The global poker community welcomed a new leader to the All Time Money list after poker hall of famer Daniel Negreanu was knocked off the list when Justin Bonomo won the Big One for One Drop event and bagged $10 million for his efforts.  Bonomo’s live tournament winnings climbed to $42,979, 591 and surpassed Daniel Negreanu who has $39,656,197 in career prize money.
Bonomo Having An Incredible 2018
It seems like 2018 is Bonomo’s lucky year – in March, he won $4.8 million at the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl in Macau, and then bagged another $5 million in May at yet another high roller tournament in Las Vegas. A number of consecutive huge wins this year has helped the 32 year old poker pro quickly climb the All Time Money list and eventually put him right at the top!
When 2017 came to a close, Bonomo was ranked 14^th on the All-Time Money list and would never have dreamed in the next 6 months he would overtake Daniel Negreanu to be the richest poker player in the world in terms of career prize money. That is just what happened as in the first 6 months of this year, he has own nearly $25 million compared to Negreanu’s $4.3 million.
Bonomo has played against some of the toughest poker players in the last six months and has come out on top with 10 first place finishes for this year, while Negreanu has no first place finishes so far. The 2018 Big One for One Drop event had a $1 million buy-in and was the biggest win of his career till date and also brought him his third WSOP bracelet.
Negreanu Happy About Bonomo’s Win
Negreanu, a Poker Hall of Famer and considered one of the best players, quickly responded to Bonomo’s win through a tweet, saying it’s about time he stops hanging onto the top spot of the money list. The Canadian pro held on to the number one spot for a long time and many expected Erik Seidel who was in second place with $34,575,437  to be the one who eventually overtakes Negreanu. However, Bonomo surprised everyone and now Negreanu is in second place and Seidel has dropped to third.
Daniel Negreanu who has been one of the most consistent poker pros in the world for well over a decade did not have a good run at the WSOP. He played the $10,000 Main Event but his WSOP journey was cut short on Day1C.
Emotional Bonomo Says He’s Not the Best
Bonomo was in an emotional state right after winning the One Drop event. He has had major highs in 2018 but the win at the Big One for One Drop was by far his biggest win in terms of career prize money and accomplishments as he will now be viewed as one of the best poker players in the world – if not the very best.
A humble Bonomo believes that being on the all-time money list is not a measure of how great a player is. He had a great run over the past year and it’s something he’s very proud of. He does not consider himself the best player in the world, but he’s confident he’s up there and just proud and satisfied of what he has accomplished.
Though the total winnings are not always an indicator of the actual money at the banks, it reflects Bonomo’s standout performance and accomplishments this year – something any pro player would want to achieve in their lifetime. The Las Vegas pro says the prize money does not belong to him entirely as a close friends and family lent a hand to help him get into the tournament.
In a statement, Bonomo said “I don’t feel that I have anything left to prove to anyone. I’m going to continue what I’m doing: playing tournaments to the best of my ability and studying and getting even better. I’ll never be complacent with my poker game.”
Bonomo’s Prize to be Shared With Charity
Bonomo is popular in the poker community for being an ambassador for REG Charity which raises money for research foundations. Prior to the Big One for One Drop event, Bonamo sold action through YouStake at 1.05 markup pledging to donate all the money from the 5% markup to Givewell.org.