Hotelie Wins Poker’s Shiniest Crown

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It’s actually a bejeweled bracelet—and Jonathan Tamayo ’08 earned it in July, when he became the game’s 2024 world champ

By Beth Saulnier

In mid-July 2024, a week or so before the planet turned its attention to the Olympics in Paris, Jonathan Tamayo ’08 took home the gold. But it wasn’t a gold-plated medal worn around the neck. The Hotelie won a bracelet—one comprising nearly half a kilogram of the precious metal and (among other stones) more than 1,900 diamonds.

The hefty bauble was Tamayo’s trophy for winning the World Series of Poker. And it came on top of the prize money: a cool $10 million.

“I don’t think I could conceptualize it,” Tamayo says when asked to recall his winning moment. “Now, it’s kind of sunk in—but what’s next? I probably just want to live my life normally. But it’s not going to be normal as much.”

Now based in Houston, Tamayo developed an affinity for poker while in high school. During his years on the Hill, he spent many weekends playing Texas Hold’em at an Upstate New York casino—using his winnings to help fund his education.

“It was a better income than a lot of other things,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘Why work a campus job when I can do this?’”

While Tamayo had an offer for a position in the hospitality industry, after graduation he decided to give professional gambling a shot.

“I didn’t intend to do it this long—just for a year or two, then see what happens,” says Tamayo, who’s in his late 30s. “And now here I am.”

So what makes a great player? In addition to studying strategy (such as the optimal ways to act on particular hands), Tamayo says, it’s about having a cool head.

“A lot of it’s being able to keep your sanity when there are ups and downs,” he says. “If you’re confident in your process, you’re probably okay.”

A lot of it’s being able to keep your sanity when there are ups and downs. If you’re confident in your process, you’re probably okay.

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Unlike some players, Tamayo doesn’t have superstitions or pregame rituals—and contrary to the stereotype of the high-living high-roller, his priority in the off hours of a tournament is getting enough sleep.

“I don’t operate well mentally unless I get eight to nine hours,” he says. “Toward the end [of the championship], I was only getting five; I’d wake up way before my alarm and not be able to go back to sleep, because of the adrenaline.”

Prior to his big win, Tamayo’s best showing in the World Series came in 2009, when he finished 21st (and took home $352,000).

An unassuming guy by nature, he has found his new fame—and the accompanying barrage of media attention—a little disconcerting.

“It’s weird, because I usually try to lay low,” he says. “I equate it to being a D-list celebrity. Only hardcore poker fans would recognize me, which is fine. I’d rather have it that way.”

Of course, many people who’ve had an eight-figure windfall would be thinking about retiring—but when Tamayo chatted with Cornellians, he was about to leave for another tournament in Florida.

Only hardcore poker fans would recognize me, which is fine. I’d rather have it that way.

Plus, he was gearing up for his other passion: refereeing high school football, which he does every fall.

“I could retire—but the problem is, what do you do with your time?” he muses.

“I need to do something. The weird thing now is that my time has become a lot more valuable. So if I want some little conveniences, I don’t feel so guilty anymore. Like, if I need to save 30 minutes, I can order food delivery rather than go pick it up myself.”

Neither does Tamayo have plans to splurge on any big-ticket toys.

“I’m not even buying a new car,” he says. “I have a car that’s five or six years old, and it works perfectly fine.”

(All photos provided by the World Series of Poker.)

Published July 30, 2024

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