Salvatore Bonavena

Gender: Male
Age: Jan 21, 1964 (49 years old)
Hometown: Cessaniti, Italy
Residence: Milan, Italy
Agent:
Team:
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1st Cash: Jun 1, 2006
Earnings: $2,587,187
Wins: 5
Since last results: 31 days
GPI PoY 2013
Highest 84th (Apr 29, 2013) 106th (Apr 29, 2013)
Latest 92nd (May 13, 2013) 149th (May 20, 2013)
Italy 1st 1st
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#0092
Date Event Buy-In Place Entries Earnings
Apr 21 - 27, 2013
Berlin,
EPT Berlin
European Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
5,000 95th 912 9,000
Mar 10 - 16, 2013
London,
EPT/UK & Ireland Poker Tour - London
European Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em - EPT Main Event QE
£5,000 38th 647 £12,500
Feb 3, 2013
Deauville,
EPT Deauville
European Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
5,000 48th 782 13,500
Jan 25 - 28, 2013
Saint-Vincent,
Saint Vincent Poker Festival
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
700 32nd 1,700
Nov 15 - 19, 2012
Nova Gorica,
IPT Nova Gorcia
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
2,000 2nd 298 95,000
Oct 18 - 22, 2012
Campione d'Italia,
2012 Italian Poker Open
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event
CHF500 56th 1064 CHF1,500
Sep 22 - 25, 2012
Cannes,
2012 World Series of Poker - Europe
World Series of Poker No Limit Hold'em - Day 1A (Event #2) QE
1,000 3rd 626 57,059
Sep 7, 2012
Sanremo,
Knock Out The Star
No Limit Hold'em - KO QE
800 2nd 43 6,000
Aug 29 - 30, 2012
Campione d'Italia,
IPT Campione
Pot Limit Omaha - Reloaded
CHF833 1st 16 CHF6,400
Aug 21, 2012
Barcelona,
EPT/Estrellas Poker Tour - Barcelona
Pot Limit Omaha QE
1,000 10th 108 2,620
Jul 7 - Oct 30, 2012
Las Vegas, NV,
43rd World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2012
World Series of Poker World Championship - No Limit Hold'em Day 1A (Event #61) QE
$10,000 474th 6598 $24,808
Jul 3, 2012
Las Vegas, NV,
Deep Stack Extravaganza III
No Limit Hold'em QE
$1,600 36th 385 $3,902
Jun 29, 2012
Las Vegas, NV,
Deep Stack Extravaganza III
No Limit Hold'em QE
$1,100 6th 391 $15,312
May 26 - 27, 2012
Campione d'Italia,
IPT Campione
No Limit Hold'em
CHF1,000 5th 0 CHF5,600
Mar 28 - 29, 2012
Campione d'Italia,
EPT Campione
No Limit Hold'em QE
2,000 14th 169 5,600
Jan 26 - 30, 2012
Sanremo,
IPT San Remo
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
2,000 4th 350 51,000
Dec 15 - 19, 2011
Nova Gorica,
Mini IPT Nova Gorica
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event
360 10th 237 1,650
Dec 11, 2011
Campione d'Italia,
Peoples Poker Tour 2011
Pot Limit Omaha
500 1st 20 4,327
Dec 7, 2011
Prague,
EPT Prague
No Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha QE
1,000 3rd 80 10,000
Nov 24 - 28, 2011
Campione d'Italia,
IPT Campione II
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
CHF2,000 62nd 482 CHF3,200
Oct 4, 2011
London,
EPT/UK & Ireland Poker Tour - London
No Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha QE
£1,000 5th 117 £7,700
Sep 30 - Oct 6, 2011
London,
EPT/UK & Ireland Poker Tour - London
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
£5,000 29th 691 £16,000
Sep 23 - 25, 2011
Saint-Vincent,
Poker Grand Prix - Season 3
No Limit Hold'em - Masters Event QE
1,500 20th 226 2,450
Jul 30 - 31, 2011
Sanremo,
IPT San Remo
No Limit Hold'em QE
1,000 14th 169 2,300
Jun 2 - 5, 2011
Campione d'Italia,
Italian Poker Open
Main Event - No Limit Hold'em
CHF500 7th 0 CHF9,950
Mar 17 - 21, 2011
Nova Gorica,
IPT Nova Gorica 2
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
2,000 24th 396 4,200
Jan 13 - 13, 2011
Paradise Island,
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
Omaha/Stud 8 QE
$1,000 4th 40 $3,880
Jan 11 - 12, 2011
Paradise Island,
PokerStars Caribbean Adventure
No Limit Hold 'Em - 8 Max QE
$5,000 19th 245 $8,910
Dec 13 - 18, 2010
Prague,
EPT Prague
European Poker Tour Main Event Day - No Limit Hold'em QE
5,000 17th 563 15,000
Sep 29 - Oct 4, 2010
London,
EPT London
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event (UKIPT Grand Final) QE
£5,000 38th 848 £17,000
Sep 23 - 27, 2010
Nova Gorica,
IPT Nova Gorica
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
2,000 3rd 384 75,000
Aug 30 - 31, 2010
Vilamoura,
EPT Vilamoura
No Limit Hold'em QE
2,000 11th 132 4,481
Jul 31, 2010
Venice,
IPT Venice
No Limit Hold'em QE
1,000 5th 150 9,500
Jul 2 - 4, 2010
Las Vegas, NV,
41st World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2010
World Series of Poker No Limit Hold'em QE
$2,500 4th 1942 $254,777
Jun 17 - 21, 2010
San Marino,
2010 IPT San Marino
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
2,000 9th 380 11,000
Apr 25 - 30, 2010
Monte Carlo,
EPT Grand Final
European Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
10,000 11th 848 80,000
Mar 4, 2010
Berlin,
EPT Germany
No Limit Hold'em QE
2,000 14th 277 6,500
Jan 14 - 18, 2010
Venice,
IPT Venice II
No Limit Hold'em -Main Event QE
2,000 1st 310 155,000
Dec 18, 2009
Sanremo,
Sisal Italian Champions of Poker
No Limit Hold'em - Invitational
1st 64 58,000
Jul 3 - Nov 10, 2009
Las Vegas, NV,
40th World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2009
World Series of Poker World Championship No Limit Hold'em QE
$10,000 157th 6494 $40,288
Mar 26 - 27, 2009
Campione d'Italia,
Italian Rounders Poker Tour - Campione
No Limit Hold'em
300 39th 427 620
Jan 31, 2009
Sanremo,
Campionato Italiano 2009
No Limit Hold'em QE
1,000 5th 170 10,000
Dec 9 - 13, 2008
Prague,
EPT - Prague
European Poker Tour No Limit Hold'em QE
5,000 1st 570 774,000
Nov 20, 2008
Venice,
La Notte del Poker
No Limit Hold'em - La Notte Del Poker QE
2,000 3rd 0 90,000
Oct 11 - 12, 2008
Milan,
La Notte Degli Assi 5
No Limit Hold'em
400 6th 0 3,000
Aug 28, 2008
Sanremo,
1st KS Poker Campionato Italiano Amatori
No Limit Hold'em
300 21st 346 600
Jul 19, 2008
Venice,
Campionato Italiano 2a Tappa
No Limit Hold'em
1,000 20th 0 1,100
May 29, 2008
Sanremo,
2008 Campionato Pro
Pot Limit Omaha
500 6th 37 1,400
May 28, 2008
Sanremo,
2008 Campionato Pro
No Limit Hold'em
500 5th 120 5,000
Feb 9, 2008
Sanremo,
7 Tappa Campionato Italiano
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
1,000 36th 319 1,850
May 11, 2007
Sanremo,
Italian Championship of Sanremo
No Limit Hold'em Shootout
500 2nd 260 20,010
Oct 21, 2006
Saint-Vincent,
No Limit Hold'em Festival
No Limit Hold'em - Main Event QE
1,000 8th 135 4,416
Sep 22, 2006
Sanremo,
2nd Campionato Italiano di Texas Hold'em
No Limit Hold'em
500 2nd 195 18,100
Jun 1, 2006
Sanremo,
Texas Hold'em Italian Championship
No Limit Hold'em
300 3rd 228 7,150


BIO

The Italian poker community is well aware of Salvatore Bonavena and his years of success in poker, but the larger community didn’t discover him until his big win EPT win in 2008. He’s more than willing to pay his dues on his way up the poker ladder.

Salvatore Bonavena was born in Pannaconi of Cessnock, a small village in the Vibo Valentia province. It was in his adult years that he moved to Milan to open a tobacco shop, working for a housing association, and participating in the real estate business, the latter out of the desire to commute to Calabria to be closer to his family. However, none of his business options panned out in the long run. That left him to support his wife and children, so he turned to his knowledge of Texas Hold ’Em.

Poker was a pastime with friends and family, a game that took him away from the stresses of everyday life, but he eventually turned to it for an income. Playing poker in casinos and private games led him to believe he could make money in tournaments. In 2006, he decided to try it by traveling to the casinos in San Remo.

Bonavena’s first cash came at the final table of a €300 NLHE tournament in San Remo, where he finished 3rd for €7,150. He finished the year with two more final tables – runner-up at the Campionato Italiano di Texas Hold’em for €18,100 and 8th in the €1,000 NLHE Main Event at the NLHE Festival in Saint-Vincent for €4,416. He also took 2nd place in the Italian Champions of San Remo the following year in a NLHE shootout event for €20,010.

All the while, he was learning from the success of some of the best Italian players like Dario Minieri and Claudio Rinaldi. They, along with others like Gino Alacqua, became his mentors, and he began to study the psychology and math of the game.
Continuing to do well on the local Italian tournament circuit, Bonavena sought his first win. He traveled to Prague in

December of 2008 for the European Poker Tour and played in the €5,000 Main Event, winning it, along with €774,000. It was the biggest cash of his career and led him on a path to becoming a sponsored pro for the Italian group of Team PokerStars Pros.

From there, Bonavena traveled more often, even to the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas in 2009, where he cashed in 157th place in the $ Main Event for $40,288. He finished that year with a win at the Sisal Italian Champions of Poker in San Remo for €58,000 and started 2010 with victory in the Italian Poker Tour Main Event in Venice for €155,000.

Some of Bonavena’s other deep runs included an 11th place finish at the EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo in 2010 for €80,000, 4th place at the WSOP $2,500 NLHE event for $254,777, and 3rd place at the IPT Nova Gorica Main Event for €75,000.

The husband and father of two sons, Salvatore, now in his mid-40s shares every poker success with his family, who watch online when possible. Though he values his new life in poker, he puts his family and his land above all, and he still finds time to feed a lifelong love of football in his leisure time.