JOE HACHEM

”Small goals. I set small goals every day, all day, and I never tried to win the tournament until we were down to four-handed.”
Joe Hachem on how he survived 14 hours at the final table (Interview with All In Magazine)

Joe Hachem became World Champion in 2005 after defeating over 5,600 players, winning an amazing $7.5 million dollars. His winning hand was a measly 7-3 unsuited – turning into a straight with the flop 6-5-4. And after his opponent received top pair on the turn – Hachem managed to lure him in. His strategy for the event was to avoid risking his entire pot as much as possible. He only went all-in on three occasions during the entire tournament.

Joe Hachem’s $7.5 million dollar record will not last long however. In 2006 the pot is expected to be a staggering $10 million dollars.

Hachem has not been a poker professional for long. He was a professional chiropractor until 2002 when he had to give it up due to a rare blood disorder. This unfortunate event did provide him with more time to spend on his favourite hobby, poker. In 2005 a friend of his won a satellite to the World Championships, and Hachem decided to join him and paid the $10,000 buy-in. What could have been merely an expensive detour to Las Vegas, soon turned into something quite different.

And how did Hachem travel home to Australia after the World Championships? He chose to fly in coach. That is indeed true money management.