ZeeJustin (Justin Bonomo) Speaks About his Exit from Bodog

It is common knowledge at this point that popular online and live poker player Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo was let go early in the new year as a Bodog team member. The surprising dismissal of the highly successful player, especially considering his recent emergence as a serious media presence. The move occurred just a month after Bodog dismissed fellow pro, Jean-Robert Bellande which cut Bodog's team in half, with just Evelyn Ng, and David Williams remaining on the roster. Both cases were similar in that Bodog did not give specific reasons for either ouster.

Following the dismissal, debate raged among outside observers as to what had gone down and whether there was any bad blood between the affable Bonomo and the Costa Rican-based online poker site.

Perhaps in an attempt to quell anymore speculation, Bonomo spoke of the move for the first time on his personal blog.

Justin Bonomo writes:

    "I want to thank Bodog and its staff for giving me an opportunity to play for them. I have greatly enjoyed playing alongside my good friends, Evelyn and David, and will miss being a part of that team. I have already been involved in conversations regarding new sponsorship opportunities. Moving forward, I will be focusing my attention on aligning with a sponsor who will better utilize my play and media presence. I am looking forward to evaluating a potential new home, although any decision regarding new sponsorship will not be rushed."

The revelation that he is already being courted is not a big surprise given Bonomo's success and media stature. There are rumblings that PokerStars and Full Tilt are already involved but Ultimate Bet can not be ruled out as they have been quite aggressive stockpiling talent in the past year, particularly with the Mike Sexton and Joe Sebok signings. Adding Bonomo would be a natural fit given their propensity for adding media savvy players.

However, it remains a curious decision by Bodog to say the least as of the entire pro roster, none has earned nearly as much as Bonomo's $1.9 million in tournament poker cashes. It would seem that Bodog's loss will inevitably be someone else's gain. What online poker site do you think will pick him up now?

Source:  www.aintluck.com