Thoughts From the Newest World Series Champion

After more than 17 hours of final-table play that encompassed 364 hands, the 2009 World Series of Poker main event is in the books.

Poker’s newest world champion is 21-year-old Joe Cada, from Shelby Township, Michigan. Cada is the youngest champ ever (he won’t turn 22 until Nov. 18), but don’t let his age fool you. He’s accumulated a ton of experience since plunging into poker at a young age. He says that he’s played professionally for nearly four years, has played in more than 4,000 tournaments, and has logged more than a million cash-game hands.

Cada started playing poker when he was in his teens. He got serious in his study of the game after high school, put his nose to the grindstone with a number of friends, and, two years ago, began winning major online tournaments.
 
Cada admits that he got extremely lucky and ran very well at the final table. It was Joe who derailed Jeff Shulman’s chances of a deep run with a bad beat, and he ended French pro Antoine Saout’s chances after a similar suckout. But Cada hung tough with a short stack, applied pressure on his opponents when he had chips, and clawed his way to the chip lead going into heads-up play against Darvin Moon.

Cada says that he welcomes the role of poker ambassador, which comes with the main-event title, and that he plans to do all that he can to promote poker over the next year. “I hope to help poker grow and represent it well,” the PokerStars-sponsored player stated after his victory. “I welcome being pushed into the poker spotlight.” Also, expect him to be a fixture on the tournament trail. “I definitely plan on playing in all the big tournaments, and traveling, and continuing to play professionally,” he said.

Cada sported a Poker Players Alliance patch during his match. He says that he’ll contribute what he can to fighting on behalf of the legal challenges now facing poker.
 
“The Poker Players Alliance is something I really believe in,” Cada remarked. “Poker is not gambling. There is decision-making, there’s logic, there’s math, and I think that taking away online poker takes away people’s rights.”

Runner-up Darvin Moon kept the mood light at the final table. He’s heading back to Oakland, Maryland, with more than $5 million, but didn’t really seem to care. “It’s only money,” he said as he exited the Rio. “The more you win, the more you pay to the government [in taxes]. I play for the game.”

Check out Page 50 for full details of all the final-table action.