An Interview With Joe Hachem - World Champion

Joe Hachem

As you know, Joe Hachem is the 2005 world champion of poker. He beat a record field of more than 5,600 players to capture that title and take home $7.5 million! What you might not know is that the poker industry is in good hands with Hachem as champion.



I knew he would be a wonderful world champion when I heard his first interview after winning the title. He said, "If I can be half the champion Greg Raymer was, I'll be happy. Greg's a good guy who is a consummate professional. He's smart, a gentleman at all times, has his feet on the ground and his priorities right, and gives back to poker." (I totally agree with that assessment of Raymer. He's been a terrific world champion.)



Hachem has been playing poker for 10 years. He's first and foremost a family man, who happens to play poker. He was a chiropractor for 13 years and had to give up his practice because of a hand condition. He envisioned becoming a poker pro, but with a wife (Jeanie) and four kids (Anthony, 14; Justine, 12; David, 11; and James, aka "Mini," 9), he got into mortgage banking for two years and played poker to supplement his income.



At the recent Poker Superstars Invitational (an invitational tournament for 24 of the world's top players that will be seen on FSN next year), I sat down with Joe for an interview. Here is some of what this 39-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, had to say:



Mike Sexton: It's the dream of every poker player to win the "big one." When did you think you really had a shot to win that tournament?



Joe Hachem: I really started thinking it was possible with 27 players left. I got off to a good start on day one ending with 67K (about double the average). In fact, I think that was my best day, and it gave me confidence. From there, I was about average until the final table, where it seemed like I was on the short stack all the time. With five players left, I went on a rush and won about nine pots in a row. The rest is history.



MS: You seemed pretty patient at that final table even though you were short on chips. Do you consider yourself a good short-stack player?



JH: I'm very proud of the way I played at that final table. Although short-stacked, I didn't lose patience, picked up some blinds and antes at the right time, and was just hoping to catch some cards and go on a rush. Fortunately, I did. Of course, to win any tournament, you have to have your hands stand up, and mine did all week.



MS: The money was mind-boggling in that event. Tell us the truth; were you thinking about winning or just hoping to become a millionaire?



JH: Once I got near the end, it wasn't about the money. I recognized how important winning was. Nobody remembers who comes in second. The runners-up don't get the media attention, the endorsement deals, invitations to events like this (the Poker Superstars Invitational), or a place in poker history. All of that is for the guy who wins. In Australia, they are really proud of their sports heroes, and winning the "holy grail of poker" is a big coup for the country. I really wanted to win, not just for myself, but for everyone in Australia.



MS: Your support group during that tournament has become legendary, with "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie" every time you won a pot. Tell us about those guys.



JH: About 10 of us from Australia came up to play in the tournament. It was great having them there cheering me on. Next year, you can look for at least 50 Aussies to come to the World Series.



MS: You came with your mates and forked out 10K to enter. You're married with four kids. How did your wife, Jeanie, ever go for this?



JH: My wife gets all the credit for my win. She supported me before I left, and I spoke with her on the phone every night during the tournament. She knew how much I wanted to play in the big one. When I mentioned I'd like to go, she said, "Go for it, honey. Follow your dreams. The kids and I will be fine. I'll hold down the fort while you're gone." (Joe smiled broadly as he then told me, "As soon as she said that, I immediately went out and got my plane ticket. You know women, they can change their minds. I knew if I had a ticket already, she wouldn't.")



MS: When did it hit you that you had really become the world champion of poker?



JH: We played all night and finished at 7:30 a.m., and I was exhausted. I went to sleep for a few hours, woke up, and went into the bathroom. I looked in the mirror and then just broke down in tears and cried like a baby. It finally hit me. I wasn't dreaming. I had done it.



MS: What impact do you think your win will have on poker in Australia, and around the world, for that matter?



JH: Well, poker in Australia has probably already multiplied by ten. My win shows the rest of the world that it can be done. It's beautiful. Anyone from anywhere can win it.



MS: As world champion, what message would you like to send during your reign?



JH: I hope to help with the journey that playing poker for a living can be respectable. My objective is to let the world know that an ordinary guy with a family can be a poker pro and not be considered a degenerate.



MS: Would you want your children to become poker players?



JH: I don't play poker to gamble. I play because I believe I have an edge. I'd be a hypocrite if I told them they couldn't play. If it's OK for me to play, why not them? And they actually do play. I believe poker teaches one discipline and how to handle adversity. I want to teach them how to play properly and how to conduct themselves properly while playing. I believe you guide children by example.



MS: What's next for you? Are you going to play the poker circuit?



JH: Because of family responsibilities, I can't live out of a suitcase. However, it's summer in Australia (meaning the kids are out of school), and I'm traveling with the family now and will be playing the circuit for the next four or five months.



MS: As the world champion of poker, do you feel pressure now when you play?



JH: I do. I hope I can deal with not putting a lot of pressure on myself to win again – and that's not easy. I don't want to feel I've got a ton of bricks on my shoulders and have to prove myself. I'm confident in my abilities and feel certain that I'll have good results in the long run.



MS: Any messages for those who want to become poker pros?



JH: Poker is a business to me. If you take the game seriously, I believe you should treat poker as a business. Track your wins and losses, write down what game you played in, how many hours you played, who was in the game, and the key hands that came up that you can discuss later, and recognize that your mission should be to strive to get better all the time.



MS: The poker world has grown tremendously over the past few years. Where would you like to see it go from here?



JH: I would like to see sponsors support poker tournaments. It's starting to happen, and I'm hoping it will evolve like the PGA Tour, where players don't have to put up large entry fees to win big prize money.



MS: How have the other pros treated you since your win?



JH: I've been pleasantly surprised how nice everyone has treated me, especially the top pros. There are many good people in the poker world.



MS: Congratulations again, Joe. There's no doubt in my mind that you'll be a terrific ambassador for poker.



JH: Thanks, Mike. I hope to be.



Take care.

Mike Sexton is the host of PartyPoker.com, a commentator on the World Poker Tour (which can be seen every Wednesday on the Travel Channel), and the author of Shuffle Up and Deal (which was on The New York Times best-seller list and can be purchased at http://www.cardplayer.com/). You can reach Mike by e-mail at:
[email protected].