The final day of a scintillating 2024 World Series of Poker has arrived and all eyes of the poker world will be set firmly on the conclusion of the record-breaking 2024 WSOP Main Event at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. For the second year in a row, the crown jewel of the summer reached five-figure attendance, but only three players out of the gargantuan 10,112-entry field remain.
Two Americans will aim to keep the elusive WSOP Main Event bracelet on home soil as of 2 p.m. local time but leading the way is Swedish poker pro Niklas Astedt, who is widely considered the best online MTT player of all time under his legendary moniker of "Lena900". Astedt enters the final day with 223,000,000 in chips, which is good for 74 big blinds.
Jonathan Tamayo went from seventh in chips at the start of the final table to second in chips with 197,000,000, whereas Day 8 chip leader Jordan Griff follows close behind in third place with 187,000,000.
Final Three in the 2024 WSOP Main Event
Seat
Player
Country
Chip Count
Big Blinds
1
Niklas Astedt
Sweden
223,000,000
74
2
Jordan Griff
United States
187,000,000
62
3
Jonathan Tamayo
United States
197,000,000
66
So far, a total of 161 hands have been completed and this figure has all but reached last year's 164 total hands from nine hopefuls to a winner. Astedt did the lion's share of the work on the first part of the final table as he scored four eliminations, while Tamayo and Griff each scored one knockout. Only twelve big blinds separates the trio and the poker community will follow closely today to find out whether or not online crusher Astedt can finish the job, supported by a boisterous Scandinavian rail.
Tamayo's rail yesterday included the 2015 WSOP Main Event champion Joe McKeehen and four-time bracelet winner Dominik Nitsche, while Griff also had a very vocal support in the Thunderdome as well.
Click on the name for an in-depth profile of the final three players:
The final three players will return to the grandest of stages in live poker at 2 p.m. local time to play down to a winner inside of the Horseshoe Event Center. Only a few hands will be played in Level 42 at blinds of 1,500,000/3,000,000 and a big blind ante of 3,000,000, as there are just 17:40 minutes remaining.
Whether or not the chips will be flying in similar fashion as last year's short-lived final day remains to be seen. The three hopefuls have all locked up at least $4 million for their efforts and each pay jump is worth seven figures as the biggest slice of the $94,041,600 prize pool will be awarded today.
Final Table Results and Remaining Payouts
Place
Winner
Country
Prize (in USD
1
$10,000,000
2
$6,000,000
3
$4,000,000
4
Jason Sagle
Canada
$3,000,000
5
Boris Angelov
Bulgaria
$2,500,000
6
Andres Gonzalez
Spain
$2,000,000
7
Brian Kim
United States
$1,500,000
8
Joe Serock
United States
$1,250,000
9
Malo Latinois
France
$1,000,000
The conclusion of the largest WSOP Main Event in history will be streamed with cards-up coverage and commentary on the PokerGO platform. All PokerNews hand-for-hand updates for the final day will be published accordingly on a delay to not spoil any of the action until a winner has been crowned.
Level 43
: Blinds 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Niklas Astedt
Hand #170- Niklas Astedt raised to 8,000,000 on the button, Jordan Griff three-bet to 28,000,000 in the small blind, and Astedt called.
The flop came 10?9?3? and Griff bet 28,000,000. Astedt called and the J? fell on the turn. Griff then moved all in for 159,000,000.
Astedt asked for a count and ripped off his sunglasses as he stared over at Griff. Leaning on the rail of the table, Astedt spent several minutes in the tank before calling with nearly an identical stack.
Griff showed 9?9? for a set of nines and Astedt instantly grimaced as he turned over K?J? for top pair. Astedt needed a queen to make a straight, but he missed the K? river as the start-of-day chip leader was sent to the rail in third place.
Griff and Jonathan Tamayo are taking a short break while the table is set up for heads-up play.
Level 43
: Blinds 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Jordan Griff
Hand #192- Jordan Griff limped in with A?6? and Jonathan Tamayo checked 10?7?.
Tamayo led out for 4,000,000 on the K?J?5? flop and Griff called. Tamayo then bet 10,000,000 on the Q? turn and Griff folded.
Hand #193- Jonathan Tamayo raised to 10,000,000 with 9?4? and Jordan Griff folded 10?2?.
Hand #194- Jordan Griff raised to 10,000,000, Jonathan Tamayo three-bet to 36,000,000, and Griff called.
The flop came Q?6?5? and Tamayo continued for 26,000,000. Griff called to see the J? turn and Tamayo checked.
Griff then moved all in for 97,500,000. Tamayo slammed his chips down and agonized over the decision for around two minutes before calling.
Griff showed J?6? for two pair, while Tamayo had A?J?. Tamayo needed an ace or queen on the river to win the Main Event, but he missed the K? as Griff doubled up back into the chip lead.
Jonathan TamayoA Perplexed Jonathan TamayoJonathan Tamayo Puts in the Call
Level 43
: Blinds 2,000,000/4,000,000, 4,000,000 ante
Jonathan Tamayo
Hand #199- Jonathan Tamayo raised to 10,000,000 with J?2? and Jordan Griff called with the 10?6?.
The flop came K?K?5? and Griff led out for 6,000,000. Tamayo called and the 2? fell on the turn.
Griff slowed down and checked as Tamayo bet 12,000,000. Griff folded.
Hand #200- Jordan Griff with the 10?6? raised to 12,000,000 and Jonathan Tamayo called with J?6?.
Griff continued for 10,000,000 on the A?4?3? flop and Tamayo called. The turn was the 7? and Griff won the pot with another bet of 30,000,000.
Hand #201- Jonathan Tamayo raised to 10,000,000 before Jordan Griff three-bet to 35,000,000. Tamayo then moved all in for 155,000,000.
Griff shot out of his seat and asked for a count before calling.
Jonathan Tamayo: K?10?
Jordan Griff: 7?7?
Griff was racing for the Main Event title, but Tamayo smacked the Q?J?9? flop with a straight. The 5? turn left Griff drawing dead and Tamayo secured the double up once the K? completed the board.
Level 44
: Blinds 2,500,000/5,000,000, 5,000,000 ante
Jordan Griff
Hand #221: Jonathan Tamayo raised to 12,500,000 on the button. Jordan Griff three-bet to 38,000,000 in the big blind and Tamayo wasted little time before pushing all-in with the covering stack.
Griff called for 233,000,000 and was the player at risk in yet another coin flip.
Jordan Griff: 6?6?
Jonathan Tamayo: A?8?
The J?6?3? flop gave Griff a set of sixes and he needed to avoid running hearts. His double-up was secured with the 4? turn to make the 8? river a formality.
Level 44
: Blinds 2,500,000/5,000,000, 5,000,000 ante
Jonathan Tamayo
Hand #222- Jordan Griff limped in with the 8?7?, Jonathan Tamayo shoved for 131,000,000 with A?2?, and Griff folded.
Hand #223- Jonathan Tamayo raised to 12,500,000 with J?5? and Jordan Griff folded the 8?4?.
Hand #224- Jordan Griff limped in again with the J?8? and Jonathan Tamayo shoved once more, this time for 146,000,000 holding the [KsQc6]. Griff snap-folded.
Hand #225- Jonathan Tamayo with the 7?4? raised to 12,500,000, Jordan Griff three-bet to 40,000,000 with J?5?, and Tamayo folded.
Hand #226- Jordan Griff limped in and Jonathan Tamayo checked his option.
The flop came 7?4?3? and Griff bet 7,500,000. Tamayo then raised to 23,000,000 and Griff moved all in. Tamayo ripped off his hood and leaned back in his chair before committing his last 133,500,000.
Jonathan Tamayo: 8?7?
Jordan Griff: 5?4?
Tamayo was ahead with a pair of sevens against Griff's pair of fours and straight draw. The 3? turn took away some of Griff's outs, while the 9? fell on the river and Tamayo doubled up.
Level 44
: Blinds 2,500,000/5,000,000, 5,000,000 ante
Jordan Griff
Hand #235- Jonathan Tamayo raised to 12,500,000 and Jordan Griff called.
The flop came 9?8?3? and Tamayo bet 10,000,000. Griff then raised to 40,000,000 and Tamayo came back with an all-in shove. Griff called for 230,000,000.
Jordan Griff: 9?6?
Jonathan Tamayo: 8?3?
Griff showed down top pair, but Tamayo had flopped two pair and was in the lead heading to the turn. The A? was no help to Griff, while the river was the 5? as Tamayo leapt into the arms of his supporting rail as the new Main Event champion.
Level 44
: Blinds 2,500,000/5,000,000, 5,000,000 ante
Jonathan Tamayo Wins 2024 WSOP Main Event
Around the Horseshoe Las Vegas Event Center hang 10-foot-high banners depicting the champions from the first 54 years of the World Series of Poker. The names are legendary: Moss, Slim, Pearson, Brunson, Chan, Hellmuth, Moneymaker. Together they tell a story about how, once a year, the poker world gathers together to crown a world champion in the greatest tournament in the world.
The latest name to join them is an unassuming 38-year-old from Humble, Texas who enjoys golfing and daily fantasy sports. Jonathan Tamayo put his name in the WSOP record books alongside friend, roommate, and 2015 Main Event champion Joe McKeehen as the 2024 world champion after defeating Jordan Griff in an epic back-and-forth heads-up match.
2024 WSOP Main Event Final Table Payouts
Place
Player
Country
Payout (USD)
1
Jonathan Tamayo
United States
$10,000,000
2
Jordan Griff
United States
$6,000,000
3
Niklas Astedt
Sweden
$4,000,000
4
Jason Sagle
Canada
$3,000,000
5
Boris Angelov
Bulgaria
$2,500,000
6
Andres Gonzalez
Spain
$2,000,000
7
Brian Kim
United States
$1,500,000
8
Joe Serock
United States
$1,250,000
9
Malo Latinois
France
$1,000,000
Winner's Reaction
Tamayo was seemingly in disbelief over being the one left standing from 10,112 players, the largest field in Main Event history, and hoisting the diamond-encrusted gold bracelet over his head.
“Not real life. My roommate’s picture is right there from 2015. We both have banners now. What in the world just happened,” the newly-crowned champion said, finally taking in the enormity of the environment he found himself in and the achievement he had just pulled off.
He mentioned throughout the final table how this felt like it wasn’t real life, that his experience over the past two weeks was nothing more than a dream. But it was reality, and he’s $10,000,000 richer after all of it.
“I’m just kind of taking it in right now. Because this perspective, and actually, let’s take a perspective photo just so I can have one for myself. This is what it looks like from here,” Tamayo said, standing behind the table where he had just battled Griff for hours and taking out his phone to snap a photo.
Tamayo was fortunate to have someone who’s experienced this all before. McKeehen was on his rail throughout the final table giving tips about how to navigate through this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The two shared a house in Las Vegas throughout the WSOP that now boasts the distinction of being the only one with two Main Event bracelets. McKeehen was even given the honor by WSOP VP Jack Effel of handing Tamayo his newest jewelry.
Jonathan Tamayo Wins 2024 WSOP Main Event
“Leading up to it, Joe was just like, play your game. I realized you’re never going to play perfect poker, and weird things happen,” Tamayo said. "And it’s just unreal."
"I remember…I shouldn’t have been here after Day 4. 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."
Tamayo had shoved ten big blinds with ace-queen late in Day 4 and beat pocket jacks to stay alive.
"[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."
The Main Event is the one tournament on the poker calendar that doesn’t rely on star power. It’s where stars are made. Chris Moneymaker was an accountant from Tennessee before sparking the poker room with his win in 2003. Greg Raymer was an attorney, Joe Hachem a chiropractor in Australia. The Main Event made them household names as they emerged from a field of thousands.
Jordan Griff
Griff nearly pulled off his own Cinderella story today. A supply chain manager originally from Schaumburg, Illinois, he came into the Main Event with less than $50,000 in live earnings. His previous best cash was for $18,000. Tamayo, meanwhile, was a four-time WSOP Circuit ring winner with more than $2 million in live earnings, including a run to 21st-place in the Main Event in 2009.
Griff was in last place on the chip leaderboard entering Day 8 and needed a two-outer on the river to survive. But survive he did, all the way to second place as he takes home $6,000,000 to his pregnant wife and soon-to-be newborn baby.
Day 10 Action
Three players returned to play today at 2 p.m. to battle for the world championship. Swedish online legend Niklas Astedt was the chip leader with 223,000,000, while Tamayo (197,000,000) and Griff (187,000,000) followed close behind. Griff pulled even with Astedt early on when he took a big pot with pocket deuces against Astedt’s ace-high.
The two remained virtually tied atop the leaderboard when they tangled in a hand that shocked the room. Griff moved all in for 159,000,000 on the turn and sent Astedt deep into the tank. Astedt eventually called with top pair of jacks and a straight draw, but Griff had a set of nines. Astedt missed the river and Griff, who had Astedt covered by just 500,000, sent the online phenom to the rail in third place.
Niklas Astedt
"Yeah, tough one. I’m not sure. He’s a bit of a wild one, so sometimes you have to guess. This time I was wrong,” Astedt said after making his exit.
Griff led Tamayo 432,500,000 to 174,500,000 at the start of heads-up action. Griff continued his aggressive play when he bet 75,000,000 on the river of an ace-high board. Tamayo agonized over the decision for a few minutes before calling with ace-six. Griff could only show queen-high as he handed over the big pot and the chip lead.
Tamayo expanded his lead until they saw the turn on a queen-jack-high board. Griff then moved all in for 97,500,000 and Tamayo called with ace-jack, but Griff had jacks and sixes and held on through the river to double up back into the lead.
Jordan Griff
Griff then had a chance to secure the bracelet when he had Tamayo all in for the Texan’s last 155,000,000. Griff had pocket sevens, while Tamayo was racing with king-ten. The flop brought Tamayo a straight and Griff was already drawing dead by the turn as Tamayo doubled up to 314,000,000 and into a narrow lead.
Another coin flip had the chance to settle the tournament. Griff was all in for 233,000,000 with two sixes, while Tamayo showed ace-eight and needed to connect with the board to win the tournament. Instead, the flop gave Griff a set of sixes as the lead changed hands yet again. But it lasted just five hands, as Tamayo then called for 133,500,000 with top pair of sevens against Griff’s pair of fours and straight draw. Tamayo dodged the turn and river to double up and pull nearly even with Griff.
Tamayo then picked off Griff’s bluff with a pair of jacks as he moved back up over 400,000,000. Finally, on the 235th hand of the final table and 65th of heads-up play, Tamayo bet 10,000,000 on a nine-high flop and Griff raised to 40,000,000. Tamayo then moved all in and Griff called for 230,000,000 with top pair. Tamayo showed eight-three for two pair and held on through the turn and river to win the hand and the world championship.
Jonathan Tamayo Wins 2024 WSOP Main EventJonathan TamayoJonathan Tamayo
The final hand was a study in irony. A few days earlier, as the final 10 players combined for the unofficial final table, Tamayo folded two queens to a single raise, a play that sparked plenty of conversation around the poker world.
From folding two queens to winning with eight-three: Tamayo fully recognizes the oddity of it all. “That’s going to be a fun one. I’m happy to never live that one down now,” he said.
Tamayo and McKeehen spent the summer sharing a house. They’ll get to spend the rest of WSOP history alongside each other on the wall, forever linked as world champions. “What in the world just happened?” Tamayo asked.
He just took down the biggest tournament in poker. And, no, it wasn’t all a dream.
