Man returns to poker following 9 year absence and wins $200K after his ex said it wasn't an 'acceptable' job

Joseph Altomonte is living proof that you should avoid letting a partner exert any control over your hobbies or interests.

His ex-partner banned him from playing poker because she thought it was beneath him.

"My ex said being a poker player wasn't an acceptable occupation, so I quit for a very long time," he explained to Poker News.

"It's a dream come true, you don't even understand."

As a result, the professional player stopped playing cards for nine years.

But when his relationship fell apart, the US tournament player decided to try his hand at a game of Omaha Deepstack once again.

And, in an ironic twist, he's now laughing all the way to the bank.

If that isn't the feel-good comeback of the year, then we don't know what is.

Despite having zero live poker results from 2014 until this year, Altomonte is crushing it.

He copped an USD$87,000 (AUD$129,576, £69,289) pot in March, a USD$104,000 (AUD$154,915, £82,828) score in April, and, most recently, more than USD$217,000 (AUD$323,284, £172,825) in prize money and a coveted World Series of Poker bracelet.

He claimed the prized winner's bracelet at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.

Out of a total entries of 3,200 players, he wrestled the win from Michael Holmes in a rather brief showdown to claim the biggest slice of the USD$1,632,000 (AUD$2,431,337, £1,299,757) prize pool.

The face-off lasted for 20 minutes, seizing the win a hand of two pair of Kings, a six of diamonds and a two diamonds.

His opponent Holmes gambled on a getting a flush, revealing a hand containing a two pair of Jacks, the Queen of Spades, and a four of diamonds.

He took home a grand total of USD$217,102 (AUD$323,436, £172,904).

Holmes was denied his victory and wound up taking home the runner up cut of the prize, equating to USD$134,171 (AUD$199,886, £106,856).

Not bad for a consolation.

So much for poker being an 'unacceptable' occupation because this is the biggest 'I told you so' in history.

As well as returning to the competition circuit in the flesh, Altomonte has been winning it big online.

So far he has cashed in on four World Series of Poker online events, and in one game scored a first-place finish in the USD$3,200 (AUD$4,767, £2,548) High Roller competition, taking home an impressive USD$87,676 (AUD$130,628, £69,833).

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/World Series of Poker

Topics: Sport, News

Rachel Lang

Rachel Lang is a Digital Journalist at LADbible. During her career, she has interviewed Aussie PM Malcolm Turnbull in the lead up to the 2016 federal election, ran an editorial campaign on the war in Yemen, and reported on homelessness in the lead-up to Harry and Meghan’s wedding in Windsor. She also once wrote a yarn on the cheese and wine version of Fyre Festival.

@rlangjournalist