MMORPGs and poker actually have not much in common. However, for poker star Justin Bonomo, it looks different as he owes a part of his career to the MMORPG Everquest.
Who is it about? The poker millionaire Justin Bonomo has earned approximately 58 million euros from poker throughout his career. However, as a teenager, he was an enthusiastic player of the MMORPG Everquest.
He started to have success at various tournaments in the trading card game “Magic: The Gathering” early on. He also won his first prize money there. At one of the tournaments, friends told him about the then-new Everquest.
The game thrilled him, and he spent his two hours online each day playing Everquest. He wasn’t allowed to play longer because the internet and telephone ran on the same line, and Everquest prevented others in the household from being able to make calls.
In an interview with PCGamer, he said: “I loved the game, I was downright obsessed with it”.
Those who are now eager for poker might find happiness with Balatro:
From Everquest to Poker Star
What happened next in his story? Everquest completely captivated the teenager at that time.
“It was the first time I played such an engaging game. You were in this world, could explore it, and do so many crazy things. I remember explaining to people that a single area is as large as an entire kilometer, and you could travel through the world for hours without seeing the same place twice. Back then, that was a very unusual thing.”
After his early days, he also joined one of the top guilds on his server and began tackling the game’s most challenging challenges.
Gradually, however, his friends switched from Magic: The Gathering to poker. This was a trend among professional players at that time. The young Justin Bonomo also started playing poker.
What does Everquest have to do with poker? Justin was likely playing Everquest less and dedicating more time to his other hobbies. One day he decided to sell his Everquest account.
“I don’t even know how I met the guy, but it was over AOL Instant Messenger, and he offered me $500 if I sold my character.” Bonomo did just that and parked the $500 in his Paypal account.
Once the foundations of poker were laid for him, he started playing poker for money. To finance this, he used the $500 he still had on Paypal and invested it in his poker account.
Thanks to the money he received from selling his Everquest account, he could start playing poker for real money.
Today, Justin Bonomo is the player who has earned the second most money worldwide in his life. Those who now feel like playing poker but find the classic version too boring will likely find happiness with Balatro. The game mixes classic elements with those of a roguelike: The new indie hit is like poker, but much better – costs only €14
