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Fil-Am secures historic win at World Series of Poker

Jonathan Tamayo outlasted a record field of 10,112 players from around the world.

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<div><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NWer8DumYts??si=V2y6ECMo0_YLFXrQ&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe> </div>It’s the feeling of winning major victories that drives Jonathan Tamayo to ace more poker tournaments.The Filipino Chinese American from Humble, Texas, already made history by winning the $10 million first-place prize from the largest live poker tournament prize pool ever of more than $94 million at the 2024 World Series of Poker.Held at the Horseshoe Las Vegas Events Center, the Fil-Am outlasted a record field of 10,112 players from around the world.After weeks of grueling play on nearly 700 tables, it all came down to one final, breathtaking moment.&quot;You have a job to do,&quot; said Tamayo. &quot;You can think about the prize at the end, but at the time it doesn&#x27;t help your thought process. There&#x27;s a lot of time afterwards when I realized what I did, but at the time I&#x27;m just trying to play my hands the best I can.&quot;Tamayo said his winning approach to poker is a mix of aggressive and defensive plays, and his intense focus is the key to victory.&quot;You have to find the holes in the strategies they come up with and then find a counterstrategy to those,&quot; he added.As the stakes climbed, so did the tension, with millions watching worldwide.The crowd erupted as the final card was revealed. Tamayo won in the final hand with two pairs—8&#x27;s and 3&#x27;s. The final card needed to be a 9, A, or 6 for his opponent to beat him. It was a 5.Tamayo defeated Jordan Griff and became the first Filipino-American to win the coveted title.His Manila-born father and Hong Kong-born mother have supported him from the get-go, despite his unconventional career.&quot;We’re the type of parents that want their son to pursue their passion and what he&#x27;s good at, and it was not a problem,&quot; said Chai Tamayo. &quot;This is not typical for Asians, I understand,&quot; she added. &quot;But as a mother, he told me his dream, and I want to stand behind him in whatever he does. We stood by him for 15 years, and I&#x27;m so glad he finally achieved it.&quot;Before his poker career, Tamayo studied hotel management at Cornell University in New York.Prior to winning the 2024 Main Event at the World Series of Poker, he had more than $2 million in live career earnings and 63 World Series of Poker cashes.But another $10 million win has definitely changed his life.&quot;I haven&#x27;t decided,&quot; Tamayo said on what he would do with his cash prize. &quot;I might have some vacations on the horizon, but I haven&#x27;t decided because you never think that you would just come upon something like this suddenly.&quot;Tamayo said life has been a whirlwind since his historic win at the World Series of Poker, but one can bet that he is not done winning just yet.

Jonathan Tamayo outlasted a record field of 10,112 players from around the world.

Fil-Am takes home $10M in historic win at World Series of Poker

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Fil-Am takes home $10M in historic win at World Series of Poker

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Cheryl Piccio | TFC News Texas

Published September 25, 2024 11:47 PM PHT

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