The 2024 WSOP has crowned a new champion after a long and arduous battle during the Main Event. Jonathan Tamayo is from Humble, Texas. That’s a suburb of Houston, where we grew up. So we were already proud of him just for making the final table. But he did more than that. He made history this week by etching his name into the annals of the WSOP and bringing the bracelet back to Texas… where it belongs (although, we may be a bit biased)!
Tamayo secured the 2024 WSOP Main Event title after a thrilling heads-up battle against Jordan Griff. And by doing so, he also following in the footsteps of his friend and roommate, Joe McKeehen, who was the 2015 Main Event champion. Tamayo’s disbelief was palpable as he realized he had triumphed over a staggering field of more than 10,000 players, which was the largest in the history of the Main Event.
“I’m just kind of taking it in right now…”, Tamayo said, while standing behind the final table and holding up his new jewelry: a diamond-encrusted, gold WSOP champions bracelet. Then he added “…let’s take a perspective photo just so I can have one for myself. This is what it looks like from here!” Not many people get to enjoy that view, young man. Good for you!
Reflecting on his journey leading up to this moment, and his battle through the 2024 WSOP field of players, the newly-crowned champion described feeling like he was living a dream throughout the final table and the past two weeks. Yet, as he held his $10,000,000 prize, he acknowledged that this surreal experience had indeed become his reality. “It doesn’t feel real.” he added. “My roommate’s picture is up there from 2015. Now we both have banners. What just happened?”