Joe Hachem

by Ben Blaschke
12 November 2007

Australia’s most famous – and most successful – poker export, Hachem became an instant celebrity when he beat out a massive field of 5,619 players to win the 2005 World Series of Poker main event and its $US 7.5 million first prize.
Born in Lebanon, Hachem moved to Australia as a young kid in the early 1970s and eventually worked as a chiropractor and mortgage broker.
But in 2000, a rare blood disease forced him to give up his work and he instead focused on playing poker full-time.
So astute was Hachem that within four years he had outgrown the games at Melbourne’s Crown Casino, but it wasn’t until 2005 that tournament success finally arrived – and in a big way.
Having already placed 10th in the $1000 NLHE Rebuy event, Hachem’s WSOP main event success escalated him to the realm of superstardom after he outlasted Steve Dannenmann in the dramatic heads-up battle.
Incredibly, Hachem’s winning hand was 7-3 off-suit, but a flopped straight was enough for him to take the title and launch his now famous cry of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”.
Married with four children, Hachem remains as one of only five players to have won both the WSOP main event and a WPT title, having also won the prestigious 5-Diamond Classic at the Bellagio in December last year.
He is now one of only two players – alongside 2006 WSOP main event champion Jamie Gold – to have won more than $10 million in tournaments.

A tournament tip from Joe Hachem: Patience is the key to poker tournaments but lay more aggressively in tournaments leading up to when the prize money starts. Many players will shut down because they want to sneak into the money and guarantee themselves a pay day.