American pro Justin Bonomo has got back to winning ways after a bumper 2018 by winning the short deck showdown at the Triton Super High Roller Series in Jeju, South Korea.
Lining up alongside 65 players in the HK$250,000/US$38,850 event, Bonomo was among the early frontrunners on March 2.
As 28 of the original line-up exercised their right to rejoin the action, the prizepool inside Jeju’s Landing Casino stopped just short of $2 million.
With the prizepool set, Day 2 of the tournament got underway with 15 players remaining. Despite a strong start, Bonomo found himself in 13th place as the chips started to fly.
Justin Bonomo Back to His Best
Among those ahead of him was the “silent assassin” and Triton champion, Mikita Badziakouski. The Belarusian made waves on the tour last year after winning two consecutive main events.
In fact, with the second of those wins coming on the South Korean island of Jeju, many expected a repeat performance. Bonomo, however, had other ideas.
As seven players fell short of the money, including Badziakouski, 2018’s biggest winner found his form. With just five players remaining, Bonomo assumed the role of executioner, taking out his final four foes.
Once David Benefield and Sergey Lebedev were gone, it took just a few hands to crown another Triton champion. Despite getting it in behind, a fortunate ten allowed Bonomo’s A♣T♣ to defeat Yue Wei Hsiang’s A♥Q♣.
2019 Triton Poker Super High Roller Series Jeju Short Deck Ante-Only Result
- Justin Bonomo – $586,114
- Yue Wei Hsiang – $420,473
- Sergey Lebedev – $272,671
- David Benefield – $206,414
- Choon Siow – $159,270
- Ying Lin Chua – $124,231
- Ben Lamb – $99,385
- John Juanda – $77,724
In clinching the title, Bonomo not only added another $586,114 to his bankroll but continued one of the most impressive tournament runs in recent memory.
Triton Success Could Trigger Another Bumper Year
After starting 2018 with a second-place finish in the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) $100,000 Super High Roller, the American went on to win ten events. In among his list of accolades were two World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets and more than $25 million in prize money.
Buoyed by that success, Bonomo started 2019 with two final tables and an outright win at the 2019 PCA. A ninth-place finish at the US Poker Open followed before his recent win in Jeju took his annual haul beyond the $1 million mark.
Although replicating his success in 2018 might be a tough feat, the veteran tournament player has already got off to a good start.
Already planning to take a shot at more short deck tournaments in the coming months, we may well see Bonomo scoop more trophies on the Triton Poker Super High Roller tour in 2019.
