Jonathan Tamayo Wins the 2024 WSOP Main Event for $10 Million and First Bracelet

Taking down the WSOP Main Event World Championship in any year is a huge achievement but in a year where a record number of 10,112 players took part in it makes it all the more impressive. Jonathan Tamayo won the $10 million top prize in Las Vegas last night as he beat Jordan Griff to the title, but his victory didn’t come without a measure of controversy.

Griff Leads Last Nine

Heading into the final table, Jordan Griff was the chip leader and he was involved in the big pot action from the off. All-in with pocket threes, he won a coinflip to send French player Malo Latinois to the rail for a cool million dollars. The French player held ace-king and things looked good for a double-up on the A-T-9 flop. A three on the rail was a disaster, however, and an ace on the river changed nothing.

Niklas Astedt came into play with the hearts of many online poker players behind him. All-in with pocket queens, he called Joe Serock’s shove all-in over the top of Griff’s open with pocket sevens, Serock having just ace-jack. Griff knew to get out of the way and a flop of T-9-4 kept Astedt in the lead. Serock needed help and paired his jack on the turn but couldn’t hit one of five outs on the river, an eight sending him home with $1,250,000.

Soon, Brian Kim became another victim of Astedt too. Kim shoved with king-six of clubs, five-betting all-in only to be called by the Swedish player with pocket tens. A flop of Q-T-8 was followed by a five turn and six river to send Kim home with $1.5m and put Astedt in control of the final table.

While the lead would not change hands in the early period of final table play, one huge suck-out turned out to be crucial. All-in with ace-nine against the ace-king of Griff, Jonathan Tamayo hit a nine on the river to survive and stun a dumbfounded Griff and Thunderdome full of passionate supporters as Tamayo’s rail embraced the two-decade professional who until Wednesday had never won a WSOP bracelet despite claiming four WSOP Circuit rings in his career.

Astedt Takes Charge

Andres Gonzalez lost out next as he lost a big flip to Astedt and crashed out for $2 million in sixth place. Committing his stack with pocket jacks, Gonzalez couldn’t hold against the drawing hand of ace-queen for Astedt. His ace-queen flopped gin on the A-T-T spread and after a seven and three landed on turn and river, the Swede had taken charge of five-handed play.

Out in fifth was the Bulgarian player Boris Angleov, who claimed $2.5 million after his pocket sixes lost in spectacularly unlucky fashion against the sun-running Tamayo, whose call for Angelov’s six big blind stack with king-six met with favor on the K-5-4-K-T board.

Four-handed play – and the first day of two final table days of action – ended with the elimination of the Canadian hope Jason Sagle. The oldest player at the final table shoved with pocket jacks and was ousted after Astedt’s ace-three of clubs flopped 8-4-3 to pair, hit a turn five and rivered an improbable runner-runner straight with a five. Sagle, crushed, walked away with $3 million as Astedt led the final three into the last day.

It was not to be the Swede’s day, however.

Tamayo Taps Out the Champ

“What in the world just happened?”

Niklas Astedt came into the action on the final day as the chip leader, but sadly for him and his legions of fans, busted for $4 million in third place. On a board of T-9-3-J, Astedt called it off with king-jack when Jordan Griff shoved with a set of nines. Only a king would do for the Swedish player, who had fallen behind Griff in the running. It didn’t come, however, and Astedt busted outside the top two having begun the final day’s play as the chip leader.

Heads-up, both Griff and Tamayo led and each time the at-risk player doubled back into contention when the chips were on the line. Both men led 3:1 in chips at points and one particularly painful playout came when Griff’s pocket sevens failed to hold against Tamayo’s king-ten, a flop of Q-J-9 giving the eventual winner a foreshadowing, miraculous straight.

Soon, Griff redoubled into a 3:1 lead but it was snatched away from him again. Tamayo led as the two men saw a flop of 9-8-3 land. Tamayo shoved wit eight-three for bottom two pair and Griff called with nine-six for top pair only. An ace on the turn kept Tamayo in the lead and a five on the river gave him victory as he – and his rail – celebrated wildly.

In the hours that followed, Tamayo was focused on not by celebrations, but accusations – that his rail were using GTO solving technology in real-time on the rail to adjust pre-flop ranges against opponents. That is an argument that looks set to run and run, but in the madness of the denouement, Tamayo appeared to be the calmest man in the Thunderdome at the Horseshoe Las Vegas.

“What in the world just happened?” he asked gleefully when interviewed as the new world champion, possibly to himself as much as anyone else.

What indeed?