As you have probably heard once or twice before, the Team PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem won the World Series Main Event in 2005, the first Australian to do so and the last player to win it at Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. As you possibly haven’t heard, because it’s hot off the press, Hachem last night became the champion of the first ever European 8 Game Championship, a pretty emphatic marker to lay down in the event that tests the widest range of poker skills.
“There’s nothing like winning, kid,” Hachem said moments ago, during the first break in action of day 1b of the Main Event. “Winning is the only thing that really matters.”
Although Europe hasn’t been Hachem’s fondest stamping ground — notwithstanding an 11th place at the 2008 Monte Carlo Grand Final — he’s grown quite accustomed to that winning feeling. After earning $7.5m alongside the bracelet, he took another $2.2m for a WPT title at the Bellagio in December 2006, and there are eight further five-figure cashes on his record since then.
Last night’s victory was worth a relatively modest £42,400, but Hachem was justly delighted nonetheless. He outlasted a massively tough field playing, as the name suggests, eight poker disciplines — limit 2-7 triple draw, limit hold ’em, limit Omaha eight or better, razz, limit seven card stud, limit stud eight or better, no limit hold ’em and pot limit Omaha. They also played in two different venues: the heads up stage had to be transferred to the Vic down the road after we passed the 2am curfew at the Hilton.
He also defeated some personal demons. “The funny thing is,” Hachem said, “I busted out of the High Rollers event and was on mad tilt. I played the PLO six-max and lasted one level. So I bitched to Greg (Raymer), had something to eat, went up to my room, and came down not on tilt any more.
“I went through day one on par for the whole day, stayed out of trouble, and I never looked back on day two. I even worked out the secret to success. I was never all in in the whole tournament. It’s so obvious.”
When you put it like that…
EPT London side event results so far:
£1,000 + £100 – No Limit 6 Max
Winner: Andreas Gulunay, Germany, £67,000
223 entries; £223,000 prize pool
£1,000 + £100 – PLO Double Chance – 6 Max
Winner: Fabrice Soulier, France, £23,400
71 entries; £71,000 prize pool
£2,000 + £150 – European 8 Game Championships
Winner: Joe Hachem, Australia, £42,400
60 entries; prize pool £120,000
£1,000 + £100 – PLH / PLO Freezeout
Winner: Iikka Tahkokallio, Finland, £30,000
85 entries, total prize pool £85,000
£20k High Roller
Winner: Matt Glantz, USA, £542,000
75 entries; £1,485,000 prize pool
