“ZeeJustin”
Nationality🇺🇸 American
HometownFairfax, Virginia
ResidesLas Vegas, Nevada
EPT Titles1
Triton Titles2
WSOP Cashes55
Justin Bonomo: The ZeeJustin Who Earned $25 Million in One Year and Reached Number One All-Time
Justin Bonomo is one of the greatest poker players in history, with $65,611,094 in live tournament earnings placing him among the top five all-time on The Hendon Mob money list. Born on September 30, 1985, in Fairfax, Virginia, he was a competitive Magic: The Gathering player before discovering online poker at 16, became the youngest player ever at a televised final table at 19, was banned from two major online platforms at 20 for multi-accounting, and came back to build one of the most decorated careers in the game. In 2018 alone he won nine tournaments and over $25 million in prizes, including a $10,000,000 payday at the WSOP Big One for One Drop that briefly made him the all-time leading earner in live tournament poker. He holds three WSOP bracelets, one EPT title, and two Triton Super High Roller Series titles.
Justin Bonomo (born September 30, 1985) is an American professional poker player from Fairfax, Virginia, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, who competes under the online alias “ZeeJustin.” He is the fourth-highest earner in live tournament history with $65,611,094 in recorded cashes and 246 entries on The Hendon Mob database. He holds three WSOP bracelets across 55 career cashes and over $14.2 million in WSOP earnings. His biggest single cash is $10,000,000, won in the 2018 WSOP Big One for One Drop. In 2018 he earned over $25 million across nine victories, including the Super High Roller Bowl IV ($5,000,000) and Super High Roller Bowl China ($4,823,077). He has been the number one earner on the all-time money list twice: first in July 2018 and again briefly in July 2022. He is a RunItOnce instructor, a committed vegan, an effective altruism advocate, and a public political activist who has described himself as “a political rights activist, not the poker player.”
Justin Bonomo’s Personal Life
Bonomo grew up in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area known for its high concentration of government workers and professionals. He attended the University of Maryland but dropped out to pursue poker full time once his online earnings made the decision financially clear. His family was not initially supportive of the choice, though his results ultimately made the argument for him.
He now lives at the Panorama Towers in Las Vegas, a residential complex that houses more than 70 professional poker players and functions as an informal hub for the high-roller community. His life outside poker is as publicly defined as his poker career. He is openly vegan, a commitment he frames not as a dietary preference but as part of a broader ethical framework that also includes effective altruism, charitable giving, and political advocacy. He has donated to SENS Research Foundation (Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence), a life extension research nonprofit, and to organizations focused on global poverty reduction. He was one of the early public voices for effective altruism within the poker community.
He is openly polyamorous. He addressed the topic publicly in a Reddit thread approximately a decade ago, stressing the importance of “ethical, responsible, consensual, non-monogamy.” He is not publicly known to be married and has not confirmed any children. His Twitter/X biography has at times described him as a “political rights activist” with progressive and feminist positions. He uses He/Him pronouns.
Before poker, his dominant passion was competitive Magic: The Gathering. He started playing at age nine and by age 12 was competing in tournaments with prize pools as large as $250,000. The analytical discipline required for high-level Magic gave him a framework for probabilistic thinking that he carried directly into poker. He first began playing online poker at 16.
Justin Bonomo’s Beginning in Poker
Bonomo began playing online poker at 16 with a small deposit on PartyPoker under the screen name “ZeeJustin,” a handle he created in his teens and that has stayed with him through a career spanning more than two decades. He turned the initial deposit into meaningful money quickly, grinding Sit-and-Gos and progressing through stakes on both PartyPoker and PokerStars. By his own account, he “studied every single way that I could. First I read books, I found poker strategy forums, I met friends to talk strategy with, and also different pieces of software have come up over the years.”
His first significant live tournament appearance came in 2004 at a WPT event in Aruba. He was eliminated on Day 1, but the environment of professional live poker cemented his ambition. On February 19, 2005, competing at the inaugural EPT French Open in Deauville at age 19, Bonomo finished fourth and became the youngest player ever to reach a televised poker final table, collecting $40,815.
In February 2006, his online career was interrupted. An investigation found he had been entering major tournaments using multiple accounts, in some cases exploiting a software glitch on PartyPoker to bypass restrictions and open several accounts simultaneously. His accounts on PartyPoker and PokerStars were closed and approximately $100,000 in funds was seized. He subsequently confessed and issued a public apology. PokerStars reinstated him after a probationary period, in part through the mediation of Daniel Negreanu. He was allowed back just in time for the first PokerStars Championship Online Poker series in 2009.
With his accounts restored, Bonomo resumed building. He became a regular on the European circuit, cashing at EPT events in Barcelona, Prague, San Remo, and Monte Carlo. In 2012, at the EPT Grand Final Monte Carlo, he won the EUR 100,000 Super High Roller event for EUR 1,640,000, his first major title. In 2014 he won his first WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed for $449,980.
Then came 2018. He won the Super High Roller Bowl IV at the Aria in Las Vegas for $5,000,000, defeating Daniel Negreanu heads-up. He won the Super High Roller Bowl China for $4,823,077. At the WSOP, he won the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship for $185,965 and the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop for $10,000,000. The One Drop victory was his third WSOP bracelet and moved him past Negreanu to the number one position on the all-time money list. He earned over $25 million that calendar year across nine tournament victories, a single-year performance without precedent in the game.
Justin Bonomo’s Strategies and Playing Style
Bonomo describes his approach to poker as driven by an insatiable curiosity about optimal play. “I have a crazy thirst for knowledge and a crazy curiosity and I always have a burning desire to know what the best strategy is in any situation,” he said in a RunItOnce interview. He has articulated the implications of mixed strategy theory more clearly than almost any player in public forums: “Poker is a game of mixed strategy, so it’s never just as simple as ‘If you have top pair or better you bet, and with everything else you check.’ Instead it’s your best top pairs you bet about 90 percent of the time, your medium top pairs bet about 50 percent of the time.”
His approach to solvers and game theory tools reflects the same orientation. He has been explicit about the impact of modern solver software on the game: “These solvers have completely revolutionised how the top players study the game.” His own study practice during active tournament runs is intensive: “When I’m at a poker tournament, I go all in, and I’ll play for ten hours and then go back to my hotel room and study for four hours more. And I’ll do that for 14 days straight.” He has acknowledged this is not a sustainable or universally advisable approach, noting it has had personal costs: “I’ve actually found that I’ve let the numbing from poker transfer into my real life, and that’s actually a huge problem.”
In-game, his style is adaptable. He is not rigidly committed to any single framework but layers solver knowledge with real-time opponent profiling. He has won major events in No-Limit Hold’em, heads-up, mixed game, and Short Deck formats, across buy-ins ranging from $1,500 to $1,000,000. The breadth of formats across which he has won at the highest level, combined with the concentration of his biggest scores in heads-up and short-handed spots, marks him as one of the strongest technical players in the field at close-quarters formats. He has coached extensively on RunItOnce and has published strategy content on board texture, mixed game theory, and the mental architecture of sustained high-stakes competition.
Justin Bonomo’s Greatest Achievements in Poker
Bonomo’s career record is defined by its peaks. His top three single cashes total nearly $20 million. His 2018 season remains one of the most statistically dominant calendar years any player has had in live poker history. He has been the number one all-time earner twice, held the top spot longer than any player not named Bryn Kenney, and converted at the super high-roller level consistently across a span of more than a decade.
Justin Bonomo in WSOP
Bonomo has three WSOP bracelets across 55 career cashes for $14,292,554 in WSOP earnings and 19 final table appearances:
| Bracelet | Event | Year | Prize |
|—|—|—|—|
| 1st | $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed | 2014 | $449,980 |
| 2nd | $10,000 Heads-Up NLH Championship | 2018 | $185,965 |
| 3rd | $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop | 2018 | $10,000,000 |
On his performance in 2018: “At the end of the day, I feel like for the past year I’ve played absolutely fantastic poker. I’m not going to say I’m the best player in the world but I’m very confident that I’m up there.”
Other Major Achievements
– Super High Roller Bowl IV ($300,000 buy-in, Aria Las Vegas, 2018): $5,000,000 first place, defeating Daniel Negreanu heads-up
– Super High Roller Bowl China 2018: $4,823,077 first place
– Triton Poker London 2019 (£250,000 Short Deck, runner-up): $4,135,129
– Triton Poker London 2019 (£100,000 Short Deck Main Event, 1st): $3,248,728
– EPT Grand Final Monte Carlo EUR 100,000 Super High Roller 2012: EUR 1,640,000 first place
– Super High Roller Bowl VI 2021: $1,890,000 second place
– Super High Roller Bowl Online 2020: $1,775,000 first place
– PCA Super High Roller 2018: $1,077,800 second place
– Number one on The Hendon Mob all-time money list: first reached July 2018, reclaimed briefly July 2022
– Nine tournament victories in calendar year 2018, over $25 million in prize money
Top 10 Career Cashes
| Rank | Event | Year | Finish | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WSOP $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop | 2018 | 1st | $10,000,000 |
| 2 | Super High Roller Bowl IV $300,000 | 2018 | 1st | $5,000,000 |
| 3 | Super High Roller Bowl China | 2018 | 1st | $4,823,077 |
| 4 | Triton London Short Deck £250,000 | 2019 | 2nd | $4,135,129 |
| 5 | Triton London Short Deck Main Event £100,000 | 2019 | 1st | $3,248,728 |
| 6 | EPT Monte Carlo EUR 100,000 Super High Roller | 2012 | 1st | EUR 1,640,000 |
| 7 | Super High Roller Bowl VI | 2021 | 2nd | $1,890,000 |
| 8 | Super High Roller Bowl Online | 2020 | 1st | $1,775,000 |
| 9 | PCA Super High Roller | 2018 | 2nd | $1,077,800 |
| 10 | WSOP $1,500 NLH Six-Handed (bracelet) | 2014 | 1st | $449,980 |
Justin Bonomo’s Challenges and Controversies
The 2006 Multi-Account Scandal
On February 24, 2006, an investigation into Bonomo’s PartyPoker accounts found that he had used multiple accounts to enter the same tournaments simultaneously. The method exploited a software glitch in PartyPoker’s system: he rapidly clicked the PartyPoker icon to bypass usual restrictions and open several accounts at once, allowing him to enter the same tournament multiple times under different aliases including ZeeJustin, IBLUFFUOUT69, jwilson55, vapoker58, mehsab, and greenb272. His accounts on PartyPoker and PokerStars were closed immediately and approximately $100,000 in funds was seized.
Bonomo was 20 years old. He confessed and issued a public apology. After a probationary period, PokerStars reinstated him, in part through the mediation of Daniel Negreanu. He was allowed to return in time for the first PokerStars Championship Online Poker series in 2009. The incident returned to public discussion in 2022 when commentators compared it to the Ali Imsirovic cheating scandal and the differing treatments each player received.
The Daniel Negreanu Feud
The relationship between Bonomo and Negreanu is long and layered. Negreanu played a role in Bonomo’s 2009 PokerStars reinstatement, and the two were publicly cordial for years. Their dynamic shifted as Bonomo’s political positions became more visible and as Bonomo overtook Negreanu’s all-time earnings record in 2018. In June 2022, Negreanu posted on Twitter that Bonomo was “indoctrinated and brainwashed beyond repair,” a comment directed at Bonomo’s political views. The two have clashed repeatedly on social media over politics, poker ethics, and the relative weight that should be given to Bonomo’s past online misconduct when evaluating his public positions.
The 2024 WSOP Paradise Keffiyeh Controversy
In December 2024, deep in the $25,000 Super Main Event at WSOP Paradise in the Bahamas, Bonomo was threatened with disqualification for wearing a keffiyeh at the table. WSOP officials told him, with 16 players remaining before the televised final table, that the garment would not be permitted on broadcast because the WSOP’s distribution partners did not allow politically controversial attire. Bonomo, who is Jewish and has publicly supported Palestinian rights, called the stance inconsistent, pointing out that the WSOP had recently hosted a charity event raising funds for the widows and orphans of Israeli soldiers. “My take on it is that if the World Series wants to have a policy against politics always, I would be fine with that,” he said. “But they recently decided to hold a charity tournament for the Israeli defense forces… but I just can’t wear a scarf.” He eventually removed the keffiyeh. The incident drew widespread coverage across the poker and mainstream press.
Justin Bonomo’s Notable TV Show Appearances
Deep Issues (PokerGO)
Bonomo was the first player to sit in the “Deep Issues” chair on PokerGO, a format in which the subject answers in-depth questions about their life, psychology, and poker career. The episode offered a rare look at his thinking on study habits, emotional numbing from poker, and the relationship between his activism and his identity as a competitor.
Real Talk (PokerGO Tour)
Bonomo appeared alongside Isaac Haxton in a “Real Talk” episode produced by the PokerGO Tour (PGT), where the two discussed the economics of the high-roller circuit, staking arrangements, and their long friendship.
FAQ about Justin Bonomo
What are Justin Bonomo’s career earnings?
Justin Bonomo’s live tournament earnings total $65,611,094, placing him among the top five all-time on The Hendon Mob money list. His largest single cash is $10,000,000, from winning the 2018 WSOP Big One for One Drop. In 2018 alone he earned over $25 million across nine victories.
How many WSOP bracelets does Justin Bonomo have?
Justin Bonomo has three WSOP bracelets. His first came in 2014 in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event for $449,980. His second and third both came in 2018: the $10,000 Heads-Up NLH Championship for $185,965, and the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop for $10,000,000. He also has 55 WSOP cashes and 19 final table appearances totaling over $14.2 million.
What is Justin Bonomo known for?
Bonomo is known for his historic 2018 season (nine wins, over $25 million), for being the youngest player ever at a televised final table at 19 years old, for his 2006 online multi-accounting ban and reinstatement, for his veganism and political activism, and for his public feuds with Daniel Negreanu. He was the first player to reach number one on the all-time money list after Negreanu had held it for nearly a decade.
Where is Justin Bonomo from?
Bonomo was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He dropped out of the University of Maryland to pursue poker and has lived in Las Vegas for much of his adult life, currently at the Panorama Towers, a building that houses more than 70 professional poker players.
How old is Justin Bonomo?
Justin Bonomo was born on September 30, 1985. He is 40 years old as of 2026.
Was Justin Bonomo banned from poker?
Yes. In 2006, at age 20, Bonomo was banned from PartyPoker and PokerStars for using multiple accounts simultaneously in the same tournaments. Approximately $100,000 was seized. He confessed, apologized, and was reinstated by PokerStars in 2009. He has competed openly at all major live events since and went on to become one of the four highest earners in live poker history.
What is Justin Bonomo’s playing style?
Bonomo plays an adaptable style grounded in solver-based game theory that he adjusts in real time based on opponent profiling. He is known for describing poker as “a game of mixed strategy,” not a simple binary system. He studies intensively, often spending four or more hours reviewing sessions after long tournament days. He is particularly strong in heads-up and short-handed formats, having won the WSOP Heads-Up Championship and multiple Super High Roller Bowls.
Is Justin Bonomo vegan?
Yes. Bonomo is a committed vegan and animal rights advocate. He frames veganism as part of a broader ethical framework that also includes effective altruism and political activism. He is one of the most publicly outspoken advocates for veganism among professional poker players.
What is Justin Bonomo’s net worth?
Bonomo’s net worth is not publicly disclosed. His live tournament earnings exceed $65 million, though gross prizes do not account for buy-ins, taxes, staking arrangements, and travel. He has donated portions of his winnings to effective altruism charities throughout his career and earns coaching income through RunItOnce.
Is Justin Bonomo still playing poker?
Bonomo has played significantly less poker in recent years as his focus shifted toward political activism. He described himself in a 2024 interview as “a political rights activist, not the poker player.” His most recent significant recorded cash was $1,300,000 in December 2024, per The Hendon Mob. He deep-ran the $25,000 Super Main Event at WSOP Paradise that same month, reaching the final 16 players before the keffiyeh controversy.
What is Justin Bonomo’s biggest poker win?
His largest single cash is $10,000,000, won at the 2018 WSOP Big One for One Drop, a $1,000,000 buy-in event. The win gave him his third WSOP bracelet and made him temporarily the all-time leader on The Hendon Mob money list. In the same calendar year he had also won the Super High Roller Bowl IV ($5,000,000) and Super High Roller Bowl China ($4,823,077).
Has Justin Bonomo ever been number one on the all-time money list?
Yes, twice. He first reached number one in July 2018 after winning the WSOP Big One for One Drop, surpassing Daniel Negreanu. He was overtaken by Bryn Kenney in August 2019. He briefly reclaimed the top position in July 2022 before being passed again. As of today, he sits fourth on The Hendon Mob all-time money list with $65,611,094 in live tournament earnings.
