"What In the World Just Happened"; Jonathan Tamayo Wins the 2024 WSOP Main Event ($10,000,000)
Around the Horseshoe Las Vegas Event Center hang 10-foot-high banners depicting the champions from the first 54 years of the World Series of Poker. The names are legendary: Moss, Slim, Pearson, Brunson, Chan, Hellmuth, Moneymaker. Together they tell a story about how, once a year, the poker world gathers together to crown a world champion in the greatest tournament in the world.
The latest name to join them is an unassuming 38-year-old from Humble, Texas who enjoys golfing and daily fantasy sports. Jonathan Tamayo put his name in the WSOP record books alongside friend, roommate, and 2015 Main Event champion Joe McKeehen as the 2024 world champion after defeating Jordan Griff in an epic back-and-forth heads-up match.
2024 WSOP Main Event Final Table Payouts
| Place | Player | Country | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jonathan Tamayo | United States | $10,000,000 |
| 2 | Jordan Griff | United States | $6,000,000 |
| 3 | Niklas Astedt | Sweden | $4,000,000 |
| 4 | Jason Sagle | Canada | $3,000,000 |
| 5 | Boris Angelov | Bulgaria | $2,500,000 |
| 6 | Andres Gonzalez | Spain | $2,000,000 |
| 7 | Brian Kim | United States | $1,500,000 |
| 8 | Joe Serock | United States | $1,250,000 |
| 9 | Malo Latinois | France | $1,000,000 |
Winner's Reaction
Tamayo was seemingly in disbelief over being the one left standing from 10,112 players, the largest field in Main Event history, and hoisting the diamond-encrusted gold bracelet over his head.
“Not real life. My roommate’s picture is right there from 2015. We both have banners now. What in the world just happened,” the newly-crowned champion said, finally taking in the enormity of the environment he found himself in and the achievement he had just pulled off.
He mentioned throughout the final table how this felt like it wasn’t real life, that his experience over the past two weeks was nothing more than a dream. But it was reality, and he’s $10,000,000 richer after all of it.
“I’m just kind of taking it in right now. Because this perspective, and actually, let’s take a perspective photo just so I can have one for myself. This is what it looks like from here,” Tamayo said, standing behind the table where he had just battled Griff for hours and taking out his phone to snap a photo.
Tamayo was fortunate to have someone who’s experienced this all before. McKeehen was on his rail throughout the final table giving tips about how to navigate through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The two shared a house in Las Vegas throughout the WSOP that now boasts the distinction of being the only one with two Main Event bracelets. McKeehen was even given the honor by WSOP VP Jack Effel of handing Tamayo his newest jewelry.
“Leading up to it, Joe was just like, play your game. I realized you’re never going to play perfect poker, and weird things happen,” Tamayo said. "And it’s just unreal."
"I remember…I shouldn’t have been here after Day 4. There was a crazy series of events on Day 4 where I was all in, and if one certain individual didn’t fold their hand pre, I’m not here."
Tamayo had shoved ten big blinds with ace-queen late in Day 4 and beat pocket jacks to stay alive.
"[Someone] folded ace-king in the cutoff, and the other two jacks were dead because the big blind on seven or eight big blinds folded jacks. And the turn is an ace. If that chain of events doesn’t happen, I don’t have that bracelet and I’m not here."
The Main Event is the one tournament on the poker calendar that doesn’t rely on star power. It’s where stars are made. Chris Moneymaker was an accountant from Tennessee before sparking the poker room with his win in 2003. Greg Raymer was an attorney, Joe Hachem a chiropractor in Australia. The Main Event made them household names as they emerged from a field of thousands.
Griff nearly pulled off his own Cinderella story today. A supply chain manager originally from Schaumburg, Illinois, he came into the Main Event with less than $50,000 in live earnings. His previous best cash was for $18,000. Tamayo, meanwhile, was a four-time WSOP Circuit ring winner with more than $2 million in live earnings, including a run to 21st-place in the Main Event in 2009.
Griff was in last place on the chip leaderboard entering Day 8 and needed a two-outer on the river to survive. But survive he did, all the way to second place as he takes home $6,000,000 to his pregnant wife and soon-to-be newborn baby.
Day 10 Action
Three players returned to play today at 2 p.m. to battle for the world championship. Swedish online legend Niklas Astedt was the chip leader with 223,000,000, while Tamayo (197,000,000) and Griff (187,000,000) followed close behind. Griff pulled even with Astedt early on when he took a big pot with pocket deuces against Astedt’s ace-high.
The two remained virtually tied atop the leaderboard when they tangled in a hand that shocked the room. Griff moved all in for 159,000,000 on the turn and sent Astedt deep into the tank. Astedt eventually called with top pair of jacks and a straight draw, but Griff had a set of nines. Astedt missed the river and Griff, who had Astedt covered by just 500,000, sent the online phenom to the rail in third place.
"Yeah, tough one. I’m not sure. He’s a bit of a wild one, so sometimes you have to guess. This time I was wrong,” Astedt said after making his exit.
Griff led Tamayo 432,500,000 to 174,500,000 at the start of heads-up action. Griff continued his aggressive play when he bet 75,000,000 on the river of an ace-high board. Tamayo agonized over the decision for a few minutes before calling with ace-six. Griff could only show queen-high as he handed over the big pot and the chip lead.
Tamayo expanded his lead until they saw the turn on a queen-jack-high board. Griff then moved all in for 97,500,000 and Tamayo called with ace-jack, but Griff had jacks and sixes and held on through the river to double up back into the lead.
Griff then had a chance to secure the bracelet when he had Tamayo all in for the Texan’s last 155,000,000. Griff had pocket sevens, while Tamayo was racing with king-ten. The flop brought Tamayo a straight and Griff was already drawing dead by the turn as Tamayo doubled up to 314,000,000 and into a narrow lead.
Another coin flip had the chance to settle the tournament. Griff was all in for 233,000,000 with two sixes, while Tamayo showed ace-eight and needed to connect with the board to win the tournament. Instead, the flop gave Griff a set of sixes as the lead changed hands yet again. But it lasted just five hands, as Tamayo then called for 133,500,000 with top pair of sevens against Griff’s pair of fours and straight draw. Tamayo dodged the turn and river to double up and pull nearly even with Griff.
Tamayo then picked off Griff’s bluff with a pair of jacks as he moved back up over 400,000,000. Finally, on the 235th hand of the final table and 65th of heads-up play, Tamayo bet 10,000,000 on a nine-high flop and Griff raised to 40,000,000. Tamayo then moved all in and Griff called for 230,000,000 with top pair. Tamayo showed eight-three for two pair and held on through the turn and river to win the hand and the world championship.
The final hand was a study in irony. A few days earlier, as the final 10 players combined for the unofficial final table, Tamayo folded two queens to a single raise, a play that sparked plenty of conversation around the poker world.
From folding two queens to winning with eight-three: Tamayo fully recognizes the oddity of it all. “That’s going to be a fun one. I’m happy to never live that one down now,” he said.
Tamayo and McKeehen spent the summer sharing a house. They’ll get to spend the rest of WSOP history alongside each other on the wall, forever linked as world champions. “What in the world just happened?” Tamayo asked.
He just took down the biggest tournament in poker. And, no, it wasn’t all a dream.