“What in the world just happened?”
On Day 8 of the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event, there were two big hands everybody was talking about: Kristen Foxen’s elimination with K-Q and Jonathan Tamayo’s quick pre-flop fold with Queens. The latter was on the final table bubble with a $200,000 pay jump from 10th to 9th place and $10m waiting for the eventual winner. Tamayo took a lot of flack for what seemed like an easy re-raise, but that move guaranteed he would see the next hand and three days later, he hoisted the 2024 WSOP Main Event bracelet and claimed that $10m windfall as the world champion of No-Limit Hold’em.
On Wednesday night, Tamayo outlasted Niklas Astedt and Jordan Griff to take home his first-ever bracelet in what was the largest Main Event in WSOP history. The 10,112-player field just beat the 2023 record of 10,043.
In victory, he was presented the bracelet by his WSOP housemate, 2015 Main Event champion Joe McKeehen.
I realized you’re never going to play perfect poker, and weird things happen.”
“Leading up to it [the final table], Joe was just like, play your game. I realized you’re never going to play perfect poker, and weird things happen,” Tamayo said in his post-game interview. “And it’s just unreal.”
“Not real life. My roommate’s picture is right there from 2015. We both have banners now. What in the world just happened?”
Wild, back-and-forth finish
Going into Wednesday’s three-handed showdown, the chip stacks were close – Swedish online poker star Niklas Astedt was the leader with 223 million, Tamayo was second with 197 million, and Griff was third with 187 million.
Griff grew his stack to take the tiniest of leads and then suddenly, Astedt was gone. Griff had moved all-in on the turn with a flopped set and Astedt called him with top pair and a gutshot straight draw. The river missed Astedt and he was out in third while Griff took a huge 432.5 million to 174.5 million chip lead into heads-up play against Tamayo.
Tamayo quickly grabbed the lead, picking off a bluff on the second heads-up hand. He extended his lead over the course of the next 20 hands, but then the tables turned.
On a Q-6-5-J board, Griff shoved and after a couple minutes, Tamayo made the call. Griff had J-6 for two pair, while Tamayo had A-J. The river was of no help to Tamayo and not only did Griff double-up, but he regained the chip lead, as well.
Just as Tamayo had grown his lead, so did Griff, and just as Griff doubled-up to grab the lead, so, too, did Tamayo. All-in preflop on the 201st hand of the final table, Tamayo flopped a straight with K-T on a Q-J-9 board versus Griff’s 7-7. Griff was drawing dead after the turn and Tamayo had a slight lead.
After the next break, Griff once again doubled-up, Sixes versus Tamayo’s A-8, to take a huge 471 million to 136 million chip lead. Tamayo soon doubled-up once again, though this time it just gave him some breathing room. Within a few more hands, though, he snatched the lead back and this time, it was for good.
On the final hand, Tamayo raised to 12.5 million pre-flop and Griff called. On the flop of 9-8-3, Tamayo bet 10 million, Griff raised to 40 million, and then Tamayo moved all-in over the top. Griff made the call for 230 million with 9-6, good for top pair. Tamayo, though, had 8-3 for bottom two pair. The turn and river bricked and Jonathan Tamayo was in the poker history books.
One hand can mean everything
Afterward, Tamayo, known by the handle “driverseati” online, reflected on how fortunes can turn or not turn on a single hand.
“I shouldn’t have been here after Day 4,” he said. “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.”
Referring to a hand in which he doubled-up with A-T versus J-J, Tamayo explained: “[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.”
As for folding those Queens to just single pre-flop raise on Sunday: “That’s going to be a fun one. I’m happy to never live that one down now.”