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Poker Professional
Joe Hachem

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Lebanese-Australian poker player, Joe Hachem, was not only the first Australian to win the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2005, but also beat out the largest number of players - 5,618 - only to take home a record breaking first place prize of $7.5 million.

Born in Lebanon in 1966, Joe Hachem later moved with his family in the 1970's to Australia and has continued to live there ever since. Hachem held a chiropractic practice for 13 years until a rare blood disorder took over and prevented him from being able to continue to working with his hands around the year 2000. With the disease inhibiting him from working, he took on being a mortgage broker. During the 1990's he already began looking at cards more seriously, but leaving his practice it became a whole new "card" game.

Joe Hachem became a regular at the Crown Casino in Melbourne winning many hands in Texas Hold'em. After his friend won a satellite tournament that secured him a seat at the World Series of Poker, Hachem decided to join him and brought along $10,000 of his own in order to enter the tournament. Once he placed 10th in the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em event earning $25,850 he was able to convert that money into $7.5 million.

This was done by entering the Main Event of the WSOP, grabbing that respected bracelet along with the biggest prize money in WSOP history. Hachem continued on a couple months later to finish in fifth place in the WSOP Tournament Circuit Main Event. In 2006 Hachem returned to Las Vegas to land second in the $2,500 Short Handed No Limit Hold'em event in the WSOP as well as fourth in the $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em event. Attempting to defend his title, he entered in the Championship Main Event but finished in the money at 238th place, not to make excuses, but Hachem was the only Main Event champion left before his elimination.

This professional poker player is a devoted family man with four children and a wife who he met when he was just 15 years old. Along with poker games, Joe Hachem likes playing golf as well as dinning at the best of the best and smoking his finest cigars at a bar.

Exceeding $8,000,000 is Joe Hachem's live tournament earnings.

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