Justin Bonomo Leads Final Six In $1,000,000 Buy-In WSOP Big One For One Drop

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The final table of the 2018 $1,000,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Big One For One Drop no-limit hold’em event is set. A total of 27 players posted the seven-figure buy-in for this event, building a prize pool of $24,840,000 and raising over $2 million for the One Drop Foundation. After two full days of ultra high stakes action only six players remain with a shot at the bracelet and the first-place prize of $10,525,000.

Here is a look at the chip counts heading into the final table:

The chip leader with 48,950,000 of the 135,000,000 in play is none other than Justin Bonomo, (pictured above) who is currently sitting in the lead in the 2018 Card Player Player of the Year race. Bonomo has made 18 final tables in 2018 prior to this event, winning nine titles and cashing for an incredible $14,811,941 along the way. He won both the $2,000,000 HKD Super High Roller Bowl China and the $300,000 Super High Roller Bowl in Las Vegas, and then captured his second WSOP bracelet by winning the $10,000 heads-up no-limit hold’em championship.

The 32-year-old poker pro has already had undeniably one of the best years on the tournament circuit in the history of poker, and if he were to emerge victorious tomorrow he will have officially cashed for the most money in a year, and it is not even August yet. Were he to win this event for the $10,000,000 top prize, Bonomo would surpass the $22,319,279 that Daniel Colman earned in 2014, surging to more than $24.8 million in earnings so far in 2018.

Bonomo currently sits in third place on the lifetime live tournament earnings list with $32,965,927. If he were to finish second or better in this event he will overtake Erik Seidel ($34,635,757) and Daniel Negreanu ($38,487,710) to become the leader on the all-time money list.

Joining Bonomo at the final table are two other players inside the top twenty on that list: Fedor Holz (6th – $26,987,103) and Dan Smith (14th – $21,099,119). Holz won his only WSOP bracelet by taking down the $111,111 One Drop high roller in 2016 for $4,981,775. Holz won $16,288,714 in live tournaments during that calendar year, a number Bonomo will surpass if he makes the money in this event.

Also at the final table is Rick Salomon, a former Hollywood producer who now plays in high-stakes poker games, and has cashed in two million-dollar buy-in events before. David Einhorn is hedge fund manager and philanthropist who is donating the entirety of his winnings in this event to charity. He finished third in the first-ever Big One For One Drop event, cashing for $4,352,000. The short stack is Byron Kaverman, a WSOP bracelet winner with $12,501,176 in lifetime earnings.

Plenty of big names hit the rail on day 2, including ten-time bracelet winner Phil Ivey. The Poker Hall of Fame member got the last of his chips in holding the AJ. He had run into the KK of Bonomo, who hit a set on the turn to send Ivey to the rail in eighth place.

Eight-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel, four-time bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche, six-time bracelet winner and current all-time money leader Daniel Negreanu and four-time bracelet winner Brian Rast were among the 16 players knocked out throughout the day.

Play ended on day 2 with the elimination of Nick Petrangelo in seventh place. Petrangelo, who won his second bracelet by taking down the $100,000 buy-in event earlier this summer, shoved with A8 and was called by Bonomo, who held pocket nines. Bonomo flopped a set and had Petrangelo drawing dead by the turn.

Although there are now six players remaining, only the top five finishers will make the money in this event. That means one of the players who bagged up chips after day 2 will be eliminated on a $2,000,000 money bubble. Here is a look at the payouts that the five players who do make the money will be taking home:

Play resumes at 5:30 p.m. Pacific time, with blinds at 250,000-500,000 with a big blind ante of 500,000.

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2018 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

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