This hand took place during the 2024 WSOP Main Event final table, with only two players remaining: professional Jonathan Tamayo and recreational player Jordan Griff. The winner would take home a life-changing $10,000,000.
At the time of the hand, the chip count between the two players was deadlocked. Griff held a slight lead, with 305,000,000 chips, just 3,000,000 more than Tamayo’s stack of 302,000,000. The blinds were set at 2,500,000/5,000,000, with a 5,000,000 big blind ante.
This hand was the turning point that would break the tie. One player emerged victorious with a gutsy hero call, taking a commanding 202,000,000 chip lead.
In the video above, Tamayo breaks down the hand step by step, offering exclusive insight into the thought process of a seasoned professional aiming for the most prestigious title in poker.
Heads-Up: Jonathan Tamayo vs. Jordan Griff
 Photo by Matthew Berglund
No Lane Changes for Tamayo
While some players might be tempted to jump into the high roller circuit after a massive win, Tamayo has no intention of straying from his lane. He’s well aware of the skill set that has served him best for the past decade.
“The best in the game probably squeeze out a 6%-8% ROI in MTTs in the high roller events,” Tamayo explained. “That’s not my idea of a good time [laughs]. I’ll most likely stay in my lane, playing mid-stakes buy-ins and doing it on my own terms.”
Next Stop – $600 Buy-In
Tamayo’s first event after winning the $10 million was a $600 buy-in preliminary tournament at the Seminole Hard Rock in Ft. Lauderdale.
“I don’t know how my brain will react to being at that series,” he confessed. “I don’t want to go in there and punt it off. That’s no fun. If I want to punt the money, there are much more entertaining and fun ways to do it than playing a poker tournament. We’ll see how it goes. I’ve already played it out in my head. It’s definitely going to be a strange experience.”
Stop Press: Tamayo Cashed in the $600 Event
Tamayo’s journey continued with a strong performance at the $600 event, where he cashed and finished in 10th place for $1,870 from a field of 141 players. It seems the experience wasn’t as strange as he’d anticipated, and his poker prowess remains intact.
