Joe Hachem Wins WPT Five Diamond Poker Classic Main Event
(Credit: www.joehachem.com )
Kido Pham had no idea that the words he uttered to Joe Hachem at the 2005 World Series of Poker Circuit event at Bally's would be so prophetic. He said, "You know what I am thinking. I am thinking you are not some fluke who won a tournament." Amen, Kido! Hachem proved he's not a one-trick pony. Of course, I already knew this. I love me some Joe Hachem. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oy!
Hachem faced some stiff competition from Daniel Negreanu, Justin "Zee Justin" Bonomo and Jim Hanna. Hanna, just in case you didn't know, is a former American football player. Hachem, aka Hash, joins an elite group of poker pros such as Doyle Brunson, Carlos Mortensen and Scotty Nguyen. Each of these four fellas has won a WSOP Main Event and a WPT Main Event. Sweet!
The event saw a ton of world class entrants including Phil Ivey, Nam Le, Men Nguyen, Erica Schoenberg and Joe Sebok, who didn't make it past their first day. Day Two saw the demise of John Gale, Liz Lieu and Mimi Tran. By the end of Day Three, there were only 33 players left. They were all in the money. Clonie Gowen and Kristy Gazes, both of whom play for Full Tilt Poker, were notable eliminations on that day. Hachem and Cyndy Violette delivered some fantastic knockouts. Violette crushed Wayne Lewis' pocket eights with her rockets in the hole. Hachem used his pocket jacks to hook Jeffrey Siler. He sent him to the rails when he made a set on the flop.
Violette finished in a respectable fourteenth place, just two spots behind Scott Fischman. Jim Hanna and Mads Andersen, the 2006 EPT Copenhagen Winner, made some nice double-ups before the play got to the televised final table. Going into that final table, this is what the chip stacks and seat positions looked like:
1. Daniel Negreanu - $4,670,000 (seat 1) 2. Mads Andersen - $4,310,000 (seat 6) 3. Joe Hachem - $2,345,000 (seat 3) 4. Edward Jordan - $2,320,000 (seat 5) 5. David Redlin - $2,040,000 (seat 4) 6. Jim Hanna - $1,820,000 (seat 2)
Negreanu was picked by many to win the event. He certainly looked the part. However, as the final table kicked off, things would change. Play began with 30k/60k blinds and a 10k ante. Players were sort of conservative at the beginning. The first elimination (Ed Jordan) didn't occur until about an hour into things. Ed, who finished third at the 2006 Foxwoods Poker Classic, pushed all in with an 8s, 7s. Negreanu called him with Ac, Kh. The river gave Daniel a heart-flush. Jordan left with almost $170,000, which wasn't too shabby.
Daniel earned the respect of the table when Hachem took a vote and announced Negreanu to be "the sickest poker player on the planet." He's certainly in my top five. A few minutes later, David Redlin exits the table when Hachem hits a miracle queen on the river. Andersen, who entered the tourney on the advice and financial backing of his pal, Danish poker pro, Gus Hansen - perhaps, you've heard of him? - was the next one to go when Negreanu made a nut flush with his Ad, 4d.
Negreanu would then see his chip stack start dwindle. He came up on the losing end of several match-ups against Jim Hanna. Negreanu's spectacular run for the title ended when Hachem calls his all-in with pocket fours. Although Daniel had two overcards, the board brought him no help. Adios, Daniel. We know we'll see you at another final table again soon.
When heads-up play began, Jim Hanna had a slight advantage over Joe Hachem. The man who once played American Football for the New Orleans Saints and Amsterdam Admirals had 9.52 mil chips to the former chiropractor's 7.985 mil. Hachem played an aggressive heads-up game, gaining dominance over Hanna without too much trouble. Hachem held an As, 6c in the final hand. Hanna had an Qc, Jc. The flop was Ac, Qd, 3s, giving both men a pair. The river brought an 8c. Hanna had a lot of outs on the river to make that flush, but hit none of 'em. Hachem took home the top prize of $2,182,075 and the respect of the poker world.
Kudos, Joe!
Here are the final table results:
1. Joseph Hachem $2,182,075 2. Jim Hanna $1,099,430 3. Daniel Negreanu $592,000 4. Mads Andersen $380,630 5. David Redlin $253,715 6. Edward Jordan $169,145 7. Justin Bonomo $152,230 8. Haralabos Voulgaris $135,315 9. Steve Sung $118,400 10. Mack Lee $101,485
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