Jonathan Tamayo Wins Record-Breaking 2024 WSOP Main Event ($10,000,000)
Table Of Contents
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, joining 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.
"What in the world just happened?"
Throughout the final table, he mentioned how this felt like it wasn��t real life and 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.
��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 this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The two shared a house in Las Vegas throughout the WSOP, which now boasts the distinction of being the only one with two Main Event bracelets. WSOP VP Jack Effel even honored McKeehen by 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."
"If that chain of events doesn��t happen, I don��t have that bracelet, and I��m not here"
Tamayo had shoved ten big blinds with ace-queen late in Day 4 and needed to 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 last place entering Day 8 and needed a two-outer on the river to stay alive. But stay alive he did, all the way to second place, as he took 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 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.
"He��s a bit of a wild one, so sometimes you have to guess. This time, I was wrong"
"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 a 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 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. After the final ten players combined for the unofficial final table a few days earlier, Tamayo folded two queens to a single raise, which 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 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.
WSOP Main Event Champions 2010-24
| YEAR | ENTRIES | CHAMPION | COUNTRY | PRIZE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10,112* | Jonathan Tamayo | United States | $10,000,000 |
| 2023 | 10,043 | Daniel Weinman | United States | $12,100,000 |
| 2022 | 8,663 | Espen Jorstad | Norway | $10,000,000 |
| 2021 | 6,550 | Koray Aldemir | Germany | $8,000,000 |
| 2020 | 1,379 | Damian Salas | Argentina | $2,550,969 |
| 2019 | 8,569 | Hossein Ensan | Germany | $10,000,000 |
| 2018 | 7,874 | John Cynn | United States | $8,800,000 |
| 2017 | 7,221 | Scott Blumstein | United States | $8,150,000 |
| 2016 | 6,737 | Qui Nguyen | United States | $8,005,310 |
| 2015 | 6,420 | Joe McKeehen | United States | $7,683,346 |
| 2014 | 6,683 | Martin Jacobson | Sweden | $10,000,000 |
| 2013 | 6,352 | Ryan Riess | United States | $8,361,570 |
| 2012 | 6,598 | Greg Merson | United States | $8,531,853 |
| 2011 | 6,865 | Pius Heinz | Germany | $8,715,638 |
| 2010 | 7,319 | Jonathan Duhamel | Canada | $8,944,310 |
*denotes record-breaking field
In this Series
- 1 Dong Meng Wins Second Bracelet & $200,000 in WSOP Tournament of Champions
- 2 Jose Garcia Wins Event #2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em for $79,134
- 3 Asher Conniff Wins First Bracelet in Event 1: $5,000 Champions Reunion for $408,468
- 4 Daniel Willis Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Event #3: $500 Kickoff NLHE
- 5 James Chen Wins WSOP Event #4: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo ($209,350)
- 6 Darius Samual's 50% Bankroll Risk Pays Off in WSOP $25K Heads-Up Championship
- 7 Mixed Game Legend John Hennigan Wins Seventh Bracelet at 2024 WSOP
- 8 Bryce Yockey BLASTS 25K Fantasy Draft Price After $5K PLO Bracelet Win
- 9 "I'm Only Here to Win Bracelets," says Nick Guagenti as He Captures His Second
- 10 Malcolm Trayner Made a Millionaire in WSOP Mystery Millions
- 11 Great Scott! Seiver Adds to Legacy with Fifth WSOP Bracelet
- 12 David Prociak Conquers The $1,500 Badugi for His Second Bracelet and $129,676
- 13 Simeon Spasov Wins $1,500 6-Max to Claim Second Bracelet for $439,815!
- 14 Robert Mizrachi Joins Brother on Five WSOP Bracelets After $10,000 Dealer's Choice Victory
- 15 20 Years in the Making: TJ Murphy Becomes a WSOP Champion
- 16 Caleb Furth Captures Maiden Bracelet in Event #15: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha 8 or Better for $265,361
- 17 Dylan Weisman Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in Event #18: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha
- 18 Brent Hart Rises From Pack to Win Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit Hold��em
- 19 John Racener Spins Shortest Stack Up to WSOP Gold in LHE Championship
- 20 Aaron Cummings Wins His First Bracelet In Lowball Triple Draw Event
- 21 "Feeling Vindicated": Brek Schutten Wins WSOP $25,000 High Roller for $1,405,641
- 22 Sean Troha Completes Hat Trick in $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship
- 23 Huge Comeback Inspires Daniel Sepiol to First Bracelet in $1,500 Shootout
- 24 Daniel Vampan Claims First Bracelet and $148,635 in $3,000 Limit Hold'em 6-Max
- 25 Stephen Winters Defeats 20,647 Players to Win $300 Gladiators of Poker ($401,210)
- 26 Nick Schulman Wins Fifth WSOP Bracelet in $25K High Roller ($1,667,842)
- 27 Gruneberg & Bonnacci Capture First WSOP Pennsylvania Online Bracelets of the Summer
- 28 Evan Benton Goes From Poker Beginner to WSOP Bracelet Winner
- 29 Michael Christ "Gets Lucky" On His Way to Winning Event #27: $1,500 Big O
- 30 Alen Bakovic Laughs His Way to the WSOP Event #30 $600 PLO/NLH Mix Title
- 31 Nicholas Seward Wins His First WSOP Bracelet in $3,000 6-Handed for $516,135
- 32 Phil Ivey Wins His 11th WSOP Bracelet in $10K 2-7 Triple Draw Championship
- 33 Richard Ashby Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in Same Stud Event
- 34 Alex Manzano Ascends to Win Event #33: $600 Pot-Limit Omaha DeepStack
- 35 Antonio Galiana��s Big Bluff Propels Him To First Bracelet in Event #34
- 36 Another Comeback, Another Bracelet For Phillip Hui In $1.5k H.O.R.S.E.
- 37 Timur Margolin Wins Third Bracelet in Event #36: $800 NLHE Deepstack for $342,551
- 38 John Fauver Wins The First Ever $10k Big O Championship For $681,998
- 39 Sergio Aido Wins 2024 WSOP $50,000 NLHE High Roller ($2,026,506)
- 40 Two Bracelets in Two Weeks: Scott Seiver Wins Sixth WSOP Gold in $1,500 Razz
- 41 James Obst Captures Second WSOP Bracelet in $10K Stud
- 42 Xixiang Luo Wins First-Ever WSOP NLHE/PLO Bomb Pot Mix Event
- 43 Magnus Edengren Gets His Crowning Moment in $1,500 Mixed Omaha
- 44 Kingery's Ransom: Longshoreman Ships $2K No-Limit Hold��em for $410,359
- 45 "It Was My Time": Chris Hunichen Captures First Bracelet & $2.8M in $100K High Roller
- 46 Peter Park Wins First Bracelet and $240,724 in Event #51: $1,500 Super Turbo Bounty!
- 47 Dominant Performance: Pedro Neves Crushes On Way to WSOP Monster Stack Bracelet
- 48 Extra Special Day for Christopher Vitch As He Wins Event #48: $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
- 49 Mostafa Haidary Tears Through the Final Four to Win Event #52: $5,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em
- 50 Third Time's the Charm: Patrick Moulder Captures First Bracelet and $177,045 in $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw
- 51 Frank Funaro Wins Second WSOP Bracelet in $10k Super Turbo Bounty
- 52 Dario Sammartino Wins First Bracelet in Event #61: $2,500 Stud 8/Omaha 8 for $222,703
- 53 Sean Jazayeri Claims First Bracelet in Event #59: $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em
- 54 We Want the Funk! David Funkhouser Wins First Bracelet in $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball
- 55 Paolo Boi Stages Impressive Comeback to Win Event #60: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($676,900)
- 56 Daniel Negreanu Wins 7th WSOP Bracelet in $50,000 Poker Players Championship
- 57 Ben Collins' All Ins Were Unbeatable in Event #67: $500 Salute to Warriors
- 58 Heads-Up Masterclass Propels Elie Nakache to $10K PLO Championship Title
- 59 Determined Scott Seiver Captures 3rd 2024 Bracelet by Winning $10k No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw
- 60 Runner-Up No More: Shiina Okamoto Wins Ladies' Event With Fierce Determination and Confidence
- 61 WPT Announcer Tony Dunst Wins Third World Series of Poker Bracelet
- 62 David Eldridge Overcomes the Odds to Claim Second Bracelet in $25k PLO High Roller ($2,246,728)
- 63 VAMOS! Martin Alcaide Claims First Bracelet and $501,250 in Event #70: $400 Colossus
- 64 Matthew Lambrecht Wins $10,000 Mystery Bounty for First WSOP Bracelet
- 65 Team Setna is "On Cloud 9" as the Duo Take Down Event #75: $1,000 Tag Team No Limit Hold��em
- 66 Wing Po Liu Flies High To Win Second Bracelet for $209,942
- 67 Nine Years After Near Tragedy, Arash Ghaneian Wins Second Bracelet in $10,000 Stud Hi-Lo Championship
- 68 First Cash, First Bracelet as Daniel Perkusic Dominates $50,000 High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha
- 69 Georgios Skarparis Wins Mini Main Event After a Promise to His Student ($554,925)
- 70 Francis Anderson Wins 2024 WSOP $800 Independence Day Celebration ($501,040)
- 71 Dominating Final Table Performance Sees Aditya Agarwal Take Down Event #82: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em ($189,661)
- 72 Chance Kornuth Flips His Way to Fourth Bracelet in Event #85: $1,000 Flip & Go No-Limit Hold'em
- 73 Matthew Alsante Triumphs Over the Pros in $5K 8-Handed No Limit Hold'em ($785,486)
- 74 It��s a Poker Fairytale For Carsten Heidemann, Winner of Event #84: $600 Ultra Stack No-Limit Hold��em
- 75 2024 WSOP Online: Watson Becomes Poker's 10th Triple Crown Winner; Prociak Claims Third Bracelet
- 76 Sascha Wilhelm Scores Biggest Career Win in $1k Mystery Bounty PLO
- 77 ��This Bracelet is Worth Three��: Calvin Anderson Joins Five-Timer Club
- 78 Joseph Sanders Claims First Bracelet and $269,530 in $1.5k 6-Max PLO
- 79 Jared Bleznick Captures First Bracelet in $50k No-Limit Hold'em High Roller
- 80 Career-Best Score and First WSOP Bracelet for $3K HORSE Winner Gary Bolden
- 81 Inaugural $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship A Huge Success as Clement Richez Wins $1,041,989
- 82 Michael Rocco Caps Off Career Summer by Capturing First Bracelet
- 83 Xixiang Luo Doubles Up with Second Bracelet of the Summer in Event #96: $25,000 High Roller H.O.R.S.E.
- 84 Michael Liang Turns the Tables in Heads-Up to Win $777 Lucky 7's for $777,777
- 85 Summer Saved! Alex Livingston Claims Second Bracelet and $390,621 in Event #97: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed!
- 86 Jonathan Tamayo Wins Record-Breaking 2024 WSOP Main Event ($10,000,000)
- 87 Aneris Adomkevicius Wins First WSOP Bracelet in Event #99: $1,000 Super Turbo No-Limit Hold'em
- 88 Ching Da Wu Conquers The $1,500 Closer at the 2024 WSOP
- 89 Kyle ��BluffNTuff�� Lorenz & William ��mortyc137�� Nunley Win Final WSOP Pennsylvania Online Bracelets
