Jonathan Tamayo wins the main event of the World Series of Poker

In a record field of more than 10,000 players, pro Jonathan Tamayo finally reached the pinnacle of poker on Wednesday night, claiming the 2024 World Series of Poker main event bracelet and this year’s $10 million top prize in Las Vegas.

The Texas native reached the final table in seventh place and fought his way to the top, becoming the first player to win from that position since Pius Heinz in 2011.

“Everyone who is good at poker plays in this tournament, and somehow I won it and I still can’t believe it,” Tamayo said shortly after his victory. “Many of us play for the money first, and then when we get good, we play for the prestige. This is both.”

The final table was down to three players after a full day of play on Tuesday. When play resumed on Wednesday, amateur Jordan Griff eliminated online poker star Niklas “Lena900” Astedt after flopping a set of 9s.

From there, Tamayo and Griff were neck and neck. On the final hand, Tamayo had 8-3 off suit and flopped two pair; Griff had 9-6 off suit and flopped the highest pair. Tamayo eventually moved all-in and Griff called, and the board was an ace and a 5, giving Tamayo the win.

Tamayo had previously won four WSOP circuit events and earned $352,832 in 21st place in the 2009 WSOP Main Event, his best cash and finish to date. This was his first WSOP Main Event bracelet.

With the win, his live earnings rose from $2.3 million to $12.3 million.

All players at the final table walked away with at least $1 million, with Griff and Astedt taking home $6 million and $4 million respectively. Last year’s champion, Daniel Weinman, finished in 1,357th place and collected the minimum payout of $15,000.

The 55th edition of the WSOP Main Event, a $10,000 buy-in freezeout hosted by Caesars Entertainment, amassed a record prize pool of $94,041,600 from 10,112 entrants, surpassing the previous record of $93,399,900 and 10,043 players set in 2023.

The 2024 event also recorded a single-day registration record with 5,014 participants on July 6.