The record-setting World Series of Poker concluded on July 17 and was, once again, the most significant spectacle in poker. Huge names rose to the top, and a player from Texas secured the Main Event title for an eight-figure payday.
Others who secured bracelets included Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey, and Nick Schulman, among others. Scott Seiver delivered a dominating performance in several poker tournaments to earn the WSOP Player of the Year award.
Here’s a look at some of the action from the entire WSOP 2024 series.
Monster Main Event
After setting a record for the $10,000 buy-in Main Event in 2023, the tournament even topped that this year with 10,112 players and a $94 million prize pool.
Organisers were pleased to see the event growing even bigger.
“The WSOP is about history, and this was another historic summer,” WSOP Senior Vice President and Executive Director Ty Stewart said.
“We thank every team member, business partner, and most of all, the participants who came together for the biggest World Series of Poker of all time. We’ll get to work on the banners, bracelets, and improvements to make sure these records only last one year.”
After two weeks of action, Jonathan Tamayo of Humble, Texas, came out on top to win the historic bracelet and $10 million top prize. He now has $12.3 million in lifetime live tournament winnings and his first WSOP bracelet.
Jordan Griff finished runner-up for $6 million.
Seiver Shines to Grab POY Title
Entering the WSOP 2024 series, Scott Seiver put his money where his mouth is. The high-stakes poker pro, originally from New York, made several large bets on his own performance, hoping at a shot to win the Player of the Year.
“I wanted to win bracelets, and then as a way to keep myself motivated, I thought trying to bet on it would help in a way, and that's why I wanted to get drafted in a $25K Fantasy team,” he told PokerGO.
That proved a successful strategy as Seiver was a force throughout the series, winning three bracelets.
- The first win came in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship for $426,744.
- He followed that up by winning a $1,500 Razz event for $141,374
- And then he grabbed the title in the $10,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship for another $411,041.
As if that weren’t enough, Seiver also scored third- and sixth-place finishes to wrap up the series. He now has his seventh bracelet, tied with Negreanu, John Hennigan, Men Nguyen, and Billy Baxter.
He has almost $29 million in lifetime poker winnings.
Big Names Come Through
This year's WSOP 2024 saw some of the most significant names in the game rise to the top, including Daniel Negreanu, who grabbed his first bracelet since 2013.
The 49-year-old took down the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, a highly sought-after title among pros, for $1.2 million.
Negreanu now has seven bracelets and was thrilled to get the monkey off his back.
“It's been so long,” he told PokerGO. “When you start to see everybody else winning five, winning six, and you've become a has-been in the conversation Were it's like everyone has six now. So, to have seven, that puts you in a new tier, with John Hennigan, and on my way back to where I feel like I'm supposed to be in the 10-11 range.
“Obviously, this one is special, but I wouldn't want to relive all the second-place finishes that I had. It felt like it was like 10 in a row. And the anxiety and stress, just to be over it – and to get all the chips in the end, win the all-ins, it’s just a massive relief.”
Phil Ivey
Another poker heavyweight also found the winner’s circle. Phil Ivey secured his 11th bracelet in the $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship for $347,440. The win has moved him solely into second place in the all-time bracelet race behind Phil Hellmuth, the behemoth of world poker tournaments, who has 17.
Ivey also made a deep run in the WSOP 2024 Poker Players Championship, finishing seventh for $158,719 and fourth in the $25,000 HORSE High Roller for $239,850.
He now has WSOP titles in many game formats – from Pot Limit Omaha to Seven Card Stud and others.
Surprisingly, he doesn’t have a No-Limit Hold’em title but has more than $46 million in live tournament winnings.
Nick Schulman
Poker fans used to hearing Nick Schulman break down a poker hand on television may have seen him take down the $25,000 No-Limit Hold'em High Roller this year for $1.7 million.
“I felt really free out there, which isn't that common for me,” he said after the win. “And I also felt okay with making mistakes. Especially in no-limit, a lot of players are so sort of handcuffed with fear. I felt very grateful to be there.”
Schulman now has five bracelets and joins the ranks of players like Michael Mizrachi, Allen Cunningham, Scotty Nguyen, John Juanda, Daniel Alaei, Robert Mizrachi, Eli Elezra, Benny Glaser, Stu Ungar, and John Monnette.
- Speaking of Robert Mizrachi, he also grabbed bracelet number 5 in the $10,000 Dealer's Choice Championship for $333,045. The Florida poker pro won a $1,500 Dealer’s Choice event in 2014 for $147,092.
- Like Negreanu, John Hennigan grabbed his seventh bracelet this summer and always seems to be running deep in a WSOP tournament. He won the $1,500 Dealers Choice event for $138,296. Hennigan is one of the toughest players in the game. His decorated record includes two $50,000 Poker Players Championship wins.
- Chance Kornuth is becoming a regular at WSOP final tables and scored his fourth bracelet in the $1,000 Flip & Go for $155,446.
- World Poker Tour commentator Tony Dunst found his third bracelet after taking down a $500 No Limit Hold'em Deepstack for $134,888.
Other Notable Winners
Another player adding to a nice collection of bracelets in this summer’s WSOP 2024 was Phil Hui. This player from San Antonio, Texas, took down the $1,500 HORSE for $193,545 and his fourth bracelet.
He also has five WSOP Circuit rings as well.
Israel’s Timur Margolin made it a career trifecta of bracelet wins after coming out on top in the $800 No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack for $342,551.
High-stakes regular Christopher Vitch also grabbed bracelet number 3 in a $1,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event for $262,734.
Georgios Sotiropoulos, of Athens. Greece found the top spot in a $3,200 online high roller for $224,418 and his fourth bracelet. Georgios is that country’s all-time money leader with $8.2 million in tournament winnings.
- Brazilian poker star Yuri Dzivielevski struck gold again this summer, winning the $3,000 Nine Game Mix for $215,982. He has had three bracelet wins over the last two years.
- In the $10,000 Eight-Game Mix, Calvin Anderson proved his skill in multiple poker formats for his fifth bracelet and $413,446.
- In the $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship, 2010 Main Event runner-up John Racener showed some staying power by taking the title for $308,930.
