He is the $10 million greenback man. As an alternative of per week of celebrating, stress-free and settling into life as poker’s latest world champion, Jonathan Tamayo has needed to cope with dishonest allegations and accusations of utilizing solvers in the midst of the Primary Occasion remaining desk.
Now, Tamayo has spoken out. In an interview with award-winning podcast The Chip Race, he addressed the issues of the poker public and mentioned that he would associate with any change in guidelines to forestall gamers sooner or later utilizing solvers on the rail.
Getting ready for the Closing Desk
The trio spoke at size about Tamayo’s profession as a money sport grinder, his deep run within the 2009 WSOP Primary Occasion and the function he performed in supporting his shut good friend Joe McKeehen on the 2015 WSOP Primary Occasion remaining desk that McKeehen went on to win.
Nevertheless, nearly all of the dialogue naturally was centered on Tamayo’s $10,000,000 victory, and the preparations that went in to his run to the largest title in poker.
Preparations, Tamayo mentioned, have been key on the day earlier than the Primary Occasion remaining desk.
“You must make a method executable,” Tamayo informed podcast hosts Dara O’Kearney and David Lappin. “If the technique is just too advanced, then you possibly can’t execute it effectively.
“A method that’s not nearly as good [but straight forward] is quite a bit higher than one thing that is advanced and I am not going to recollect.”
Tamayo was joined by McKeehen and coach Dominik Nitsche to work on efficient methods that Tamayo may implement the next day.
Paradoxically, he mentioned, the most-studied spot was for an enormous blind versus button confrontation with Joe Serock, spending 3-4 hours on a spot that Tamayo says by no means finally occurred.
Nonetheless, the group was eager to make sure that any work they put in would have the ability to be used the next day.
Taking it All In
Tamayo additionally mentioned there had been ample dialogue on mindset technique and guaranteeing that Tamayo was in the fitting zone.
“It was enjoyable, nevertheless it was tremendous irritating enjoyable”
“You are simply making selections and doing all of your job. No matter occurs occurs. You simply have to provide your self the most effective shot potential and simply be ready.”
Lappin requested Tamayo whether or not or not he was capable of take pleasure in himself, have enjoyable and take within the environment throughout the largest remaining desk of his profession.
“I took it in a little bit bit proper earlier than the ultimate desk began and on the breaks. It was enjoyable, nevertheless it was tremendous irritating enjoyable. When you take it in an excessive amount of you form of lose your focus so it’s important to be a little bit bit cautious there. So more often than not it was head down — what am I doing? How am I gonna proceed? Simply technique reminders for myself.”
“In-Sport Changes” with Dominik Nitsche
In the course of the breaks, Tamayo mentioned he hung out with Nitsche, who mentioned a few changes for his play, which continued whereas enjoying on the remaining desk.
Pictures of the laptop computer on the rail, with Nitsche and McKeehen hunched over it have been throughout social media within the wake of his Primary Occasion victory, however Tamayo informed the podcast there have been no sims on the laptop computer, and that he personally wasn’t involved with what was happening.
As an alternative, he mentioned that any “in-game changes” have been checked out by Nitsche and McKeehen and communicated to him if needed.
“If there’s one thing we have to discuss to you about, we’ll discuss to you about it”
“They mainly informed me ‘we’ll deal with it, simply play. If there’s one thing we have to discuss to you about, we’ll discuss to you about it.’ So I used to be simply compartmentalizing what I used to be going to do.
“[Nitsche] mentioned ‘be at liberty to make any in-game changes on the fly, and if we predict they’re incorrect or we see one thing, we’ll let you realize.’ And that is mainly the way it was.”
Earlier than Tamayo broke his silence, the poker world had been in a frenzy. Alan Keating was fast to tweet, saying that what occurred wasn’t within the “spirit of the sport.” Keating then joined former WSOP Participant of the 12 months Daniel Negreanu and Doug Polk on a podcast the place Negreanu known as for rule readability and criticizing Tamayo’s railmate Dominik Nitsche for “doubling down” on social media afterwards.
Primary Occasion runner-up Jordan Griff even chimed in, additionally showing with Doug Polk to debate Tamayo’s use of real-time help.
“I imply, I believe utilizing RTA goes to provide a bonus,” Griff mentioned. “Everybody can debate how giant that’s, and the way a lot it’ll actually assist an individual. I believe it’s arduous to quantify that.”
“I talked about [the reaction] with a few individuals,” Tamayo mentioned. “I am not going to have the ability to change 90-95% of individuals’s opinions. Lots of people are saying stuff on the web, opinions are made.
Tamayo says he himself would not even perceive how plenty of the know-how works, and it hasn’t been one thing he is devoted plenty of time to over the course of his profession.
“I have never studied solvers, I do not understand how they work. I’ve had a coach on the money aspect [of poker] on spots. However I do not know course of it. Most of my time and most my hours is spent enjoying. It is a delicate stability. Finding out makes your play higher, however enjoying is what makes you your cash. So the place do you cease finding out and begin enjoying?
“To me, finding out 40 hours and enjoying 20 hours isn’t a great use of the time. However finding out 2 hours and enjoying 60 might be not it both. It is one thing I’ve wrestled with for years, so the reply is someplace in between.”
Will the WSOP Change its Guidelines?
Again in 2023, the WSOP addressed solver issues and issued an announcement through which they mentioned that any participant utilizing actual time help (RTA) throughout a hand could be topic to penalty. Moreover, they reserved the fitting to additional penalize a participant for utilizing RTA “in every other scenario in our sole and absolute discretion.”
It stays to be seen as as to whether the WSOP will now extra stringently implement its coverage on RTA, and Tamayo says it is lower than him.
“Luckily it is a query I haven’t got to reply as a result of I am not an operator. There’s some debate how we go about teaching now? I do not know the reply to that.
“They’re going to consider one thing. I joked with considered one of my associates that I might need a rule named after me now!”
Managing Editor
