Monthly Archives: July 2024

Jul 17, 2024 7 min read Last updated Jul 18, 2024

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, joining 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.

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 roommates 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.

"What in the world just happened?"

Throughout the final table, he mentioned how this felt like it wasnt real life and that his experience over the past two weeks was nothing more than a dream. But it was reality, and hes $10,000,000 richer.

Im just kind of taking it in right now. Because this perspective, and actually, lets 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 whos experienced this all before. McKeehen was on his rail throughout the final table, giving tips about how to navigate this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The two shared a house in Las Vegas throughout the WSOP, which now boasts the distinction of being the only one with two Main Event bracelets. WSOP VP Jack Effel even honored McKeehen by handing Tamayo his newest jewelry.

Leading up to it, Joe was just like, play your game. I realized youre never going to play perfect poker, and weird things happen, Tamayo said. "And its just unreal."

"I rememberI shouldnt 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 didnt fold their hand pre, Im not here."

"If that chain of events doesnt happen, I dont have that bracelet, and Im not here"

Tamayo had shoved ten big blinds with ace-queen late in Day 4 and needed to 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 doesnt happen, I dont have that bracelet, and Im not here."

The Main Event is the one tournament on the poker calendar that doesnt rely on star power. Its 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.

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 last place entering Day 8 and needed a two-outer on the river to stay alive. But stay alive he did, all the way to second place, as he took home $6,000,000 to his pregnant wife and soon-to-be newborn baby.

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 Astedts 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 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.

"Hes a bit of a wild one, so sometimes you have to guess. This time, I was wrong"

"Yeah, tough one. Im not sure. Hes 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.

Griff then had a chance to secure the bracelet when he had Tamayo all in for the Texans 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 Griffs pair of fours and a straight draw. Tamayo dodged the turn and river to double up and pull nearly even with Griff. Tamayo then picked off Griffs bluff with 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.

The final hand was a study in irony. After the final ten players combined for the unofficial final table a few days earlier, Tamayo folded two queens to a single raise, which 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. Thats going to be a fun one. Im happy to never live that one down now, he said.

Tamayo and McKeehen spent the summer sharing a house. Theyll 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 wasnt all a dream.

*denotes record-breaking field

Read more from the original source:

Jonathan Tamayo Wins Record-Breaking 2024 WSOP Main Event ($10,000,000) - PokerNews.com

A worldwide cyber outage, which has taken much of the worlds infrastructure offline, has also extended its disruptive reach to the online poker industry.

At least, two online poker networks, Partypoker and BetMGM Poker which also hosts the Borgata Poker brand and uses the Partypoker software have been impacted, preventing players from logging in and accessing games from their desktop. Partypoker Ontario is also affected by the outage.

Those who are logged in are reporting issues of lag, while for many, the login option has become unavailable. This disruption has impacted only desktop users, with players still able to play from mobile devices.

A Partypoker spokesperson confirmed that this issue is linked to the global outage resulting from a recent update by the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, which has caused widespread disruptions to computer systems around the world.

Some of our services are impacted by the broader Microsoft issues, wrote a Partypoker staff on their official Discord server. We are working on priority to resolve.

At the time of writing, the Partypoker and BetMGM/Borgata websites are still down, with players unable to log in on their desktop. Other online poker networks, such as PokerStars, GGPoker, and 888poker, have not been impacted.

The outage is not a cyber attack but results from a faulty software update by Texas-based CrowdStrikes Falcon Sensor software, designed to protect Microsoft Windows devices from malicious attacks. Founded in 2011, CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity platform that provides security solutions to businesses, large organizations, government agencies, and critical sectors like airports and banks. A buggy update from CrowdStrikes Falcon Sensor is causing conflicts with the Windows system, affecting both businesses and individual users.

The disruption, which began on Friday morning, has affected multiple sectors worldwide. Airlines, television networks, and businesses have all been grappling with the consequences. Many flights have been grounded, causing queues and delays at airports and train stations. TV channels, including Sky News, have been taken off the air.

The outage has also impacted stock exchanges, supermarkets, banking, and healthcare systems globally. Windows users are experiencing the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), causing their systems to shut down or restart unexpectedly. Many consider this one of the most significant global IT outages in recent years, affecting numerous services reliant on Microsofts infrastructure.

Such a widespread disruption across multiple sectors, including online poker, is unprecedented. Fortunately for players, only a couple of poker networks have been affected so far. The disruption has also impacted land-based casinos and online sportsbooks.

The website DownDetector, which monitors user-reported internet outages, has reported increasing outages affecting several companies, including BetMGM, a leading igaming company in the US, which also offers online poker.

This kind of disruption is rare and almost unheard of. In the past, online poker and gaming have faced widespread DDoS attacks, but those were targeted at specific companies. This technical outage, however, has affected most businesses and was not the result of foul play.

The US cyber security firm has acknowledged the outage and said the issue has been isolated and a fix has been deployed. Meanwhile, Microsoft has also said that the underlying cause for the outage of its 365 apps and services has been fixed. However, both Partypoker and BetMGM are down at the moment.

Please play responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800 GAMBLER.

Read this article:

Online Poker Rooms Partypoker and BetMGM Impacted by CrowdStrike Global Outage - Pokerfuse

Posted on: July 19, 2024, 11:18h.

Last updated on: July 19, 2024, 11:18h.

The poker world has been gripped by controversy following Jonathan Tamayos $10 million win at the World Series of Pokers (WSOP) Main Event on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old poker pro from Humble, Texas defeated amateur Jordan Griff at the conclusion of a 10-day battle that drew 10,112 hopefuls to the Paris and Horseshoe in Las Vegas. However, as first reported by Britains Daily Mirror, fellow poker pros noticed Tamayo peeking at a laptop after a winning a big hand against Griff.

Now, they accuse Tamayo of consulting a sim.

While using computer simulators during WSOP tournaments is forbidden and a steep penalty would have applied if Tamayo had brought his own no rules exist about whether players can consult sims brought by people in their cheering sections (rails).

Sims are most commonly used to replay a recent hand and, employing a mathematical strategy called Game Theory Optimum, conclude whether it was played to optimize a players potential to win.

While no one is suggesting that Tamayo outright cheated, the move is not considered particularly ethical.

The issue is that poker is supposed to be an individual game, not a team game, explained the reddit account @myimportantthoughts. Imagine you are on the final table and your rail is a couple of friends and family who are not in poker. They are not gonna be helping much.

Your opponent has 3 pros at his rail and he is being given real time info/sims based on the exact specific stack depths and any tendencies the pros pick up on you.

Do you think that this is reasonable?

Indeed, PokerStars ambassador Sam Grafton, the fifth-highest earning English poker player of all-time, did not. He put it more bluntly on X/Twitter: Absolutely sucks and cant be allowed.

Throughout the final table, video of theproceedings show, Tamayo consulted with members of his rail who were typing into the laptop.

In the past, WSOP have also sought advice from people their rails, but none has used a laptop so visibly.

WSOP organizer have so far issued no comment about the controversy, nor have they announced any impending inquiries into it.

Continue reading here:

WSOP CONTROVERSY: Winner May Have Consulted Poker Program During Play - Casino.Org News

Jul 14, 2024 5 min read Last updated Jul 17, 2024

Welcome to the Poker Hall of Fame: Patrik Antonius.

With a distinguished career and over $23 million in career earnings, Antonius embodies everything that the Poker Hall of Fame stands for, having played high-stakes poker against some of the greatest players of his generation and gained the respect of both cash game and tournament players alike.

"In the modern era of poker, few have been as bold and fearless as Patrik Antonius," said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of the World Series of Poker. "A force both online and live, were thrilled to see Patriks high-stakes career acknowledged by legends who have added the first international player to the Poker Hall of Fame in a number of years."

Famous for his Full Tilt Poker clashes with Tom "durrrr" Dwan, Phil Ivey and Victor "Isildur1" Blom in the late 2000s, Antonius also has 11 recorded live tournament victories including the 2005 EPT Baden Main Event and the 2024 EPT Monte Carlo 100,000 Super High Roller.

Antonius is the first European player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame since the late David "Devilfish" Ulliott in 2017. He's also the first living European to be inducted since 2008 when holecard camera inventor Henry Orenstein was inducted.

In fact, Antonius is only the fifth European ever inducted after Nick "The Greek" Dandolos and Edmond Hoyle.

According to the WSOP, Antonius edged Miami John Cernuto and Isai Scheinberg in the voting to secure his 2024 nomination.

"This is a very big honor to become a new Hall of Famer," said Antonius. "Obviously big thanks to my family and close friends just everyone who has been there for me through the good and the bad.

"This has really been one of the nicest things for me. I've always been a student of the game and always hoped that poker continues to get bigger and better. And just look at where we are now. It looks like poker has never been as good as it is now we're breaking records all over the world."

"The last 24-25 years with poker went pretty fast. I think I'm going to stick around for a long time."

This was only the second year that Antonius was nominated, but it had been four years since his first nomination in 2020 his first year of eligibility.

"It was unexpected at this young age, but I'm still young. The last 24-25 years with poker went pretty fast. I think I'm going to stick around for a long time. That's my plan to keep playing the highest tournaments and cash games. I've always had so much passion and love for the game.

"It's so nice that so many people have found poker and are passionate about poker. We can all do it together. Let's keep growing the game and thank you to everyone who's supported me and voted for me."

Originally a promising tennis player, Antonius suffered a back injury as a teenager before turning to poker. $50 home games with friends swiftly turned into a distinguished poker career across both tournaments and cash games.

Antonius's poker career has now spanned over two decades, from the small Dutch island of Sint Maarten, where he recorded his first live poker cash in a $220 Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in 2003, to the bright lights of the European Poker Tour and the Triton Poker Series where he continues to play today.

Antonius recorded his first cash at the World Series of Poker in 2005, months before he famously won the EPT Baden Main Event, less than one month after finishing third in the EPT Barcelona Main Event.

He rounded out 2005 by finishing second in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic in Las Vegas for $1,046,470.

Antonius would make regular appearances on Poker After Dark, Poker Million, and Late Night Poker throughout the poker boom in the late 2000s.

In tournaments, a bracelet has so far eluded him. He came closest in 2007, finishing third for $311,394 in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship, and final-tabled the WSOP Europe Main Event in Cannes France in 2011.

Antonius enjoyed more success in Australia, finishing second to Phil Ivey in the Aussie Millions A$250,000 Challenge for A$1,200,000 and finishing third in the Aussie Millions Main Event the following year for A$600,000.

High-stakes cash games both live and online have also taken a great deal of Antonius' attention, with the Finn going so far as to say he doesn't think he plays good poker when playing at smaller stakes.

He's said that fellow Hall of Famer Phil Ivey and Viktor "Isildur1" Blom were among the top online players he's ever faced, and he's a regular in Bobby's Room at the Bellagio even as recently as this week playing in some of the biggest mixed games cash games around.

In 2023, Antonius played out one of the largest ever pot broadcast live on a US live stream, winning $1,978,000 in a hand against Eric Persson on 'No Gamble, No Future'.

But the allure of tournaments remained. Earlier this year, Antonius proved that he still had it after taking down the EPT Monte Carlo 100,000 Super High Roller for 1,967,440.

"I'm trying to keep my game as high level as possible," he told PokerNews. "I really enjoy playing against the toughest competition, whether cash games or tournaments. The goal is really to keep playing. I would like to, be here giving interviews in the next ten, 20 years or so. So let's see if I can keep up with all the boys."

Based in the United Kingdom, Will started working for PokerNews as a freelance live reporter in 2015 and joined the full-time staff in 2019. He now works as Managing Editor. He graduated from the University of Kent in 2017 with a B.A. in German. He also holds an NCTJ Diploma in Sports Journalism.

Read the original post:

"I'm Gonna Stick Around For a Long Time" - Patrik Antonius Inducted into Poker Hall of Fame - PokerNews.com

Even though the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) wraps up today, poker players don't have to wait until next summer for the next bracelet series. The WSOP announced today that WSOP Paradise will return to The Bahamas from December 6-19.

"This is one you cant miss, said Daniel Negreanu, GGPoker Global Ambassador. "There were a lot of learnings from year one and everything is going to be bigger and better. A 50 million guarantee in The Bahamas! Are these guys crazy?"

The festival is set to feature the largest guarantee in live tournament history, with a $25,000 buy-in No-Limit Holdem championship event coming with a $50,000,000 guarantee. Online qualifiers and tournament promotions to this Super Main Event will begin immediately on GGPoker.

In addition to the Super Main Event, the festival is set to feature a number of High Roller and Super High Roller tournaments, including the return of a $1,000,000 buy-in tournament. A full schedule is expected later this year.

Last December, online qualifier Stanislav Zegal took down the WSOP Paradise Main Event for $2,000,000.

"This is what you call life-changing money," he told PokerNews after he topped a field of 3,010 that included dozens of online qualifiers.

Other highlights of the 2023 WSOP Paradise festival included poker legend and Hall of Famer. Erik Seidel winning his tenth bracelet.

Over nine days of live streaming, poker fans were able to enjoy coverage of the Mystery Millions, Super High Roller and even the $103,000 Ultra High Roller. The festival also featured an iconic Phil Hellmuth entrance, dressed as the Greek god Poseidon.

Overall, the festival proved highly successful with just one missed guarantee and over $70 million in prize money awarded.

Read More About 2023 WSOP Paradise!

This winter, players will once again have to choose between three high-profile events on the global poker schedule.

The three festivals kick off on consecutive days in the first week of December, with the European Poker Tour, World Poker Tour and World Series of Poker once again butting heads.

But the WSOP are confident that the second edition of WSOP Paradise will be another success story, and are committed to improving the event experience, with SVP & Executive Director of the WSOP Ty Stewart saying that last year was no "one-time gimmick."

"The action we saw during the WSOP summer series is a testament to the health of poker, particularly for high-roller tournaments," he said. "Were thrilled GGPoker has reaffirmed their commitment to building WSOP Paradise through the biggest guarantee in poker history."

Connor Richards is an Editor & Live Reporter for PokerNews and host of the Life Outside Poker podcast. Connor has been nominated for two Global Poker Awards for his writing.

Excerpt from:

$50m GTD Super Main Event Headlines the Return of WSOP Paradise - PokerNews.com

Both players lost money at the WSOP, but Becker lost less, so he is the big winner of one of the most talked about prop bets in years.

The prop bet of the year perhaps did not quite live up to the hype, but it ended with a Jeremy Becker win.

The crossbook between two of the game's brightest young stars, aided by Daniel Negreanu and Matt Berkey, ended with both players losing money this summer.

But Becker lost less, meaning he won the bet.

Becker lost $17,137 over 90 entries, with his biggest score being $23,395. Tice lost $88,879 over 86 entries and his biggest score was $29,353. You can see how it unfolded in more detail over at poker.org.

It was a stark reminder of the reality of tournament poker, especially in large elite fields like the World Series of Poker. Most players return from the WSOP down money and tournament poker is mostly downswings (with occasional upswings that put everyone in the black).

Did you have money on this? Let us know in the comments:

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy, Endgame Poker Strategy, GTO Poker Simplified, Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy and Beyond GTO.

Continue reading here:

News: Jeremy Becker wins crossbook against Landon Tice - pokerstrategy.com

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Before I dive into your bi-weekly mystery goodness that includes new releases, news, and true crime set in India and Japan, I thought Id chat a bit about my recent reading. When you take a thing that you love, and it becomes your job, it sometimes dulls the joy from it. I ended last year having been frustrated more than I wanted to with reading.

So I made a bunch of changes in my reading life this year which have all turned out great so far. Two were related specifically to mysteries. The first was that I reread Gone Girl (thoughts here). The second was that every time I stare at my TBR too long without picking anything (think endless scrolling on a streamer instead of watching something) I pick up the next letter in Sue Graftons Kinsey Millhone series. Im up to F is for Fugitive, and Im really enjoying getting to read solid PI mysteries that focus on following one case, beginning to end.

For fans of corporate espionage!

Princeton graduate Michael Wang is working on self-driving technology at General Motors, but he is unsatisfied with life. Enter Vivian, who wants to poach him for a new business in Beijing where hell be the VP. If he knew he was in a thriller, then he would know that too-good-to-be-true offers come with strings: he has to steal GM software. Michael doesnt hesitate because this is a dream job but once he moves and starts his new job, things arent what they seem.

Unusual Suspects Newsletter

Sign up to Unusual Suspects to receive news and recommendations for mystery/thriller readers.

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For fans of suspense authored by attorneys and dual storylines.

In 1987 Julie Waits mission is to become a cheerleader and escape the terrible men orbiting her widowed mother.

In 2019, Stella Parker gives up her law career to raise her kids in the suburbs. But her life is suddenly endangered when a neighbor accidentally drops her phone, and Parker fears her secrets may come to light.

For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out ourNewBooksnewsletter.

Here are two true crime books set outside of the United States that look at, among many things, different legal systems.

2014 Katra Sadatganj, India

Padma and Lalli grew up in a village in western Uttar Pradesh, and after disappearing in 2014, they were found dead. Faleiro takes us into Padma and Lallis lives, the town, Indias legal system, the caste system, and even looks at the way this case was reported around the world.

The audiobook is narrated by the author, which I recommend.

Trigger warnings for mentions of a gang rape case, details about murder and suicide, brief discussion of infanticide, and discussions about violent cases and history.

2000 Tokyo, Japan

Lucie Blackman was a young British woman who disappeared while working in Japan as a hostess. Parry takes you through Lucies family, flying to Japan to get answers. It includes excerpts from Lucies diary, looks into some aspects of Japanese culture and history involving the racist treatment of Koreans in Japan, and shows the investigation and trialwhich went a bit sideways from what Japanese courts were accustomed to.

Trigger warnings for incest, rape, torture, suicide attempt, and self-harm.

Browse the books recommended in Unusual Suspectss previous newsletters on this shelf. See upcoming 2024 releases and mysteries from 2023. Check out thisUnusual Suspects Pinterest boardand get Tailored Book Recommendations!

Until next time, keep investigating! In the meantime, come talk books with me on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Litsy you can find me under Jamie Canavs.

If a mystery fan forwarded this newsletter to you or you read it on bookriot.com and youd like to get it right in your inbox,you can sign up here.

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True Crime Around The World, Poker Face Casting, New Mystery Books, + More! - Book Riot

The final day of Event #97: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed of the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas crowned Alex Livingston as the champion, now a two-time bracelet winner. On top of the prestigious achievement of winning the most coveted trophy in all of poker, Livingston will also take home first-place prize money totaling $390,621.

After defeating Francisco Benitez in a strenuous heads-up match, Livingston now stands atop a start-studded field of 844 entrants who came together to create a prize pool worth a staggering $2,253,480.

Livingston is already an accomplished pro, but this one is extra special to him.

This was basically my last chance so its definitely awesome to do it

Since he won his first bracelet in a Stud event, he was asked how it felt to win in PLO.

I really do love all the games, like the 10-game, 9-game mix, and H.O.R.S.E. are my best formats, but its really nice to win one in PLO because its probably the game Ive played the most hands in, and to get one done here really feels good.

In regards to the grueling heads-up duel with Benitez, he had this to say.

He said this was his second-ever live PLO tournament, so I dont know why he gave me that information, but it made me want to play as much post-flop as possible so I just would limp a lot of buttons and see where the action played out on the later streets, and it wound up working in my favor.

This truly was a summer saver.

The final day saw 17 of some of the best PLO players the WSOP had to offer such as bracelet winners Dylan Weisman, Shaun Deeb, Ari Engel, Ronald Keijzer, and Alex Foxen all took the felt earlier today.

The action started relatively fast as Zachary Reinbold, Murilo Milhomem, Oswin Ziegelbecker, and Shai Elbaz all found the rail in the first level for a payout of $20,595 in 17th, 16th, 15th, and 14th, respectively.

Deeb then exited in 13th for the same payout, and the remaining 12 players were reseated at the final two tables. PLO savant Weisman met his end during this time when he fell to Hokyiu Lee, who flopped a straight against Weismans two pair. The straight held on the river, and Weisman hit the rail in 11th place for $26,34.

The action slowed down at that point as the two tables of five players both were guilty of stalling, causing the floor to hold them at a soft hand-for-hand. This slow play only ended once German pro Keijzer exited in ninth to secure the remaing players the ~$8,000 payjump.

As soon as that happened, the action picked back up as short-stacked Alex Foxen (9th - $34,411) fell to Benitez, and then Ari Engel fell to Martin Zamani in eighth to send the surviving players to the final table.

Going into the final table, Zamani came in with a massive lead with 50 more big blinds than Benitez, who entered in second place. Zamani then managed to have nearly 100% VPIP (Voluntarily Put [chips] in Pot) as he was involved in almost every hand. He used this large chip stack to his advantage and proceeded to take out Tolga Demirel in seventh, Christopher Roth in sixth, and Hokyiu Lee in fifth. But Benitez ended his reign of terror when the two got it all in on the flop in a massive pot. Benitez at risk with an overpair and flush draw, and Zamani with two pair. The turn immediately brought in the flush for Benitez, and the river failed to give Zamani a boat, awarding a giant pot to Benitez to emerge as the new chip leader.

Benitez then went on to knock out Day 2 chip leader Andrew Watson when his flopped two pair trumped Watsons ace-high holding to send him out in fourth place.

Livingston confidently navigated his way through the final table, taking down pots here and there but avoiding confrontation with the big stacks. That changed when he clashed with Zamani in a big pot. The two got it all in on the flop, with Livingston holding a set against Zamanis straight draw. Zamani wound up hitting his straight on the turn, but Livingston made quads on the river to send him out in third place in dramatic fashion.

Livingston and Benitez then entered their epic heads-up battle that would ensue over the next several hours, even though Benitez started with a 2:1 chip lead. After three hours and forty-forty minutes of chip-trading, the two finally got it all in for the last time, with Benitez at risk. Livingston flopped a dream with a straight and flush draw, drilled the flush on the turn, and faded a board pairing on the river to close out the win while Benitez exited as the runner-up. Livingston celebrated emphatically with his rail as he held up the gold bracelet to notch another achievement on his belt.

With this win, the PokerNews coverage of this event ends. As the 2024 WSOP wraps up, we want to thank you for all of the support during this summer, and stay tuned during the rest of the year, as many exciting things are happening in poker!

Excerpt from:

Summer Saved! Alex Livingston Claims Second Bracelet and $390,621 in Event #97: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed! - PokerNews.com

Fifteen-years after making a deep run in the World Series of Poker Main Event, Jonathan Tamayo finished the job and is the last player standing of the largest WSOP tournament in its 55-year history. He wins $10 million and a giant bracelet loaded with gems he could probably wear as a belt.

The four-time WSOP Circuit ring winner secured his first bracelet in the biggest tournament the world has ever seen. The 10,112 entrants broke last years attendance record by 69 players. Tamayo made it to the final table on Sunday, and then pushed through to the final three, who returned to the Horseshoe Las Vegas to finish the tournament, yesterday.

With a boisterous a rail that included 2015 Main Event champion, friend and summer roommate Joe Mckeehan at his back, the long-time pro who brought in just over $2 million in lifetimes winnings found himself heads-up against amateur Jordan Griff after Niklas Astedt an online expert who plays massive volume was bounced after only nine hands.

Not real life. My roommates picture is right there from 2015. We both have banners now. What in the world just happened, Tamayo said afterwards. Leading up to it, Joe was just like, play your game. I realized youre never going to play perfect poker, and weird things happen, and its just unreal.

Griff wins $6 million for his deep run, while Astedt takes $4 million home to Sweden.

Besides his rail, the poker Gods were on Tamayos side and if a flip went the other way, this story would be about Griffs improbable run to the championship. A supply chain manager, Griff brought less than $50,000 in lifetime tournament winnings to the table.

Griff was one board away from becoming the Main Event champion. Holding pocket sevens, he called an all-in push and both of the players found themselves in the race of their lifetimes. Tamayo, holding KT, flopped a king-high straight to survive and take a small lead that would soon again disappear after he paid off Griffs made set with a pair a few hands later.

But Tamayo again chipped away at Griffs lead until the final hand, where he flopped two-pair with 83. Griff hit top-pair holding 96, and couldnt get away from the massive shove on the flop, and that was the end of the amateur.

Tamayos top cash before taking down the Main Event was in the 2009 Main when he made it all the way to 21st, good for $352,832. He also made a deep run in 2015 when he finished 78rd.

Right after winning all the chips, he took a selfie while the media grabbed their own images.

Im just kind of taking it in right now. Because this perspective, and actually, lets take a perspective photo just so I can have one for myself. This is what it looks like from here, Tamayo said.

Vice-president of the WSOP Jack Effel gave McKeehan the honor of presenting his friend with the bracelet.

This guy has been on the grind for 20 years now. Hes always been there for me and Id like to be for him as well, McKeehan said. Hes a great friend, a great guy, and now hes going to share a banner with me up there with all the other Main Event winners and let me tell you, this was incredible being able to watch it from the other side, too. He was there for me when I won and (I thought) Im going to be here when he wins. And Im very happy to present him with this 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event champion bracelet, he said.

And the crowd went wild as Tamayo held the chunky prize up over his head.

Bob Pajich

Bob Pajich is a poker news reporter, creative writer, and poker player who never met suited connectors he didnt like. For any tips, corrections, complaints or kudos, please contact us.

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Jonathan Tamayo Is the 2024 World Series of Poker Main Event Champion - CardsChat.com

One day is all that is left of the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, and the series as a whole. We'll know who the winner is on Wednesday evening.

It will be Niklas Astedt, Jordan Griff, or Jonathan Tamayo, that much has been decided. None of the other 10,109 players in the record-setting field could outlast them. But there were some other interesting last longer bets and contests out there of note to discuss as we wrap up what has been a thrilling summer of poker.

You probably saw hundreds of Jaka Coaching patches around the 2024 WSOP, along with the popular poker coaching site's namesake, Faraz Jaka, who finished runner-up in the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship for $300,000 in June. Many of the patched up players cashed in the Main Event, including Angela Jordison, the 2022 Global Poker Awards Breakout Player of the Year, who took 1,201st place for $17,500.

Michael Dwyer, who turned a $100 GGPoker satellite into a $1.3 million GG Millions score, finished in 447th place in the Main Event for $37,500. But out of the eight Jaka Coaching players who cashed, Pol Vela was the last player standing, a 129th place finish for $85,000.

If there's anyone who knows what it takes to run deep in the Main Event, it is the 2006 champion, Jamie Gold, who won $12 million for beating out 8,773 entries 18 years ago. The champ didn't make another deep run in 2024 and was eliminated on Day 2, but he led a Commerce Casino Pro team from Los Angeles that found some success in poker's world championship event.

Commerce Casino, the largest poker room in the world, sent 20 VIP qualifiers out to Las Vegas to compete in the Main Event. The entire team, excluding Gold who entered Day 1c, registered for the Day 1a session on July 3. Only four of the team members didn't find a bag. Sixteen of the 20 advanced to Day 2.

When all was said and done, Rudy Cervantes, who now has over $1 million in The Hendon Mob cashes, was the last player in the group still standing. He took 324th place for $45,000 after being eliminated on Day 5.

Barbara Enright is the last woman to reach the WSOP Main Event final table when she finished fifth place in 1995. She's also the only woman in history to finish among the final nine. But the poker world cheered on as one of the game's top pros Kristen Foxen was deep on Day 7 and Day 8 with a big stack.

It appeared that the drought of no women at the final table would come to an end this year. Confidence in this happening was high not only because of her big stack deep in the tournament, but also because of Foxen's experience deep in major tournaments. But with 13 players remaining, she jammed all in with middle pair and a gutshot straight draw on the turn, and ran into the top two pair of Joe Serock, whose hand held up on the river. Foxen, the last woman standing, was out in 13th place for $600,000. Maybe next year will be the year.

Many players made it to Las Vegas to compete in the WSOP Main Event via online qualifiers, none more so than at GGPoker. But there was more at stake for those who qualified on GGPoker than other players in the tournament.

The winner of the 2024 WSOP Main Event will win $10 million, but Boris Angelov and Joe Serock came so close to winning $11 million. That is because they were both GGPoker qualifiers, and the poker site offered up a promotion that if any of its qualifiers become world champion, they'd receive an extra $1 million.

Serock was eliminated in eighth place for $1,250,000, while Angelov went out in fifth place for $2,500,000 at the final table.

Follow the Final Day of the 2024 WSOP Main Event at PokerNews

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Who Won These Last Longers at the 2024 WSOP Main Event? - PokerNews.com