Joe Hachem Australia’s most successful Card Shark

Being a good poker player is one thing. Having a profitable career is indeed laudable in today’s fiercely competitive field. But to be the absolute best in your country? That’s beyond impressive. That’s Joe Hachem, one of the most successful Australia gambling pros ever to grace the land Down Under.

Hachem’s story doesn’t fit that of most poker pros. He didn’t start playing young, exuding an exceptional aptitude for mathematics or psychology, only to drop out of college to pursue poker as a career. None the less, he’s managed to earn more than AU $15.8 million on the live felt.

Joe Hachem – In The Beginning

Joe Hachem has called Australia home since the age of 6, when his family moved to Melbourne from their native country of Lebanon. Poker was not even considered as a career choice, though. Hachem studied to become a chiropractor, and was highly respected in his field for 13 years. Then he was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder that affected his hands, forcing him into early retirement.

It was during this off-time that Hachem began playing poker as more than an occasional hobby amongst friend. By 1995, he was visiting casinos regularly, and soon turned to playing at online poker sites as well.

It wasn’t instant success for the Australia gambling pro-to-be. According to Joe, he was too temperamental on the felt, and had to learn to control his emotions better. Then in 2000, he became a common face in live poker tournaments held at Crown Melbourne, where he frequently finished in the money.

This went on for 5 years before he left his comfort zone at the Crown and traveled to Las Vegas to participate in the 2005 World Series of Poker.

Australia Gambling Pro Is Born

Up to this point, Joe Hachem had only recorded about AU $13,400 in live tournament winnings, plus an unknown amount in cash games. But this trip to the US would change his life forever.

Hachem started out by finishing 10^th in a $1k NLHE event, scooping US $25,850. Just three days later, he entered the WSOP Main Event, surviving a field of over 5,600 and outlasting American Steven Dannenmann in heads-up to claim the Championship bracelet and US $7,500,000.

That was the turning point for Hachecm, officially transitioning from an Australia gambling enthusiast to a full-fledged poker pro. Since then, Joe has been a regular in major poker events all over the world, adding another AU $6 million to his credentials.

A significant portion of that came in 2006, when he captured his first WPT title, along with a tidy sum of US $2,207,575. Not a year has gone by when Hachem didn’t make his presence known on the live felt, cashing in multiple major events across Australia, the US and even Europe.

#1 Poker Player In Australia

Joe Hachem’s adept talent for the game has not only procured him an impressive 8-figure career. It’s earned him the esteemed title of Australia’s all-time leader in live poker tournament cashes, with US $12,168,048 (AU$ 15,863,484) to hi name. Well behind him in second place is Australia gambling pro Jeff Rossiter, currently worth US $6,650,075 (AU$ 8,669,702) in winnings.