Jonathan Tamayo Wins Record-Breaking 2024 WSOP Main Event
Professional poker player Jonathan Tamayo finally reached the top of the game on Wednesday night, beating out a record-setting group of more than 10,000 other players to win the $10 million grand prize and the 2024 World Series of Poker bracelet. Names like Moss, Slim, Pearson, Brunson, Chan, Hellmuth, and Moneymaker chronicle the biggest poker tournament in the world.
Today, an understated 38-year-old from Humble, Texas, Jonathan Tamayo, a new name, enters this venerable list. Defying Jordan Griff in an amazing heads-up battle, Jonathan Tamayo entered his name as a world champion in the WSOP record books alongside friend and 2015 Main Event champion Joe McKeehen.
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 |
Jonathan Tamayo shows off the 2024 WSOP Main Event bracelet
How the Winner Reacted?
He couldn’t believe he was the last person standing out of a record 10,112 players to lift the diamond-studded gold band. “Not real life.” That’s a picture of my roommate from 2015. Banners are now on both of us. “What in the world just happened?” the new winner asked, reflecting on how amazing his win was.
During the final table, Tamayo kept talking about how strange everything felt, saying that the last two weeks had been like a dream. But the truth was that he was $10,000,000 richer. “Right now, I’m just taking it all in.” We should take a picture from this point of view so that I can have one for myself because it’s fascinating. He took a photo behind the table where he had just fought Griff for hours and said, “This is what it looks like from here.”
McKeehen was lucky to have been on Tamayo’s side during the final table, giving him advice on how to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime chance. During the WSOP, they shared a house in Las Vegas. It is now known for having been home to two Main Event winners. Jack Effel, VP of the WSOP, even showed McKeehen respect by having him give Tamayo his new ring.
Action on Day 10
At 2:00 p.m., three players came back to the table to play for the world title. With 223,000,000 chips, Niklas Astedt, a famous Swedish online player, was in first place. Tamayo came in second with 197,000,000 chips, and Griff came in third with 187,000,000 chips. To even things out early on, Griff took a big pot with pocket deuces against Astedt’s ace-high. Griff’s all-in bet of 159,000,000 on the turn changed the game, leaving Astedt in deep thought. Griff had a set of nines and held on to send the online star to the rail in third place. Astedt finally called with a top pair and a straight draw.
The Big Showdown
Griff had a huge lead of 432,500,000 to 174,500,000 when heads-up play began. Griff only had queen-high when Tamayo called a 75,000,000 river bet with ace-six. This turned the tide. The lead changed hands several times until Griff bet 155,000,000 on Tamayo’s last hand with pocket sevens. Tamayo got a straight on the turn and doubled up. Griff had pocket sixes, and Tamayo had an ace-eight in another exciting coin flip. The flop gave Griff a set, but Tamayo quickly doubled up with a top pair of sevens. The last hand of the final table was the 235th. Tamayo bet all in on a turn of nine-high cards, and Griff called with the top pair. Tamayo won the 2024 WSOP Main Event because his two pairs held up.
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