Three poker snippets including Chris Moorman topping $15m in online cashes, Justin Bonomo with praise for Ike Haxton, and a rare insight into a One Drop chop-chop.
I had to clean out my shit, and that meant all of my books going to my son, charity or the tip. I came across Chris Moorman’s second book. Pristine. No autograph this time. I hadn’t read it; no reflection on Chris; a simple case of realising I would never read all the books I wanted to before meeting my maker.
In a compromise, I took the book over to the local coffee shop, figuring I could read a few morsels while waiting for the barista to create a dragon in the froth of my Coconut Latte.
I picked it up a week later.
Nobody had read it.
Nobody.
The book was in print perfect condition.
Me leaving it, or nobody reading it.
I’m not sure what’s the biggest sin.
So, I stole it, with the plan to bring it to Jeju so I could gift it to a Moorman fan.
My suitcase was too heavy.
It went in the bin.
In the past 12-months, there has been plenty of talk about the cascade of talented poker players vying to be the next to reach $10m in online multi-table tournament (MTT) earnings.
Moorman was the trendsetter way back in 2013. Eight years on, with the faint light of his rear brake lights blinking in the distance, the 888Poker ambassador reached $15m.
Just won the @WSOPcom $500 6 max to eclipse $15 million in online cashes. Nice way to close out the summer grind @888poker #grindonthemind #6maxlax #888poker
— Chris Moorman (@Moorman1) July 16, 2018
And there has never been a better time for Moorman’s competitors to catch him up.
While the best online grinders in the business left US shores in the wake of Black Friday, Moorman recently decided to move there. Las Vegas is his new home, and I read recently in an interview that Moorman believes his game is better than ever
as a result of his move to Summerlin.
Last year, Moorman earned his third-highest annual live revenue haul in a decade when he cashed for over $700,000 in live tournaments including winning his first-ever World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in a $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em 6-Handed event. This year, he has taken down a $1k during the Wynn Classic and had some deep runs in both the partypoker MILLIONS events and the WSOP.
But he won’t be mopping up online scores like he used to, hence the opportunity for the likes of Sebastian Sikorski, Nicolas Fierro and Bryan Paris to keep clawing back that ground.
The gap is currently $4.4m.
Will he ever be caught?
Justin Bonomo Made a Heads-Up deal With Fedor Holz in One Drop Finale.
There was a time when I never thought anyone would catch Daniel Negreanu at the top of the All-Time Live Tournament Money List. Then I thought Erik Seidel was about to launch a spirited attack, but I never saw the right hook from Justin Bonomo.
It floored everyone.
A run of $25m in a calendar year.
Insane.
And recently, Bonomo has been quite open on his Twitter account about the financial side of his One Drop win.
On July 2, Bonomo posted on Twitter that he was selling action for the $1m buy-in One Drop event with a 1.05 markup, with a promise to donate all of the money gained from the 5% markup to some of the effective charities that Bonomo promotes via his ambassadorial arrangement with Raising for Effective Giving (REG).
As you know, it was a sound investment, as Bonomo went on to beat Fedor Holz, heads-up, to win the $10m first prize, but how much did Bonomo actually win, and how does he communicate that to the people who bought a piece through the online staking marketplace.
Well, Bonomo decided the best approach would be 100% transparency by posting a note on Twitter for all to see.
Cliff notes:
1. Hundreds of people bought action.
2. Bonomo and Holz chopped the $16m that was up for grabs($8m each) after Dan Smith exited in third. They played for the other half ($8m)
3. Bonomo’s final share came it an $8,751,111, of the $12m that he won.
4. Bonomo donated $75,000 to effective charities, more than the entirety of the markup he received from his YouStake backers.
I love Bonomo’s transparency here.
Bonomo Lauds Praise on Ike
On July 20, Bonomo posted another lengthy note on Twitter, this time expressing his gratitude for all the unbelievable amount of success he’s had this year.
“I have been playing poker for 17-years, and I never thought I would be the guy with the super crazy insane win streak,” wrote Bonomo.
Bonomo went on to say that it’s the first time he’s been unable to keep up with all of his social media notifications such has been the outpouring of love and support from well-wishers.
After expressing his joy at being able to share his One Drop win with his father, he turned his attention to the host of poker players who’ve helped shape him into the world beater he has become, with one special man singled out for praise.
When I sit down to interview a top-notch American pro and ask them to name the people who have been hugely influential in their career, Haxton is the most popular name thrown at me.
Bonomo said:
“I met him {Haxton} 10 years ago, and my brain instantly clicked with his approach to poker. That’s when I started thinking in terms of theory and equilibria. Right away he gave me so many of the missing pieces to the puzzle I had been trying to solve. His brilliance is intimidating, and it’s been a pleasure and an honour to see how his brain works over the years. He’s also just a fantastic human being and a great friend.”
Finally, Bonomo told his fans that happiness and self-care are more important to him than accolades and records. He won’t be playing poker until the Poker Masters in September, preferring instead to chill, move home and take in his usual journey to the desert for Burning Man.
“Honestly, these words feel inadequate to fully express how grateful I feel today, but they will have to do. With love and thanks to everyone reading this, Justin.”
The message received 1,488 likes, was retweeted 98 times and commented on by 117 people.
