World Series of Poker 2024 Main Event Winner Jonathan Tamayo Nabs $10M


The record-breaking World Series of Poker 2024 main event has a new champion. 

Texan Jonathan Tamayo picked up the $10 million top prize yesterday at Horsehoe Las Vegas. He outlasted 10,112 entries to win the coveted WSOP main event bracelet, which is one of the most expensive competitive trophies in the world. 

As well as the $10 million, the diamond-studded bracelet itself is worth an estimated $500,000.

The new winner will be returning to his home in – you couldn’t make it up – Humble, Texas. That’s with $10 million in his back pocket and one of the poker world’s most respected titles under his belt. 

In an interesting twist, Tamayo has long been good friends with 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen, who supported him at the rail throughout the final days of the tournament. 

“Everybody who’s great at poker plays this tournament, and I somehow won it and I still can’t believe it,” Tamayo told ESPN shortly after picking up his bracelet. 

 “A lot of us start playing it for the money, and then when we get good, we start playing it for the prestige. This is both.”

The Tournament

The WSOP 2024 main event saw more than 10,000 players hit the felt over nearly two weeks. Play hit the final table on Tuesday, with each player guaranteed at least $1 million from that point. Tamayo was one of only three former bracelet winners among a mostly surprise field without any huge names remaining. 

He had previously picked up four WSOP circuit bracelets from winning regional tournaments, and a 21st-place finish at the 2009 WSOP main event. 

Going into the final day on Wednesday, online poker legend Niklas Astedt was in the chip lead, with just Tamayo and Jordan Griff remaining. Griff was a previously unknown cash game player, with $18,000 in tournament winnings to his name.

Meanwhile, Astedt was the bookies’ favorite, with $48 million in online career earnings – yet he had never won a WSOP bracelet. He’s still waiting.

The Final Three

Griff forced the all-in against the Swedish hopeful, holding triple 9s against King Jack. The flop came 10, 9, 3. Astedt needed a jack for a better triple, or a queen to make a straight off the river. He called, but only got a king, meaning he cashed out in third place for $4 million.

Tamayo then went back and forth with Griff in the final heads up showdown. In the end, he used his superior tournament experience to trade out the lead over the Arizona-based supply chain manager.

The last hand took shape when Tamayo got a hugely lucky flop from a fairly dud 8-3 off suit hand. The 9 – 8 – 3 draw gave him a two pair.  Griff had a top pair, with a 9-6 in the pocket. After the weak flop, he re-raised against Tamayo’s first raise, and then called the all-in. 

The turn dropped an ace and then the river gave a 5, meaning Tamayo’s two-pair took the hand and the $10 million tournament victory.

The Standings

PlacePlayerCountryPayout
1Jonathan Tamayo U.S.A$10,000,000
2Jordan GriffU.S.A$6,000,000
3Niklas AstedtSweden$4,000,000
4Jason SagleCanada$3,000,000
5Boris AngelovBulgaria$2,500,000
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