World Series Of Poker crowns Jonathan Tamayo as 2024 Main Event winner, bags record $10M prize

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) crowned Jonathan Tamayo as the winner of the 2024 Main Event on Wednesday, at the Horseshoe Las Vegas Events Center. Tamayo outlasted the record field of 10,112 from around the world to cash in on the $10 million first-place prize from "the largest live poker tournament prize pool ever" of $94,041,600. 

2015 WSOP Main Event winner Joe McKeehen was on hand to help award Tamayo, his longtime friend, the highly-coveted 2024 Main Event bracelet. Tamayo’s win marks the second year in a row that an American has won the WSOP Main Event after Daniel Weinman from Atlanta, Georgia, took home the title in 2023 to break a streak of four-straight international winners. 

Jonathan Tamayo is the 2024 World Champion!

Tamayo takes home the $10,000,000 top prize in the largest WSOP Main Event in history!

Congratulations to Jonathan Tamayo, your 2024 Main Event Champion! #wsop2024 pic.twitter.com/qnsKNwjILa

— WSOP - World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 18, 2024

Tamayo, from Humble, Texas, is a graduate of Cornell University (’08) with a degree in Hotel Management. Tamayo’s previous best WSOP Main Event finish came in 2009, when he finished in 21st, earning $352,000.

“The WSOP is about history, and this was another historic summer,” said WSOP Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Ty Stewart. “We thank every team member, business partner, and most of all, the participants who came together for the biggest World Series of Poker of all time. We’ll get to work on the banners, bracelets, and improvements to make sure these records only last one year.”

WSOP Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Ty Stewart

Niklas Astedt started the final day as the chip leader, with 223,000,000 chips, but was quickly ousted by Jordan Griff, who came into the day in third place with 187,000,000 chips. 

After several hands in back-and-forth heads-up play, Griff went all-in with a 9-6, while Tamayo held an 8-3. After the flop produced an 8-3-9, the turn resulted in an Ace and the river a 5, giving Tamayo the winning hand and the championship bracelet.

The WSOP Main Event bracelet, considered to be the richest trophy in sports, now goes home with Tamayo. Hand-crafted by Jostens exclusively for the WSOP, the 2024 Main Event bracelet features approximately 445 grams of 10-karat yellow gold with 2,253 various precious gemstones, including 1,948 round diamonds, 230 black onyx stones, and 75 red rubies. Unique to this year’s design is a removable golden face plate in the bracelet's center that serves as a card protector.

Earlier today, the WSOP announced the second edition of WSOP Paradise, in partnership with GGPoker. The winter series will take place from December 6 to December 19, 2024, at Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas and feature a 'Super' Main Event with a $50 million guarantee, which WSOP calls "the largest guarantee in live poker tournament history."

The reimagined WSOP Paradise festival will feature "the most comprehensive set of high roller and super high roller tournaments ever offered," according to the World Series of Poker.