Jonathan Tamayo Wins Largest World Series of Poker Main Event Ever Held

After two weeks of adrenaline-pumping motion, the 2024 World Series of Poker $10m000 no-limit maintain’em fundamental occasion has lastly narrowed its report subject of 10,112 entries all the way down to a single participant. Longtime poker professional Jonathan Tamayo emerged victorious with the championship bracelet and the first-place prize of $10,000,000.

“Joe McKeehen told me that this tournament’s impossible to win. And then, when the field size is bigger, you feel like it’s even more impossible to win,” stated Tamayo after closing out the historic win. “But, you just sit down on day 1, you’re just like, ‘Okay, eventually I’m going to bust this tournament. It’s not going to be pretty, I’m not going to feel great and you’re going to go on with your life and mentally prepare yourself for it.’ I just can’t believe I did not bust the main event.”

The 38-year-old poker professional from Humble, Texas got here into this occasion with $2.3 million in prior event earnings from 187 prior recorded event cashes. Now he has greater than $12.3 million, and has added his title to the celebrated checklist of world champions.

Joining him in that elite firm is his good friend Joe McKeehen, who helped current Tamayo along with his bracelet. The 2015 WSOP fundamental occasion winner was on Tamayo’s rail down the stretch, working alongside four-time bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche.

“Joe and Dom helped. If they weren’t here, I’d likely do not win this tournament,” Tamayo stated in his chat with the collected media after successful. “I might be out eighth, I might be out seventh… I might win this tournament, but a whole other bunch of good things would actually would’ve had to happen for that to happen.”

This was Tamayo’s first bracelet, which he can add to his assortment of 4 WSOP Circuit rings. Prior to this win, his prime rating was a Twenty first-place end within the 2009 fundamental occasion for $352,832. He additionally had one different top-100 exhibiting, inserting 78th in 2015.

“If you get one deep run, chances are that’s the one deep run,” stated Tamayo when requested about working deep on this occasion once more after that earlier shut name 15 years in the past. “I cant’ believe I was able to get two, to get a second chance, and actually close it.”

This was the second straight 12 months that an American participant has received poker’s world championship, with Tamayo following within the footsteps of 2023 winner Daniel Weinman. Prior to that there was a four-year stretch of worldwide champions that included Norway’s Espen Jorstad (2022), Germany’s Koray Aldemir (2021) and Hossein Ensan (2019), and Argentina’s Damian Salas (2020).

Tamayo got here into the ultimate day of this occasion in second chip place among the many final three contenders. There was nonetheless $20,000,000 in prize cash left to play for from the $94,041,600 prize pool that was constructed by the report turnout for this occasion.

Check out a recap of the primary day of ultimate desk motion HERE.

Niklas Astedt was the chip chief to begin the day. He discovered himself battling with start-of-day brief stack Jordan Griff typically within the early going.

Griff had simply edged Astedt out for the chip lead, transferring forward by a single 500,000 chip in time for one of the most important clashes of the day. Astedt raised to eight,000,000 from the button with OkayJ and Griff three-bet to twenty-eight,000,000 from the small blind. Adstedt referred to as and the flop got here down 1093 to offer Griff center set. He guess 25,000 and Astedt referred to as along with his overcards and gutshot straight draw.

The flip introduced the J to offer Astedt prime pair to go along with his draw. Griff moved all-in, placing Astedt to the check for his complete stack. Astedt went into the tank because the shove was counted down. After a lot of consideration he made the decision for his remaining 159,000,000. Astedt referred to as and located himself in want of a queen on the river in an effort to maintain his hopes alive. The river as an alternative introduced the Okay and Griff’s three nines took down the pot.

Heads-Up play has formally been reached on the @WSOP Main Event Final Table!

Who will win all of it?

: https://t.co/s5mI1gdqOt pic.twitter.com/YMpjkkf4Kp

— PokerGO (@PokerGO) July 17, 2024

“Yeah, it’s a tough one,” Astedt instructed PokerGO sideline reporter Jeff Platt after hitting the rail. “I didn’t think he would necessarily would shove like an over pair there, he should be trapping most of his good hand on the turn. [Sigh] I don’t know, man, that was a tough one. He is a bit of a wild one and, you know, pretty top heavy structure. I’m not sure still if I like it, but it’s a tough one.”

Astedt earned $4,000,000 because the third-place finisher. The on-line event poker legend recognized to many as ‘Lena900’ reportedly has greater than $48 million in event earnings on the web. With this deep run, he now has practically $7.9 million in dwell scores as nicely. The 33-year-old Swedish poker professional now sits in second place on his residence nation’s cash checklist, trailing solely 2014 WSOP fundamental occasion champion Martin Jacobson’s $18.1 million.

On simply the second hand of heads-up play, Griff tried a triple barrel bluff that was in the end picked off by Tamayo, who had flopped prime pair of aces with a six kicker. Tamayo went deep into the tank on the tip however finally referred to as to overhaul the chip lead.

Griff quickly discovered a double up of his personal, getting all-in on the flip with jacks and sixes main the pair of jacks with an ace kicker held by Tamayo. A protected river noticed the tables turned once more, with Griff taking a slight lead once more. Griff continued to increase his benefit, and had a shot at closing out the win when he acquired all-in with 77 racing in opposition to the Okay10 of Tamayo.

Nearly all of the drama was drained from the scenario when the flop got here down QJ9 to offer Tamayo a king-high straight with a straight flush redraw. The 5 on the flip left Griff drawing lifeless, and the Okay river noticed Tamayo double again in entrance.

Griff doubled up with pocket sixes in opposition to Tamayo’s A8 to result in one more lead change. This lead was brief lived, although, as Tamayo doubled again to just about even with prime pair holding in opposition to center pair in any case of the chips went in on the flop.

Tamayo was capable of get again out in entrance in time for the decisive hand of the event. With blinds of 2,500,000-5,000,000 and a giant blind ante of 5,000,000, Tamayo raised to 12,500,000 from the button with 83. Griff referred to as with 96 and the flop got here down 983. Griff checked and Tamayo guess 10,000,000 along with his two pair. Griff check-raised to 40,000,000 with prime pair. Tamayo moved all-in and Griff referred to as off for 230,000,000 whole.

The flip was the A, which gave Griff some further outs. He may now catch an ace, 9, or six heading into the river to double up. The 5 rolled off on the tip as an alternative, locking up the pot and the title for Tamayo.

Griff earned $6,000,000 because the runner-up, blowing away his earlier prime rating of $18,104 for a final-table end in a WSOP Circuit occasion at Thunder Valley Casino Resort final 12 months. The 30-year-old information and analytics provide chain supervisor for Meta got here near dwelling out the dream of each novice poker participant, however ended up falling one spot brief of hoisting the bracelet. The New City, New York native, now primarily based in Arizona, was enjoying in simply his third fundamental occasion.

Tamayo drew rather a lot of consideration from the poker world when he folded pocket queens to a single increase late on day 8 with one knockout left earlier than the ultimate desk was set. When requested about ‘the haters’ and the dialogue across the hand, Tamayo stated, “Fold queens. Play 8-3 off.”

In addition to securing the eight-figure prime prize and the bracelet, Tamayo additionally earned a lot of rankings factors. The 3,600 Card Player Player of the Year factors he was awarded had been sufficient to maneuver him into eleventh place within the 2024 POY standings introduced by Global Poker. This was his first title and second final-table end of the 12 months, having completed third within the inaugural PGT Texas Poker Open fundamental occasion for $180,000 and 912 factors. He now sits with 4,512 whole factors.

Tamayo additionally earned 1,550 PokerGO Tour factors for the win. With 1,730 whole PGT factors, he now sits in second place on that high-stakes-centric leaderboard, trailing solely Michael Rocco and his 1,835 factors.

Here is a have a look at the complete outcomes from the 2024 WSOP fundamental occasion ultimate desk:

Visit the Card Player 2024 World Series of Poker web page for schedules, information, interviews, and the most recent occasion outcomes. WSOP protection sponsored by Global Poker.