Justin Bonomo is a polarizing figure in the poker world, but there's no denying his chops. A quick look at his Hendon Mob profile tells you everything – he's got over $63 million in tournament winnings and is second place on the All-Time Money List. He's less than $2 million behind top dog Bryn Kenney and would be low odds to reclaim the crown.
Go to his Twitter account, though, and you'll see that poker isn't the only thing on Justin's mind. In fact, he's recently changed his bio to read: "'I'm a political rights activist, not the poker player; we just have similar names. Polyamorous, progressive, feminist He/him."
In today's toxic Twitter world, simply putting your pronouns in your bio can lead to a truckload of abuse. But Justin is proud to stand up for the things he believes in passionately, and there's one issue that has dominated his timeline in recent months. He knows that putting his head above the parapet for any political issue gets you a pile-on, but there's no issue more controversial today than the current situation in Gaza.
His political activism has led to high-profile spats with other poker players and enough abuse for several lifetimes. In the latest episode of The Interview, PokerOrg’s in-depth conversations with the world’s greatest players, we ask Justin what effect this has had on his poker and why he considers it so important that his poker ambitions take (for now) a second stage.
Justin Bonomo – the person behind the player
And it's not all politics and Twitter abuse. You'll also hear all about:
- Why he didn't get an invite to the Triton Invitational
- What it meant to get the full backing of Phil Galfond as a coach on Run It Once
- Why he doesn't recommend his study habits and the poker player he's learned more from than anyone else
- What Justin thinks about the Phil Hellmuth/Isaac Haxton mask fall-out
- The reasons behind his fallout with Doug Polk
- Justin's poker ambitions (he still has some!) and his thoughts on getting inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame
- Justin's love of Acroyoga (or Partner Acrobatics) and how he finds balance in his life
- The truth behind his polyamorous lifestyle
If you enjoy it, check out our other in-depth interviews, including the one where Phil Hellmuth went off on masks and started a firestorm on socials.
