What the WSOP Main Event Runner-Up Thinks About Allegations Against the Champ
Jordan Griff, who finished runner-up in the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, made his first public appearance since the final table to share his thoughts on the player he lost to heads-up.
The near world champion chatted with Doug Polk on YouTube Sunday afternoon in what turned out to be quite an interesting conversation about his opponent, Jonathan Tamayo, potentially getting assistance in-between hands from his rail.
Tamayo, who won $10 million, often confided in his rail, which included Joe McKeehen and Dominik Nitsche. A laptop, which some claim was used to assist Tamayo at the final table, in front of the poker pros was open and visible on the PokerGO livestream.
PokerNews reached out to Tamayo for comment regarding the accusations, but he declined. But Polk, who recently opened a second The Lodge Card Club poker room in Texas, invited Griff to join his podcast, and the runner-up spoke candidly.
What the Near Poker Champ Had to Say
Polk took little time getting into the nitty gritty about the criticism against the world champion. He asked the second place finisher if he knew what his opponent was doing between hands.
“I saw him calling things out, I saw him going to the rail, but you know, at no point did I see what was on the laptop or try to eavesdrop on what he was saying," Griff answered. "In any sport, you don’t go over to the other team’s sideline, the other team’s dugout and say, ‘hey, what film are you guys looking at? You know, can I take a look?’ So, now, there may have been suspicions in my mind, you know, I thought that if there was anything nefarious going on, as we saw, there was cameras that caught it.”
“I thought that if they were doing anything nefarious or against the rules that it would have been called out or caught on. But when I’m at the table in that moment, I’m focused on playing. I’m not focused on, ooh does he have a solver? I’m there to play my game.” - Jordan Griff
Polk said he was surprised the WSOP staff didn’t “step in” to put a stop to the rail assistance. The Upswing Poker founder then asked Griff if Tamayo receiving assistance from his rail put the runner-up at a disadvantage.
“It’s tough to say,” Griff responded after a brief pause. “I mean, I think using RTA is going to give an advantage. Everyone can debate how large that is, and how much it will really help a person. I think it’s hard to quantify that.”
But Griff defended Tamayo and stopped well short of suggesting the champion cheated or wouldn’t have won if not for the help from McKeehen and Nitsche. In fact, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the poker community focusing on the conspiracy theory instead of celebrating the great stories that came out of the Main Event.
Griff, who won $6 million for second place, said he is unsure how much edge Tamayo could have possibly gained from conferring with his rail. After all, he was a coinflip away from winning the tournament, and that hand didn’t go his way. Had he won the flip, which no solver or sim had any control over, there likely wouldn’t be any discussion about Tamayo’s rail.
Polk asked his guest what he would have done had he known his opponent was possibly reviewing solvers with his rail.
“Oof, that’s a good question. If I had 100% confirmation that they were there running sims, I may have mentioned something to the floor then," Griff responded.
The runner-up also said he hasn't spoken with Tamayo since the incident, and that Tamayo didn't seem too interested in chatting with him at the final table. Griff also said he hasn't yet considered any legal action against the 2024 WSOP Main Event winner, but declined to rule out the possibility of doing so if he were to determine there is some basis to the accusations.
