap by now. What versatility.
TJ Hooker.
James T. Kirk.
Singer.
I need serenity.
I need peace.
It hasn’t happened yet.
Well, let’s see if I can bang out the week’s top stories from the world of the High Rollers before it does.
Online Poker News: Record-Breaking Online MILLIONS; Greenwood Doing His Bollocks; Talal Shakerchi Making Sunday Million Final Table
I don’t know how much air to put into a tyre. I don’t understand when the oil needs topping up. Temperature means nothing to me.
But I know this.
partypoker made history this week.
The online poker behemoth hosted the wealthiest online poker tournament since the days of the Allosaurus, when 4,367-entrants created a $21,385,000 prize pool, easily beating the $20m guarantee that many (including me and Shatner) thought they had no chance of achieving.
Four people had their siblings hoping for a handsome handout.
Manuel Ruivo won the world-record prize of $2,329,944 after cutting an ICM deal with Pim de Goede that saw the Dutchman become only the fourth player in history to win a $2m+ prize, collecting $2,309,995.
And check this out.
The Slovenian, Scarmak3r, parlayed a $5 online satellite win into a $1,364,688 windfall.
The dream is still alive.
Pedro Marques was the fourth player to bank a seven-figure score = $1,091,750.
And there was another record, but one Sam Greenwood likely didn’t want.
12 bulleted online Millions. Is that the high score?
So that’s how they make these imperious guarantees!
partypoker didn’t reserve all big money for the partypoker tournament tables. Sam Trickett and Rob Yong had a good week, collecting $300k+ each from a $200/$400 Pot-Limit Omaha (PLO) game that included the likes of Matt Kirk. Trickett used the money to buy himself a nice new shirt in preparation for handing Team USA their first Mosconi Cup win since 2009.
Moving from partypoker to PokerStars, and Talal Shakerchi, finished sixth in the $215 buy-in Sunday Million, showing his love for the game. The Global Poker Index (GPI) World #1, Alex Foxen, also had a good week picking up his third PokerStars High Roller Club title. Fellow high rollers, Joao Vieira, Ivan Luca and Alex Papazian also picked up PokerStars High Roller Club titles.
Live Poker News: SHRB Draw; Million Dollar Cash Game; WPT Garden and WSOP Sydney HRs
The organisers of the Super High Roller Bowl V (SHRB) had a brain fart this week. The live lottery to determine the first 24-picks should have gone ahead on Nov 27, but Poker Central cancelled it without telling any of the players.
Hey @ARIAPoker@PokerCentral@PokerGO@TDPaulCampbell
I really don’t know what’s up this year, but not giving out any information regarding #Shrb is really annoying. Would be great to know whether I should book a flight to Vegas or not in a couple of days.
The lottery did happen, albeit late, and 34-names came out of the hat, not 24.
Here they are:
1. Justin Bonomo
2. Daniel Negreanu
3. Fedor Holz
4. David Peters
5. Dan Smith
6. Bryn Kenney
7. Phil Hellmuth
8. Jason Koon
9. Jake Schindler
10. Brian Rast
11. Mikita Badziakouski
12. Isaac Haxton
13. Christoph Vogelsang
14. Stephen Chidwick
15. Cary Katz
16. Rainer Kempe
17. Dominik Nitsche
18. Adrian Mateos
19. Nick Petrangelo
20. Igor Kurganov
21. Steffen Sontheimer
22. Sean Winter
23. Koray Aldemir
24. Ben Tollerene
25. Sam Soverel
26. Alex Foxen
27. Dan Cates
28. Ben Yu
29. Talal Shakerchi
30. Bill Klein
31. Matthias Eibinger
32. Ali Imsirovic
33. Seth Davies
34. Chris Kruk
That leaves 14-spaces left.
The SHRB V takes place December 17, 18 & 19.
One player who is not on that list is Patrik Antonius, and this week the fabulous looking Finn was in India where he guested at Deltin Corporation’s 10th-anniversary celebrations aboard the Deltin Casino in Goa. Antonius finished runner-up to Justin Bonomo in the inaugural Super High Roller Bowl China earlier this year, earning $3.1m.
In other high rolling live tournament news the World Poker Tour (WPT) announced a $25k buy-in event as part of the WPT Gardens Festival 16 January, and the World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) at The Star in Sydney has an AUD 20,000 buy-in event penned in for 12th/13th December.
From tournaments to cash games and the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles has announced a million dollar cash game. The game is $100/$200 No-Limit Hold’em with a $100k Minimum buy-in scheduled for ten hours of action Friday, December 14 – Garrett Adelstein and Nick Vertucci feature.
And Ben Lamb seems to have created a new game.
Short-Deck is so last week.
New invention. Medium deck plo. Now being spread @ARIAPoker only the 2s and 3s removed. One seat open. 10k buy in.
Lamb joined Justin Bonomo, and a whole host of degens as Short-Deck, Medium-Deck, Call-It-What-You-Want-Deck appeared on Poker After Dark for the first time this week.
Thor Hansen Passes; Smith Charity Drive; Bathroom Bet Update
The Norwegian legend Thor Hansen finally lost his battle with cancer this week, but boy, did he put up a fight. Six years ago, doctors gave Hansen three months to live after diagnosing him with cancer, and yet Hansen was still riffling chips at the WPT Seminole Rock ‘N’ Roll Poker Open in Hollywood, Florida last month. Tributes poured in from all over the poker globe, but I particularly like this one from Mike Sexton.
Thor Hansen-great memories is right @padraigpoker. After being chip leader in an early WPT, reporter asked him, “What are you going to do with $1m if you win?” Thor said, “I’ll pay off a few debts.” Reporter said, “What about the rest?” Thor said, “They’ll have to wait.” #classichttps://t.co/e1gHzvuZSA
Rich Alati’s father (also Richard) has told the poker media that the $100k Bathroom Bet is more to do with the personal challenge than the money. Cash game grinder, Rory Young bet Alati $100k that he couldn’t stay in a darkened bathroom without human contact or any external stimuli for 30-days, and although his father is ‘concerned’ about the bet, you sense he feels confident that Alati junior will get the job done.
Finally, Dan Smith launched his fifth annual charity drive. This year, Smith has labelled his philanthropic effort DoubleUpDrive, and the plan is for Smith and his team to match donations up to a ceiling of $1,140,000.
If you want to make a difference in the world, then donate to one of Smith’s charities, and send your receipt to receipts@doubleupdrive.com.
And that’s this week’s Pinnacle.
Cary Katz hadn’t played Short-Deck before arriving in the Landing Casino, Jeju, South Korea, resplendent in his trademark black jacket and peaked cap.
Not that it matters.
People like Katz don’t fear games of poker, even one without the deuces, treys, fours and fives. Successful men like Katz adapt, evolve and more often than not come out on top.
After testing the water in the HKD 100,000 (USD 13,000) and HKD 500,000 (USD 64,000) buy-in Short-Deck events without coming up with as much as a conch shell, the Poker Central founder, finished second in the HKD 1,000,000 (USD 127,000) buy-in event for HKD 13,920,000 (USD 1,773,722).
The game had flung out a lure, and you could see it, flashing brightly, from his stiff upper lip.
The man who created the ARIA High Rollers, and has cashed in more of them than anyone alive or pushing up tulips, went home to the US, and I get the feeling there was only one thing on his mind.
The Poker Masters is Back
The second edition of the Poker Masters is back, and the ARIA and Poker Central have released the menu.
It looks tasty.
Events #1 – #5 are double re-entry Events #6 – #7 are single re-entry
As you can see, Katz has introduced a Triton Hold’em event (Short-Deck) into the schedule, and I think that’s a good thing for the high roller stratum.
The Triton Poker Series is the father of the Short-Deck Ante-Only variant. The brand has become THE tour for the games biggest winners, but only a select few top-tier pros have given this format a shot because the buy-ins are so huge.
In offering a $10,000 price point (which isn’t Triton’s niche), it allows a broader tranche of players to have a taste of the newest meat in town. If they like the marble; they are likelier to compete in what is fast becoming the most significant high stakes tournament variant in the world.
Last year, Steffen Sontheimer won the Waraire Boswell designed Purple Jacket when he made four of the five final tables, winning two of them, including the $100,000 Main Event for $1.5m, leaving Las Vegas with $2,733,000 in winnings. “Including Short-Deck is fine since it’s just the ’10k'”, Sontheimer told me in a brief interview.” It’s a little tryout for everybody and won’t influence the overall results. I’d prefer to make The Poker Masters pure NLH since we have the USPO for mixed games, but it’s fine either way.”
A lot of players coming into the Poker Masters spending more time in the zone than out of it. Justin Bonomo has to be the favourite after winning both Super High Roller Bowls and the Big One For One Drop, Jason Koon is another man picking up seven-figure scores at the rate a hammerhead shark picks up jokes about his face from other sharks, and Mikita Badziakouski has just won back-to-back Triton Poker Series Main Events.
Form.
Heat.
Luck.
Call it what you want, it’s essential coming into an event like this. “I felt good going into the event last year,” said Sontheimer. “I had a great summer doing alright in Vegas; cashing big in Montenegro and Velden, and cashing in Rozvadov. Life was great. For me, it was the first time experiencing Vegas with nice weather. My friends and I got there two days early, and we hung out and had a good time. I felt like my game was great, confidence was at an all-time high at that point.”
The Poker Masters is still in its infancy. Given its annual calling, it will take time to settle into a rhythm, and become one of the genuinely great poker events. The schedule and lineup will ebb and flow depending on the times, and feedback from those involved. “I loved the idea and the concept of having a week-long grind of those tourneys,” said Sontheimer. “I figured out early that the overall ranking was kinda messed up; pretty much guaranteeing the winner of the Main Event the title. But since you only win the jacket with no money on top, it’s not a big deal. There wouldn’t be any point where I play differently to win the title. My job was to go max $-EV. Everything that comes along with that is a cherry on top. They changed the ranking system for this year which makes sense. They should’ve asked players earlier to start like that right away.”
After Sontheimer won the Purple Jacket, Daniel Negreanu called him the best No-Limit Hold’em live tournament player on the planet. High praise from the undisputed Player of the Decade.
“I felt great getting so many warm words from a legend and poker icon like Daniel,” said Sontheimer. “I always enjoy playing and competing with him. It feels great to be seen as one of the top guys by people that play the same stuff. Whether it is being picked early in a draft, getting asked for swaps by the best players or getting those kinds of articles written about you.”
And media folks looking forward to writing more Poker Masters articles about Sontheimer are going to be sorely disappointed. PokerGO relies on the story arc of poker, and there is no better narrative than a man returning to defend his title.
Not this year. “I won’t play this year,” Sontheimer confirmed. “I don’t think it’s the best value of the year and I have private things during that week that I value a lot. So I decided to skip and watch some of the streams. I’m a bit sad for sure, but I’m happy with my decision.”
I imagine there are twenty plus other people who are also happy with his decision.
My wife is a ‘should of’ person.
I should have had what you ordered.
I should have bought the other pair.
I should have chosen the other guy. “I’m selling action to the $1,000,000 buy-in 1 Drop tournament at 1.05 markup. I will be donating all the money from the 5% markup to charities meeting the tenets of Effective Altruism. Contact me for 5%.”
That’s Justin Bonomo’s pinned tweet.
I should have…
In many ways, Justin Bonomo’s assault on the Big One for One Drop felt a little like England’s World Cup campaign.
Before the Big One, the two most significant buy-in events of the year have been the $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) in Las Vegas, and the $267,000 buy-in SHRB in China, and Justin Bonomo had won them both for a combined $9.8m.
He couldn’t win all three, could he?
Like England facing an ageing Croatian side, was this one tournament too many for the ultimate End Boss?
Let’s find out.
David Einhorn Bubbles The One Drop
27 players found $1m to compete in the most massive buy-in event ever created, raising $2,160,000 for charity.
After two days of incredible action here was the final table. Final Table
Justin Bonomo – 48,950,000
Fedor Holz – 22,125,000
Dan Smith – 21,450,000
Rick Salomon – 19,650,000
David Einhorn – 12,300,000
Byron Kaverman – 10,525,000
$2.6m was the starting point from a charitable angle. There would be more donated, for sure. Justin Bonomo was a Raising For Effective Giving (REG) Ambassador, so you knew some of his profits had been set aside to help ease suffering in the world. Dan Smith is a known philanthropist, and Fedor Holz is also recognised to donate a bob or two.
But none of them raises money for charity with the girth of David Einhorn, the man who donated his entire $4.3m prize when finishing third in 2012.
So, it was a topsy-turvy feeling when Einhorn’s involvement ended on the bubble. Had he won the $10m, he would have saved many lives, but the poker community as a whole would have been staring at a large chunk of change missing from the fabric of its structure.
“I almost feel guilty for knocking out David Einhorn,” Bonomo told PokerNews.
I’m sure it was only a fleeting thought, Justin.
Einhorn raised to 1.1m on the button, and Bonomo called from the big blind. The dealer spread the 7c5c5h across the felt. Bonomo checked, and Einhorn bet 1.6m before Bonomo check-raised to 7.5m. It was enough to cover Einhorn, and after some deliberation, he made the call.
Bonomo: 74o
Einhorn: AQo
Bonomo had connected with a big blind special and was two cards away from guaranteeing everyone at the table a $1m profit. The 2h and Kc changed nothing. Einhorn was out. Fedor Holz Eliminates Byron Kaverman & Rick Salomon
When you’re playing in a $1m buy-in event, the last person you want to see peering over a chip stack the size of the Burj Khalifa is Fedot Holz, and that’s the sight that befell both Bonomo and Dan Smith, after an incredible double knockout.
Byron Kaverman moved all-in for around 8 million in the first position. Holz made the call from the next DXRacer, and Rick Salomon moved all-in for 26.9m out of the big blind.
Pain.
Agony.
Anguish.
Or was he figuring shit out?
I don’t know, but Holz went into the tank, using four-time extension chips before making the call.
Holz: TcTs
Kaverman: Ac5c
Salomon: AhKh
Kaverman wanted clubs, Salomon wanted hearts, and Holz wished to close his eyes, press ‘teleport’ and open them five cards later.
The dealer faced the AdKs2c onto the flop, and the Iris’s of Salomon flexed as he realised he had flopped the top two pairs. And then we had the most incredible turn card.
Turn: Qc
Salomon remained in the lead, but now, everyone had a piece of the pie. And it was a lovely pie. The type of pie that gets stuck in your moustache, and you’re licking it all day.
Kaverman had a flush draw, and Holz added Broadway outs to his tens.
River: Td
Holz had done it again.
When it mattered, the young man from Germany, got precisely what he ordered from the Poker Gods.
A few handshakes later, and Holz was able to relax.
Three-Handed Chip Counts
Fedor Holz – 66,500,000
Justin Bonomo – 50,100,000
Dan Smith – 18,400,000
A relaxed Holz put his pedal to the metal.
Fedor Holz – 91,100,000
Dan Smith – 26,100,000
Justin Bonomo – 17,800,000
There could be only one.
Dan Smith Eliminated in 3rd Place for $4m.
Bonomo picked up a couple of pots to pick up some slack on Holz, but you felt if the American was to win, he needed to eliminate Smith, and that’s what happened.
The action folded to Bonomo who moved all-in, and Smith made what would be the final call of his tournament.
Bonomo: KTo
Smith: QTs
The dealer laid the Ad9s6s in the middle of the Thunderdome. Not bad. Things became more interesting when the Js provided Smith with flush and straight outs, but the Qh disappointed every Smith fan in the building. The man with the ten-gallon hat was out. Bonomo would face Holz for all the marbles.
Bonomo v Holz
No two players have won more money playing live tournaments in the past three-years than Fedor Holz and Justin Bonomo. The pair are incredible in many ways, and the audience was fortunate to see two of the very best going at it for the top prize of $10m.
Chip Counts
Fedor Holz – 84,300,000
Justin Bonomo – 50,700,000
Holz began the brightest, winning a plethora of pots to extend his lead to 54m chips. But then Bonomo started buzzing, doubling through the German when his A8 turned an ace to beat the pocket fours of Holz who was two cards away from victory.
Then came the moment of the tournament for both players.
Holz opened to 2.8m, Bonomo raised to 9.5m, and Holz called. Qc4c3s flew out of the deck, and Bonomo bet 5m; Holz called. The 8h arrived on fourth-street; Bonomo checked, Holz bet 11.5m, and Bonomo called. The river card was the 6d. Bonomo tapped felt; Holz moved all-in, and Bonomo made a quick call.
You could tell by the look on Holz’s face that all was not good in that corner of the world. The German showed KJo for the middle of a doughnut, and Bonomo took a 110.4m v 24.6m chip lead after showing 84s, for eights-up.
It was time to see if Holz had the stamina, grit and luck to turn things around.
Early doors, the prognosis was excellent.
After Bonomo ground him down to ten bigs, Holz doubled with QTo versus K5o after turning a lady, and then he pulled things back to a 3:1 deficit when his J4 found a twin on the flop to beat the pocket tens of Bonomo.
Bonomo – 101,000,000
Holz – 34,000,000
And then Bonomo had a Gandalf moment; you know, the, you shall not pass bridge moment, only unlike the grey-bearded wonder, Bonomo didn’t fall into the abyss, his opponent did.
Bonomo called from the button; Holz James for 23.6m and Bonomo called.
Bonomo: AJo
Holz: A4o
Bonomo had Holz in a dominated position.
You could sense this was it.
The final hand of a fantastic tournament.
It was the perfect moment to play some Hans Zimmer.
The dealer placed K832Q on the board with minimal fuss, and Bonomo had won the trifecta of SHRB, SHRB China and the Big One for One Drop all in a single year.
And they don’t even have an accolade for it.
It’s time they made one. Final Table Results
Justin Bonomo – $10,000,000
Fedor Holz – $6,000,000
Dan Smith – $4,000,000
Rick Salomon – $2,840,000
Byron Kaverman – $2,000,000
It was an incredible moment for Bonomo.
Not only did he had another $10m to his vault. But in doing so, he overtook Dan Colman’s record annual haul, with $24,945,435 earned with five months of the year remaining.
Most significantly, Bonomo now stands on the very top of the Live Tournament All-Time Money Earned Leaderboard, replacing longtime throne holder, Daniel Negreanu with $42,979,591 taken from poker tables around the globe.
Man, I should have…
I have Blu Tack stains on my wall.
I should sue.
I used it because its sole purpose, the only reason it exists, is so I can stick things on the wall. So I did. A butterfly, a spider sitting on his cobweb, a dragon circling a volcano mid-spew, and a snake. Mary will be over in an hour to try her best to rob me of my deposit, and here I am squeezing lemon over the oily residue as I know she will do everything in her power to rob me.
Five thousand miles away, 27 people have paid a million bucks to play poker. The contrast is as sharp as Mary’s lizard like tongue. Six remain. There is a $10m prize at stake. And one man, the same man as always, sticks to the top of the chip counts like my stubborn pieces of blue.
I can’t imagine what it would feel like to pay a million bucks, play for two days, get down to the final six players, and still be a million bucks in the hole, but that’s the situation as Day 2 of the Big One for One Drop ends in Las Vegas.
This is what they are playing for. The Gold
$10,000,000
$6,000,000
$4,000,000
$2,800,000
$2,000,000
Here’s the tale of wonder and woe. The Tale of Wonder and Woe Level 11: 50,000/100,000/100,000
Brian Rast, Byron Kaverman and Rainer Kempe all believe the Day 2 50 big blind strategy is best.
The first person to bust on Day 2 was Adrian Mateos. The Spaniard got into a spat with Fedor Holz on the turn in an upraised pre-flop pot. The board showed ThTs7d3h when Mateos moved all-in and Holz called. Mateos held KT for trip tens, but Holz showed down pocket sevens for the flopped boat. Mateos was up shit creek without a boat or a paddle.
Phil Ivey moves ominously into the chip lead like an iceberg the size of Australia floating towards 20 penguins cuddled together on a sheet of ice the size of a surfboard.
Rainer Kempe had the shortest One Drop experience of anyone who took part over two days. The German star got it in pre-flop with pocket queens, only for David Einhorn to turn over the rockets. Kempe didn’t last a level.
Non-professional poker players were as rare as homeless guys without a dog, and we lost one in the first level in the shape of Meditor Capital Management Founder, Talal Shakerchi. Once again it was Holz taking the role of playground bully when his AK found an ace on the turn, to beat Shakerchi’s pocket nines in a race to the death after a pre-flop all-in encounter.
Jason Koon doubled through Stephen Chidwick, KK>JJ on a Td4c3d flop, and the Global Poker Index (GPI) #1 put the last of his change in the middle against Matthew Siegal only for pocket aces to swallow pocket sixes like Jonah and the whale.
Level 12: 60,000/120,000/120,000
No eliminations, but Mikita Badziakouski found himself short before doubling through Nick Petrangelo K6o>AJs after flopping a six. Level 13: 80,000/160,000/160,000
Despite that double up, the Belarusian was the first player of Level 13 to leave his DXRacer chair after running AJs, into the pocket kings of Rick Salomon.
The next to person to go bump in the night was the former Super High Roller Bowl (SHRB) Champion, Brian Last. Last got it in with AK versus the QQ of Petrangelo and the Q77 flop looked like a nuclear warhead. The 6s on the turn drawing a line under Rast’s participation in the event.
Then we lost the 2014 runner-up.
The action folded to Daniel Negreanu in the small blind. The Canadian moved all-in, holding T7s, and Steffen Sontheimer called from the big blind holding A6o. The board offered no solace to Kid Poker who was still steaming after missing the first hand after the break due to a communication issue.
We were down to the final two tables, and Fedor Holz held the chip lead with Rick Salomon, David Einhorn, Erik Seidel and Nick Petrangelo pressing.
David Einhorn takes the lead after winning a decent chunk from Phil Ivey, and then Koon takes those Ivey chips by doubling through the philanthropist JJ>AK.
Koon tried the same trick with Justin Bonomo a few hands later resulting in the opposite effect. Koon moved all-in holding pocket tens, Bonomo called with queens, and the man wearing the Never Die cap, died.
Then we lost the 2017 Poker Masters Champion.
Sontheimer opened from the button, Dan Smith moved all-in from the small blind, and the man with the purple jacket made the call against the man wearing a blue one. It was AQ for Sontheimer, pocket sevens for Smith, and the pair held.
Level 14: 100,000/200,000/200,000
The first man to leave the contest in Level 14 was Matthew Siegal. It was a three-bet pot, with Siegel the aggressor, and Justin Bonomo playing ball. The flop came down QdTh3h and Siegal moved all-in. Bonomo made the call holding KJs for the open-ended straight draw, and Siegal held AKo for the Broadway straight draw, and ace high. The turn was the ace, giving Bonomo his straight, and Siegal was out. Bonomo was the new chip leader.
Bonomo was like a bloodsucking leech by this point, the next person to be drained of life was Dominik Nitsche. The pair got it in with the German holding AQ, and Bonomo showing the dominating AK, and five cards later the SHRB Champ moved over the 30 million chip mark.
From one SHRB Champ to another and Christoph Vogelsang found a fortunate double up against his compatriot Fedor Holz. Vogelsang’s K3s finding a three on the flop when all-in against AK.
Then Ivey doubled through Bonomo.
In an upraised pre-flop pot, Bonomo put Ivey all-in on the turn with the board showing 7d3d3hQc, and the legend called with AA. Bonomo showed AQ for a less significant two pairs.
Level 15: 120,000/240,000/240,000
Ivey’s topsy-turvy period continued when he lost a race against Einhorn TT<AK to double up the savvy businessman. And then Erik Seidel eliminated Vogelsang in a cooler.
Seidel made it 550k from the cutoff, and the German defended the big blind. The flop was Js4d3c, Seidel bet 1.5m, Vogelsang shoved for around a million more and the New Yorker made the call. Vogelsang showed J4o for top two pair, and Seidel turned over pocket fives. The ace on the turn opened up wheel possibilities for Seidel, and the 2d on the river turned those possibilities into a hard fact which Siedel used to bludgeon Vogelsang over the head with until he was no more.
Then we lost the Poker Central creator.
Cary Katz moved all-in holding A6o from late position, and Dan Smith mad the call from the big blind holding 87o, and flopped a seven to send Katz to the rail.
We had our unofficial final table.
Here were the chip counts.
Justin Bonomo – 25,400,000
Nick Petrangelo – 18,880,000
Erik Seidel – 15,980,000
Fedor Holz – 15,455,000
Rick Salomon – 14,425,000
Dan Smith – 14,085,000
David Einhorn – 12,930,000
Byron Kaverman – 12,135,000
Phil Ivey – 5,710,000
The last action of the level saw Einhorn find another double up, this time AA versus the K5o of Bonomo.
Level 16: 150,000/300,000/300,000
Byron Kaverman doubled through Seidel, AK>QQ, after a turn landed on the turn. And then the Poker Gods handed Seidel a cooler when he got it in holding the nuts on Td9h8d (Quo), facing off against the flush draw of Einhorn (Q9dd), and the 4d landed on the river to send the experienced Seidel to the rail.
The final seven players were happy to see the back of Phil Ivey. The one time greatest player in the world got it in holding AJ, but Bonomo woke up with kings, and Ivey was out in eighth place.
Level 17: 200,000/400,000/400,000
No action to speak of.
Level 18: 250,000/500,000/500,000
Seeking an unprecedented third final table, Salomon doubled through Smith when his ATo beat the KQo of his ten gallon hat wearing opponent, and then we had our final table, when Bonomo eliminated Petrangelo 99>A8o.
