$300K SHRB VI Marks Justin Bonomo's Return to Live Poker After Nearly 2 Years Away
It��s been nearly two years since Justin Bonomo played a live poker tournament. A couple of days ago he returned by competing in a $50K, which he followed up by being one of 21 players to renter the $300,000 buy-in Super High Roller Bowl VI.
��It��s good to be back,�� said Bonomo, who in the meantime hasn't slowed down winning online. ��I was a little bit nervous that I wouldn��t really feel it, but you know, 20 years of doing this it��s like riding a bike. You get right back into the flow.��
The flow for Bonomo is pretty good, especially in SHRB events. Back in 2018, he topped a 75-entry field to win the Super High Roller Bowl China for HK$37,830,000 ($4,823,077) and then followed it up by navigating a 48-player field to win the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl IV for $5,000,000.
As if that wasn��t enough, Bonomo didn��t let the pandemic slow him down as he took his game online by beating a 50-entry field to win the $102,000 buy-in 2020 Super High Roller Bowl Online for $1,775,000.
Bonomo, who currently sits second on poker��s all-time money list with a staggering $53.2 million, has a chance to become a four-time SHRB champ, though even he admits it won��t be easy.
��It��s a tough tournament. These are long grueling days. You��re up against tough players who have very different styles of play. I��m just trying to stay focused and play my best game.��
Indeed, Bonomo is up against some tough competition, but fortunately for him, he has experience with them all.
��I��ve played with everyone here a ton,�� he said. ��There are some people I��ve only played with online, like Chris Brewer. I��ve only played with him online until now, but I know he��s a very tough player. I think I have a good feel for how everyone plays.��
Check out our profile on Chris Brewer here
While Bonomo is focused on the SHRB, PokerNews did ask about his plans for the upcoming World Series of Poker (WOSP).
��I won��t be there the whole time,�� he revealed. ��Right after this I��m flying to Greece for a wedding, but I��ll be back eventually. Probably mid or late October I��ll start playing some events, and then there are some really good high rollers that I��m definitely going to play, but I��m not going to be playing 50 events or anything like that.��
Finally, PokerNews couldn��t help but ask about Bonomo��s hairdo, which was no longer dyed bright pink.
��I feel like I made the statement that I wanted to with the pink,�� he said. ��It came to be this thing where I didn��t want to be known as the ��pink hair guy,�� I didn��t want that to be my identity. I had some fun with it but I moved on.��
Bonomo was still in contention for the SHRB VI title with eight players remaining at the time of publication. PokerNews will offer a recap after the conclusion of Day 2 as well as a winner recap on Wednesday.
Previous Super High Roller Bowl Winners
| Year | Event | Buy-In | Entries | Winner | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Super High Roller Bowl I | $500,000 | 43 | Brian Rast | $7,525,000 |
| 2016 | Super High Roller Bowl II | $300,000 | 49 | Rainer Kempe | $5,000,000 |
| 2017 | Super High Roller Bowl III | $300,000 | 56 | Christoph Vogelsang | $6,000,000 |
| 2018 | Super High Roller Bowl China | HK$2,100,000 | 75 | Justin Bonomo | HK$37,830,000 |
| 2018 | Super High Roller Bowl IV | $300,000 | 48 | Justin Bonomo | $5,000,000 |
| 2018 | Super High Roller Bowl V | $300,000 | 36 | Isaac Haxton | $3,672,000 |
| 2019 | Super High Roller Bowl London | ��252,500 | 12 | Cary Katz | ��2,100,000 |
| 2019 | Super High Roller Bowl Bahamas | $250,000 | 51 | Daniel Dvoress | $4,080,000 |
| 2020 | Super High Roller Bowl Australia | A$250,000 | 16 | Timothy Adams | A$2,160,000 |
| 2020 | Super High Roller Bowl Russia | $250,000 | 40 | Timothy Adams | $3,600,000 |
| 2020 | Super High Roller Bowl Online | $102,000 | 50 | Justin Bonomo | $1,775,000 |
| 2021 | Super High Roller Bowl Europe | $250,000 | 41 | Wiktor Malinowski | $3,690,000 |
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*Images courtesy of PokerGO.
