About John Bonetti

Name	John Bonetti
Current Residence	Deceased
Birth Place	Brooklyn N.Y.

Those who have dealt John Bonetti a bad beat - or a bad hand for that matter - have likely been the victim of a string of his notoriously vitriolic F-bombs in the poker room.

He might be a senior citizen, but the poker pro has a well-deserved reputation for both his deadly card play and his noxious temper. Nonetheless, he is one of poker's most lovable characters, who has earned the friendship and respect of the game's elite.

Perhaps he gets a pass because of his age. Bonetti was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, New York, the source of his exaggerated accent and signature "fugetaboutit."

Unlike many of his poker peers, Bonetti didn't pick up the game during his childhood. Rather, he played his first hand at the age of 55, when a coworker encouraged him to give poker a try.

Then a rental property manager who was on the move from New York to Houston, Texas, and on the verge of retirement, the timing was perfect for Bonetti to make his debut. His first World Series of Poker cash came in 1987 in none other than the championship event. He placed a respectable 23rd, which at that time was good for only $10,000.

His ascension into poker aristocracy could best be described as rapid. By 1989's Main Event, Bonetti had inched up the World Series standings, this time finishing in 16th place. Never one to backtrack, he made the final table and placed eighth in the championship the following year, which was bested by his first gold bracelet win in the 2-7 Draw the same year.

While the tournament results of some so-called poker pros are skimpy at best as they grind out an existence on the felt in hopes of a tournament win, Bonetti's first place finishes during the early 90s are too plentiful to name. His WSOP successes also continued to mount, with a second place result in Pot-Limit Omaha and 14th in $5,000 Limit Hold'em in 1991.

Consistent as ever, Bonetti cashed in the 1992 series as well, placing third in the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Split and 12th in the Main Event.

If his tournament appearances are any indication, the man was nearly unstoppable. Still, trouble was afoot despite 1993 being a good period in his poker career. That year Bonetti cashed nearly $370,000 after picking up a second gold bracelet in Pot-Limit Hold'em and placing third in both the $2,500 Limit Hold'em event as well as the Main Event.

His performance in the championship, however, has been marred by what many saw as his uncharacteristically donkey-like play. Down to three at its final table, the Main Event saw Bonetti evenly stacked with eventual champion Jim Bechtel, while Glenn Cozen was so short on chips he couldn't cover the next blind. Rather than await Cozen's inevitable bust, Bonetti decided to gamble and went broke on the subsequent hand, cutting his payday by more than half.

But, shortly after, Bonetti would have bigger things on his mind; 1993 was the year he learned he had spinal and prostate cancer. Though he would eventually get the best of the illness, he continues to suffer from health ailments and occasionally requires the use of a wheelchair.

Nonetheless, Bonetti still had thousands of hands of poker left in him. He bounced back during the 1995 series by winning his third gold bracelet in 2-7 Draw and cashing in three others. Between that tournament and the 1996 WSOP, Bonetti kept busy with winning or final tabling eight smaller events.

Though his gold bracelet collection didn't grow at the 1996 series, his bankroll did. A $341,250 third-place Main Event win and a second-place finish in Limit Hold'em worth $135,700 lent a helping hand in his overall World Series winnings.

Making WSOP final tables and, at the very least, cashing at its events each year is habit for Bonetti - with a couple standout tournaments such as his second place in $1,500 Limit Hold'em in 1999 for $173,565; his third place finish in Omaha Hi-Lo in 2001 for $ 51,895; and his third place cash in $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em in 2005 for $ 175,215. He also went out on the final table bubble at the WPT Jack Binion World Poker Open in 2004.

For a long time, Bonetti soared at the top of the WSOP all-time money list for his customary wins at the events. Though he's a little lower on the list these days given the poker's explosion and subsequent robust prize pools, Bonetti's tournament consistency hasn't gone unnoticed by his fellow pros.

"I'm convinced, when John is healthy, he is the deadliest tournament player alive today, no question," said Daniel Negreanu.

Only Bonetti's tongue rivals his game strategy in lethality. He has a notorious dislike of dealers and is known to spew venom at the slightest provocation from the casino employees. He also enjoys a more-than-occasional curse word, which has earned him a reputation for accumulating tournament penalty minutes like old receipts.

Bonetti is said to be the only player ever penalized for swearing away from the table, after a floorperson heard him muttering expletives about a bad beat while on a break.

Though it was his tournament success that landed him an induction into the World Series of Poker Seniors Hall of Fame in 2001, Bonetti's lively personality made him the subject of a roast by his poker peers in 2005.

During the obscenity-riddled evening, WSOP writer Nolan Dalla has described the heavily accented former Brooklynite as a "ball-busting, cantankerous curmudgeon" and friend Phil Hellmuth described Bonetti is the biggest pain in the ass in the world.

That said, poker's finest did have a few kind words for the family man who dotes on his wife, Jean, and their four children and grandchildren. Bonetti always has the heart to stake hard-luck players in satellite events and later dish out some cash to make sure the unsuccessful have enough money for a cab ride home.

Granted, he's no Pollyanna, but for all his shortcomings, Bonetti's tournament clout is undeniable and his detractors - save the occasional dealer - are few.

Trivia

• Holds three World Series of Poker gold bracelets
• Has cashed in 12 World Series Championship events since his first in 1987
• Known for his blue language and hatred of casino dealers
• First started playing poker at age 55