The World Champion of Laptops – Is Tamayo’s Main Event Victory Tainted?

Winning the $10m top prize in the biggest-ever WSOP Main Event was just the beginning for Jonathan Tamayo. As the dust settled in Las Vegas at the scene of his victory, poker fans and player alike reacted to the use of a laptop and solver technology being applied to the final stages of the world championship. As the drama played out, did Tamayo’s technological advantage give him an unfair edge that led to his triumph? Opinion is divided on the subject in the poker community.

What Did Jonathan Tamayo Do in Las Vegas?

The scene was set for the biggest-ever WSOP Main Event. With 10,112 entries, the top prize of $10m was one of the largest in poker history. Poised to win it at the final table were the initial chip leader with nine remaining, Jordan Griff, and the Swedish superstar of the online poker community, Niklas Astedt, who led with three players left.

On the outside of that duo, however, was Jonathan Tamayo, who with two tables left had folded pocket queens pre-flop when his opponent had ace-six. It was perhaps fate that Tamayo would go on to win the Main Event after a miraculous escape when dominated followed by several saves heads-up allowed him to stay alive long enough to survive to heads-up and eventually win the world championship.

After the event, as the confetti fell to the floor, eagle-eyed poker fans spotted an open laptop on Tamayo’s rail that it transpired was monitoring the American’s opponent’s opening hands and evolving a range-finding strategy that Tamayo could take advantage of in forthcoming hands. Was this allowed or against the rules?

Did Tamayo and his Rail Break the Rules?

“We ask you to please do not use any type of poker solvers at any point in time at the table or in the tournament area. If you’re found using one of these poker solvers, there’s a possibility of being disqualified from this tournament.”

Opinion is divided on whether Tamayo explicitly broke the rules of professional poker to allow his rail to construct in-game live analysis of the play and predict how best he could adjust his strategy in future hands. Whilst there is no specific rule outlawing laptops in particular, Daniel Negreanu referenced a rule that was announced at a previous WSOP this same summer. Over the public address system, it was announced that:

“We do ask you to please do not use any type of poker solvers at any point in time at the table or in the tournament area. If you’re found using one of these poker solvers, there’s a possibility of being disqualified from this tournament.”

That seems pretty clear on ruling the use of solvers out. Negreanu himself waded into the discussion by saying on X, formerly known as Twitter, “I was under the impression that it was [already] against the rules this year. Cannot reference solvers or charts during play, only on breaks outside the tournament area. I remember hearing that announcement being made several times, so I’m not sure how this doesn’t break that rule.”

Either way, Kid Poker declared, if the rule wasn’t clear before, he believes it very much is now.

“Based on my understanding of the rule, looking at solvers or charts in between hands isn’t allowed. Someone else running solves in game and then telling you in between hands also should not be allowed. No-one at the table said anything as far as I know, but had they asked the floor for a ruling, I don’t see how they would have been allowed to continue.”

Whilst none of the nine players at the felt can be blamed for focusing on other matters, each hand at the final table potentially being worth millions of dollars in equity, it seems astonishing that what happened was allowed to do so. Tamayo asked after victory, “What in the world just happened?” and it is hard not to apply this quote directly to the act of using GTO software during play to obtain any kind of edge in an honest game, let alone one as obviously visible as the WSOP Main Event.

Poker Community Piles On, Nitsche Needles

“You know nothing of what you speak.”

Many players and fans have said how distasteful they have found the events of last week. High stakes cash game player Alan Keating has nailed his colors firmly to the mast marked ‘against’.

“I can’t comment on whatever is on that laptop,” he said, “I will share that I was with a dozen friends last night watching the final table playing on the background and not a single one of them thought whatever is on that laptop was tasteful or within the spirit of the game. I’m glad y’all won money for yourselves but the experience we had watching reinforced the idea that tournament poker isn’t for us.”

Nitsche bit online, replying in a caustic response: “What’s funny is that you acting like an absolute clown on stream to get whale action in private games isn’t exactly anyone’s definition of “spirit of the game” either. I prefer competing over sucking up to rich guys

Keating said in response, simply, “You know nothing of what you speak.”

“If poker needs recreational players, then there’s a need to produce an environment where the average recreational player believes that they have a decent enough chance of winning,” Vincent Robinson added on Twitter, with many taking that perspective.

In an interview with Doug Polk, the runner-up in the Main Event, Jordan Griff, said: “I thought that if they were doing anything nefarious or against the rules that it would have been called out or caught on. But when I’m at the table in that moment, I’m focused on playing. I’m not focused on, ‘ooh does he have a solver?’ I’m there to play my game.”

Polk said he was shocked that tournament staff didn’t step in to prevent ‘Laptopgate’ being stopped.

Griff continued: “I think using RTA is going to give an advantage. Everyone can debate how large that is, and how much it will really help a person. I think it’s hard to quantify that. If I had 100% confirmation that they were there running sims, I may have mentioned something to the floor then.”

Not everyone was totally against the act, with Unibet Poker player David Lappin saying: “It is probably best to leave it as is and for the community to own and embrace what the game has become, even if some aspects of that are unpalatable to some.”

Tom Dwan, who recently signed as an ACR Team Pro was definitive on his belief that nothing would change.

“[Organizations] in poker (not just WSOP, almost all of them), talk tough but when it matters they almost never follow through and actually handle stuff properly.”

Will there be a continued blowback from the incident or will Jonathan Tamayo’s win eventually be remembered more for his fold with pocket queens or his stirring run at the final table to survive when dominated, flip into the lead then become the world champion?

Only time will tell… unless perhaps you have a predictive programme that can play out the possible scenarios and solve it for you.