A hero call leads to Bonomo’s latest high-stakes win and another massive pot
Justin Bonomo looked to be on his way to winning the final $25,000 buy-in high roller event at the 2023 Poker Masters until he didn’t. After eliminating every player before heads-up play, he went from a 4:1 chip lead to trailing by almost the same amount in a matter of minutes.
However, Bonomo, the second-highest-earning tournament player in poker with over $64 million in career earnings, would make an impressive hero call to quickly reverse his course.
The hand saw Daniel Rezaei limp on the button with JS, 8D, with Bonomo raising from the big blind holding AC, 8C. Rezaei called before the flop came out 9S, 7D, 4S. Bonomo bet 300,000, and Rezaei called with his gutshot straight draw. The turn was the 7C to pair the board, and Bonomo checked. Rezaei would bet 325,000, and Bonomo called to leave himself with just over a million chips while the pot had grown to 1,730,000.
The river was the 5D, and Bonomo checked again before Rezaei moved all in with just under 2.8 million chips. After long contemplation, Bonomo made the call of the tournament with his ace high, putting him back into the chip lead. He would soon secure the win, earning $333,000 to increase his career earnings to $64,439,800.
Bonomo’s second title and ninth final table in 2023 earned him 336 Card Player Player of the Year points, moving him into 52nd place in the Global Poker 2023 POY standings. Rezaei took home $222,000 as runner-up, his third-largest recorded career cash.
Emma Rodriguez is the Proofreader at the Big Blind, with seven years of experience and five years in online gambling. She plays a crucial role in maintaining content quality by ensuring error-free, reader-friendly information about the gambling industry.
