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Player Profile Joe Hachem
Joe Hachem plays exclusively online at PokerStars. Click here now for your chance to sit with Australias number one poker player.
In 2005 Joe Hachem was just another player in the WSOP. As he progressed further and further through the Main Event -- all the way to the final table-- Hachem’s legion of Aussie followers, and their cries of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”, made him one of the more popular players, and feel good stories of the 05’ WSOP.
In a brief moment, and what he probably thought was a throw-away line, Hachem took control of the tournament, and invented one of poker’s most infamous lines: “Pass the Sugar!” Hachem’s flopped nut-flush crippled chip-leader Andy Black’s set, and was the turning point for both players. Although it must be stated; had Andy Black filled-up on the river the line would go down as one of the worst cases of premature celebration. Black’s face was full of disbelief and dejection; while Hachem looked like a man on a mission.
Hachem entered the final table short-stacked, and patiently waited for his chances. He first watched Mike “The Mouth” Matusow hit the rail, followed by Brad Kondracki, Daniel Bergsdorf, Scott Lazar, Andrew Black, and Aaron Kanter. By the time the tournament was down to a 3-handed poker game, Hachem the improbable long-shot looked like he might just win the Main Event! And win it he did, Hachem took home $7.5 million, and showed the world what he, and his fellow Aussies, already knew: Joe Hachem is a really good poker player.
Since his main Event win 2005 Hachem has proved he’s no one-trick pony: In 2006 Hachem finished 2nd in the $2,500 6-Handed No Limit Hold’ Em tournament at the WSOP; when he took a brutal beat –a 3-outer on the river—and lost to Dutch Boyd. Later in the series he found himself at another final table; in the $2,500 Pot Limit Hold’ Em tournament, Hachem was again eliminated after a bad beat; this time finishing in 4th place.
Hachem was vindicated at the end of 2006 when he won the WPT 5-Diamonds Poker Classic at Bellagio, and took home a whopping $2.2 million. The win put Hachem into a very exclusive club: Doyle Brunson, Carlos Mortensen, Dan Harrington, Scotty Nguyen, and Hachem are the only poker players to have won the WSOP Main Event and a WPT title.
Hachem is prominently displayed as a member of team PokerStars –and headlines many of their commercials and advertisements-- and is one of the most recognizable players in poker. Hachem is just what poker needs: He’s young (by poker standards), charismatic, and extremely marketable –with his Aussie accent, rugged good looks, and off the cuff remarks.
Hachem was born in Lebanon before his family moved to Australia in the early 1970’s (Hachem often blames his short-temper on his Lebanese descent). The father of four settled on poker after a rare blood disorder caused him to quit his job as a chiropractor; a move which obviously paid off!
Hachem is widely credited for creating the current poker boom in Australia, and elevating the Aussie Millions to one of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the world. Most of the younger Australian pros can trace their interest in the game back to the 2005 WSOP Main Event, and Joe Hachem. He also hosts his own poker series at Australias Crown Casino known as the Joe Hachem Deepstack Series. Pass the sugar indeed!
Join Joe Hachem at PokerStars now and you could be the next poker superstar. |
