Poker strategy essays
Joe Hachem's Rise to Success
By
Archie Ward
Joe Hachem made his mark on the poker world in 2005, when he won the
Main Event at the World Series of Poker. This netted him $7.5 million. It
might seem as though Joe Hachem is a lucky man who just happened to sit
down at the biggest poker tournament in the world and won. However, it
wasn't that easy.
Hachem had been playing poker since he was 13. This Lebanese-born
Australian had a passion for the game from a very young age. He had a
specific passion for Texas Hold 'Em. This wasn't a very popular form of
poker in Australia back in the day, and he couldn't have possibly
predicted the poker boom that was to come. In this regard, he was lucky.
Once he was of age, he would simply grind out wins at the Crown Casino
Poker Room in Melbourne. He would play tournaments more than anything
else, but he would dabble in the cash games as well.
Joe Hachem might have had early success in poker, but he didn't go
straight into poker as a career. He was a chiropractor for 13 years, but
he had to quit his practice due to medical conditions related to his
hands. That didn't mean he was done with business altogether, though. He
still has an entrepreneurial spirit, and he lists his priorities as
family, business, poker - in that order. He even says that he's only a
part-time professional poker player. Hachem knows that he could make more
money by playing more often, but he continuously states that this approach
to the game would take too much time away from his family. Therefore, he
likes to stick to big tournaments instead of cash games.
When Hachem played in the 2005 Main Event at the World Series of Poker,
it was his first time playing in an event taking place overseas. When he
first walked in and saw thousands of other players, he was intimidated,
but prior to sitting down, he told himself only to worry about himself and
the players sitting at his table. This approach worked out well for him.
Hachem feels that the key to poker is not to be too patient or impatient.
It's all about timing. The speed you should play at should be determined
by the players at your table and what you're feeling in your gut. Hachem's
goals are to win the Aussie Millions and a European Poker Tour event.
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