Justin Bonomo Reveals WSOP One Drop Deal

July 23rd, 2018 | by Kaycee James

Justin Bonomo has given YouStake backers an insight into his financial affairs after receiving his One Drop winnings from the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Justin Bonomo seen here at the Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood Poker Open has explained his recent WSOP chop. (Image: seminolehardrockpokeropen.com)

In a tweet made public on July 20, the 2018 WSOP Big One for One Drop Champion explained that he negotiated a deal before beating Fedor Holz heads-up. Although the details of chops are usually kept under wraps, Bonomo wanted to make his position clear to those that had a piece of him.

“Fedor and I chopped half of the prizepool when he got HU and play for the other half. My final share was $8,751,111,” read the July 20 tweet.

A Common Practice that Blurs the Lines

Making deals is well within the rules of tournament poker, but it’s not something that’s often discussed in relation to WSOP events. For Bonomo, the decision was a sensible one given what was at stake for both players but some of his followers don’t share the same opinion.

At the heart of the matter is the fact some backers feel as though they were putting their faith in him to win the top prize and not some altered version of it.

“Interesting question would be: does YouStake have to pay out to your backers at the rate based on the top prize? If not, why not? They didn’t agree to a deal at the FT. Or is that built into the wording of the agreement at YouStake,” tweeted mptroutwine.

For the majority of those that received a healthy return on their investment, the implication with any staking deal is that you’re betting on the player to make the best decisions in all situations.

“No one would insist on their share of $6M if Bonomo had finished 2nd. Then we’d be thrilled by the decision to chop. Which is being results oriented. Regardless, awesome to have opportunity to back him,” KKingDavidPoker wrote on July 21.

Not All Stakes Are Divided Equally

Without being in the same situation, it’s difficult to say what the right move was given the money up for grabs. In light of the news, there have been calls for YouStake to address the issue of chops in future tournaments.

Unless its one major backer, investors don’t typically have a say in how a player negotiates chops at the final table. However, in situations where a company is acting as an intermediary for players looking to make business investments, a clause may have to be factored in to avoid any unnecessary discontent in the future.