Australia
Joe Hachem burst onto the poker scene in 2005 after he won the WSOP Main Event to the tune of $7.5 million. Hachem bested over 5,600 other players, including second-place finisher Steve Dannenmann, to take home the most coveted prize in poker.
After catching the Texas Hold’em bug from the movie Rounders, Hachem ventured to the Crown Casino in Melbourne, Australia where he lived to give it a shot at the game. Joe wasn’t looking to be a professional player and kept his day job as a chiropractor, playing occasionally in his spare time when he could. In 2000, an unfortunate rare blood vessel disorder in his hands forced Hachem to quit chiropracting. While deciding what else he might take on as a career, Joe began to work as a mortgage broker and during this time, devoted more and more time to playing poker. After honing his skills in Melbourne and also online, Hachem decided to head off to Las Vegas in 2005 with some of his family and take his shot at the WSOP.
The trip was a great success for Hachem. After coming in 10th place in one of the smaller events at the WSOP that year for over $25,000, Hachem put together an amazing few days of poker during the Main Event to best the record-breaking field and become the first Australian winner the Main Event has ever seen. Joe even had his winning hand named after him, with the 7-3 offsuit now commonly referred to as “The Hachem”.
Joe Hachem wouldn’t be a one-hit wonder from Down Under though. The following year, he placed second in a short-handed event for over $250,000 along with cashing in three other events at the 2006 WSOP. As if that wasn’t enough to make Hachem worthy, he bested an amazing field at the Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic to take down his first WPT event and over $2 million in prize money. This win also put him in a very select group of players that have won both the WSOP Main Event and the WPT Championship, which includes Doyle Brunson, Juan Carlos Mortenson, and Scotty Nguyen. Not a bad bunch to be in.
A true ambassador to the game, Hachem is often referred to as “the Godfather of Australian poker” due to the poker boom he ignited in Australia after his win in the 2005 WSOP Main Event. It was because of this win that the 2007 Aussie Millions Championships held in his home of Melbourne boasted the larger field to date of a poker tournament outside the United States. With home-field advantage, Hachem was able to put a nice run together in this event and place 23rd.
As a Team PokerStars’ Pro, Hachem can regularly be seen around the world at some of the most prestigious poker events sharing his love for the game and continuing to be a great ambassador for the sport.
