Joy and Controversy for 2024 WSOP Main Event Winner
Jonathan Tamayo is the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event champion. On July 17, the 38-year-old defeated the last of his opponents, the last competitor standing between him and the massive, sparkling gold WSOP bracelet. He won $10M for the accomplishment.
There was joy. There was satisfaction and relief and gratitude and wonderment and all of the feelings that go with winning $10M and what most people consider to be the toughest tournament in the world. There were smiles and photos, celebrations and chaos, all in the biggest poker moment of Tamayo’s life thus far.
But there was more, as the hours that passed after the Main Event concluded showed some concern and anger from the poker community.
Pre-Final Table Fold: Mild Controversy
This was a mild controversy, if even a controversy at all. However, it was a situation that prompted a bit of discussion on social media. It was Day 8, the day/night of the playdown to the final table of the Main Event. And it was the bubble of that final table.
Ten players at a single table were going to be there until one more player busted. The hand in question started with Joe Serock opening from early position preflop with A-6 offsuit. Tamayo was in middle position, next to act, and quickly folded pocket queens. The fold and the speed with which he did it was primarily suspect because Diogo Coehlo was yet to act, sitting in the small blind with a very short stack.
Dara O’Kearney provided an in-depth analysis of this hand, complete with ICM charts. Essentially, a combination of the uncertainty surrounding Serock’s opening range and the size of the payout increases could justify Tamayo’s fold of pocket queens in that spot.
I exist to day 9, and yes I did fold QQ pic.twitter.com/StTv7P9Zoh
— Jonathan Tamayo (@driverseati) July 15, 2024
Pure, Unadulterated Joy
Tamayo made the final table of nine players, a massive feat in itself. It guaranteed him a payout of at least $1M for ninth place and promised the chance of winning the entire tournament for $10M and the most coveted piece of jewelry in poker.
While he mostly operated with a calm demeanor, there was no holding in the happiness he felt in making the final table. It was made even sweeter by two factors:
- Tamayo made a deep run in the 2009 WSOP Main Event but exited in 21st place, and he didn’t think he would have a chance to improve on that finish, considering the odds of running deep in this tournament.
- His summer roommate and good friend Joe McKeehen knew exactly how it felt to make the Main Event final table, as he won it himself in 2015.
After his ultimate victory, he told PokerNews, “Not real life. My roommate’s picture is right there from 2015. We both have banners now. What in the world just happened?”
Our Main Event winner @driverseati pic.twitter.com/wVXxxXhbfE
— MBerglund 📸 (@xmatthewbx) July 18, 2024
On top of everything else, Tamayo’s mother was in the audience and witnessed her son’s extraordinary accomplishment.
Coaching Controversy
Many poker players who make such a consequential final table as the WSOP Main Event hire coaches or use solvers to study. Some players even bring their coaches to the final table, and they provide advice between hands or on tournament breaks. Final table players also watch livestreams from previous days’ play to get a feel for their opponents, and they find any information available on said opponents. These are common practices.
The questionable moves from Tamayo and friends involve those friends coaching from the rail of the 2024 Main Event final table with a laptop in plain view. Longtime professional poker players like the aforementioned McKeehen and Dominik Nitsche appeared to use that laptop to produce information, as one would do with a sim, solver, or similar program. And they appeared to pass information along to Tamayo between hands.
Not Against the Rules
Technically, the World Series of Poker doesn’t prohibit people on the rail of a tournament from providing information of any kind to players. Collusion is deemed illegal between players, but a player and a person on the sidelines may discuss anything.
The official 2024 WSOP tournament rules document does contain a reference to poker information tools:
Section VI, Rule 64: Approved Electronic Devices; Prohibited Filming and Streaming: Participants are prohibited from using betting apps, gaming charts, or any poker information tool while involved in a hand.
Even so, the workaround is that a player can, technically, check charts and poker information tools after a hand.
In addition, a 2023 discussion about poker players using real-time assistance during live poker action prompted the WSOP to issue a statement before its 2023 summer series:
“If caught using RTA/GTO software during a hand, player will be subject to penalty up to and including DQ (disqualification)/trespass. We reserve the right to further penalize a player for using RTA/GTO in any other situation in our sole and absolute discretion.”
That statement, however, didn’t make it into the official 2024 rules, so its applicability this year was unclear.
There was an announcement made prior to the start of each tournament regarding solvers, but it is not a definitive statement but more of a request.
Announced at start of each @WSOP event:
— James Chen (@ChipBurglar) June 4, 2024
“We do ask you to please do not use any type of poker solvers at any point in time at the table or in the tournament area. If you’re found using one of these poker solvers, there’s a possibility of being disqualified from this tournament.” https://t.co/wrhOTvJb4Q pic.twitter.com/hsMjrj5iiL
Poker Pros Opine
Some of the biggest names in poker took to social media to express their opinions.
There were many nuanced takes on the issue. While very few people called for Tamayo to be dethroned as the WSOP champion, the vast majority of people wanted clarification on the rules. Many also want to see more stringent rules for next year’s WSOP.
The primary reason for the pushback on people using solvers on the rail of the tournament to help a friend is two-fold. It centers on the appearance of its necessity to compete in today’s poker environment and win, but it also makes the game look too technical to casual poker fans. Players can see that the Main Event final tablist who used the information relayed by friends between hands carried him to the win.
Griff Still Thinking About It
One of the most relevant opinions about the controversy is that of second-place finisher Jordan Griff. While he did win $6M for his impressive finish in the tournament, many wondered if he felt cheated.
Griff spoke to Doug Polk this week about the subject. He indicated a distaste for the actions of Tamayo, much of which he didn’t see or realize until after the tournament’s conclusion, and he is doing some hard thinking about whether or not to pursue any legal action.
Spirit of the Game
The controversy surrounding using solvers at the most consequential final table of the poker year boils down to the game itself. Is the use of poker information tools to consult between hands in the best interest of the game’s longevity? Is this kind of technology in keeping with the spirit of the game?
Some argue that it is the future of the game. Poker is evolving, and players need to keep up if they want to win. Others argue that the poker industry can dictate the trajectory of the game’s evolution by banning or allowing the use of solvers in the game.
What is clear is that the WSOP must examine this issue before the 2025 WSOP and insert a clear ruling in its tournament rules.
Similarly, other tournament organizers would be wise to do the same. The World Poker Tour is likely to come out with a statement prior to its WPT World Championship in December, and others would be smart to follow suit.
