Justin Bonomo: Biography, Career and Poker Results

October 18, 2026

Table of Contents

Justin Bonomo is an American professional poker player, born in 1985 in Fairfax, Virginia, and known online as “ZeeJustin”. A regular on the high roller and super high roller circuit, he has won three World Series of Poker bracelets, including the $1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop in 2018, which paid $10,000,000 and is the largest score of his career. ^[1] In 2026 he was one of eight finalists for the Poker Hall of Fame. ^[14]

Justin Bonomo at a World Poker Tour table — Photo: World Poker Tour, licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

Justin Bonomo: key facts

Full name	Justin Bonomo
Nickname	“ZeeJustin” (online alias) ^[1]
Country	United States ^[1]
Born	September 30, 1985, Fairfax, Virginia ^[1]
Known for	High roller and super high roller tournaments; a record 2018 season ^[7]
WSOP bracelets	3 (plus 1 WSOP Circuit ring; 109 cashes, 27 final tables) ^[2]
Major titles	EPT Grand Final €100,000 Super High Roller 2012; Super High Roller Bowl China, Super High Roller Bowl and Big One for One Drop 2018; Super High Roller Bowl Online 2020 ^[4][3][9]
Poker Hall of Fame	Finalist in 2026, not inducted ^[14][15]
Live tournament earnings	$65,611,097 as of October 5, 2026 ^[1]

Early life: from Magic: The Gathering to poker

Bonomo was born on September 30, 1985, in Fairfax, Virginia. Before poker he played the trading card game Magic: The Gathering. He built his first bankroll in low-stakes limit cash games and later dropped out of the University of Maryland to play poker full time. Online he became known under the alias “ZeeJustin”. ^[1]

Beginning in poker

His first recorded live tournament cash came in 2005, the same year he reached the final table of EPT Deauville in the first season of the European Poker Tour. He followed it with a sixth-place finish in the 2006 WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic and an 11th place in the 2007 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure Main Event. ^[1]

At the World Series of Poker he cashed three times in his first year, 2007, with a fourth place in a $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em event worth more than $150,000. In 2008 he finished second in the $5,000 Mixed Hold’em event for $230,159, and in 2011 he was runner-up again, in the $2,500 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw, for $117,305. ^[1] In 2009 he took fifth in the WSOP’s $40,000 No-Limit Hold’em event for $413,165 ^[4], and in April of that year he won a WSOP Circuit ring in a $5,150 Main Event with 187 entries, for $227,692. ^[2]

His first major high roller title came at the 2012 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, where he won the €100,000 Super High Roller for €1,640,000 after re-entering once. He beat Tobias Reinkemeier heads-up at a final table that also included Bertrand Grospellier, Patrik Antonius and Daniel Negreanu, and the win took his live earnings past $5 million. ^[4] In 2013 he finished second in the Seminole Hard Rock Poker Open for $1,163,500. ^[1]

Playing style

PokerNews describes Bonomo as a fixture of the super high roller and high roller circuit and a well-recognized live and online player. ^[1] Most of his biggest results came in No-Limit Hold’em, but he has also reached WSOP final tables in mixed games, including second place in the 2016 $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship. ^[13] He has won titles in Short Deck as well, and explained his approach to that game in 2019: “Once you start raising in this game you make it really easy to get shoved on. The only way to prevent that is by limping.” ^[8]

Greatest achievements

World Series of Poker bracelets

Year	Event	Entries	Prize	Source
2018	Event #78: The Big One for One Drop, $1,000,000 No-Limit Hold’em	27	$10,000,000	[3]
2014	Event #11: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed	1,587	$449,980	[2]
2018	Event #16: $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship	114	$185,965	[2]

He won his first bracelet in 2014 after beating Mike Sowers heads-up. ^[1] His WSOP.com profile, listed under the screen name “JustinB85”, shows three bracelets, one Circuit ring, 27 final tables, 109 cashes and $19,631,102 in earnings, a total that includes the Triton and online events shown on that profile. ^[2]

Other major tournament results

Year	Event	Result	Prize	Source
2018	$300,000 Super High Roller Bowl, Las Vegas (48 entries)	1st	$5,000,000	[6]
2018	Super High Roller Bowl China, Macau (HK$2,100,000 buy-in, 75 entries)	1st	$4.8 million	[5]
2019	Triton London £100,000 Short Deck Main Event (108 entries)	1st	£2,670,000	[8]
2020	Super High Roller Bowl Online, $102,000 buy-in (50 entries)	1st	$1,775,000	[9]
2012	EPT Grand Final €100,000 Super High Roller, Monte Carlo	1st	€1,640,000	[4]
2018	PCA $100,000 Super High Roller (48 entries)	2nd	$1,077,800	[7]
2021	Five Diamond World Poker Classic $100,000 High Roller, Bellagio (19 entries)	1st	$928,200	[10]
2016	WSOP $50,000 Poker Players’ Championship (91 entries)	2nd	$801,048	[13]
2023	Poker Masters Event #9: $25,000 No-Limit Hold’em	1st	$333,000	[12]

In 2016 he came close to a bracelet in the Poker Players’ Championship: three-handed he held nearly 19 million of the roughly 23 million chips in play, but Brian Rast came back and beat him heads-up. ^[13] In London in 2019, besides the £100,000 Main Event, he finished second in a £250,000 Short Deck event for £3,420,000. ^[1] The 2020 online win made him the first player to win three Super High Roller Bowl titles. ^[9]

The 2018 season

PokerNews named 2018 “the Year of Bonomo”. He opened it with second place in the PCA $100,000 Super High Roller, then won the Super High Roller Bowl China in Macau, beating Patrik Antonius, and the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas, beating Daniel Negreanu heads-up for $5,000,000. ^[7] At the WSOP he won the $10,000 Heads-Up Championship and then the Big One for One Drop. ^[7]

The Big One for One Drop drew 27 entries. Of each $1,000,000 buy-in, $80,000 went to the One Drop charity and $920,000 to the prize pool, raising $2,160,000 for clean water projects. Bonomo beat Fedor Holz heads-up; Holz received $6,000,000 and Dan Smith $4,000,000 for third. WSOP.com reported that before the event Bonomo already had $14,945,425 in 2018 earnings and nine wins in events with buy-ins of at least $10,000. The $10,000,000 first prize took his 2018 total to $24,945,425 and his career earnings to $42,979,593, moving him to the top of the all-time money list ahead of Daniel Negreanu and Erik Seidel. ^[3] PokerNews later described his roughly $25 million year as a single-year record. ^[10]

All-time money list

Bonomo first reached the top of the all-time money list with the One Drop win in 2018. Bryn Kenney passed him in 2019; Bonomo took the lead back in December 2021, at $57,047,262, after winning a $100,000 High Roller at the Bellagio. ^[8][10] According to Card Player, in early 2023 he became the first player to pass $60 million in career tournament earnings. ^[11] As of October 5, 2026, his PokerNews profile, using Hendon Mob data, lists $65,611,097 in live tournament earnings, and places him sixth on The Hendon Mob All-Time Money List as of August 2026. ^[1]

Poker Hall of Fame

Players must be 40 to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Bonomo was named one of eight finalists for 2026, his first year on the ballot, alongside Shaun Deeb, Scott Seiver, Jason Koon, Isaac Haxton, Mike Matusow, Chris Moorman and Isai Scheinberg. ^[14] On August 3, 2026, Jason Koon was announced as the only inductee. ^[15]

In his own words

“I’ve watched the game change. I’ve used all the methods and learned all the games. I finally feel like I’m on top.” After winning the Super High Roller Bowl, May 2018. ^[6]
“Being number one on the all-time money list is sweet. It’s awesome. It feels good. But to be honest, I understand that that is not the measure of who a great player is.” After the Big One for One Drop, July 2018. ^[3]
“It’s an honor to be part of [it]. … Yes it’s a great privilege, but I see it as a great responsibility.” On the charity side of the One Drop, 2018. ^[3]
“Because of 2018, I’ve got nothing but pride when I look back on my career, I have nothing left to prove to anyone.” London, August 2019. ^[8]
“I really think you’re bluffing me here. I call.” Before an ace-high call heads-up at the 2023 Poker Masters. ^[12]

Iconic hands and moments

A Champion is Crowned: 2018 Super High Roller Bowl (PokerGO)

Justin Bonomo faces an all-in bluff with his tournament life on the line (PokerGO)

FAQ about Justin Bonomo

How old is Justin Bonomo?

Justin Bonomo was born on September 30, 1985, so he is 41 years old as of October 5, 2026. ^[1]

Where is Justin Bonomo from?

He is American, born in Fairfax, Virginia. He attended the University of Maryland before leaving to play poker. ^[1]

What is Justin Bonomo’s net worth?

There is no reliable public figure for his net worth. What can be verified is his live tournament record: $65,611,097 in earnings as of October 5, 2026, according to PokerNews, which uses Hendon Mob data. ^[1]

How many WSOP bracelets does Justin Bonomo have?

Three: the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed in 2014, and the $10,000 Heads-Up Championship and the Big One for One Drop, both in 2018. ^[2]

What is Justin Bonomo’s biggest win?

The $1,000,000 buy-in Big One for One Drop at the 2018 WSOP, which paid $10,000,000. ^[3]

Is Justin Bonomo in the Poker Hall of Fame?

Not as of October 5, 2026. He was a finalist in 2026, his first time on the ballot, but Jason Koon was the only player inducted that year. ^[14][15]

Where does Justin Bonomo rank on the all-time money list?

His PokerNews profile places him sixth on The Hendon Mob All-Time Money List as of August 2026. He led the list after his 2018 One Drop win and again from December 2021. ^[1][10]

What does “ZeeJustin” mean?

“ZeeJustin” is the alias under which Bonomo has played online since early in his career. ^[1]

Related Poker Legends

Read more about Daniel Negreanu, his opponent heads-up in the 2018 Super High Roller Bowl, Bryn Kenney, with whom he traded the lead of the all-time money list, and Patrik Antonius, the runner-up in Macau in 2018.