Pass the Sugah! Joseph Hachem Is the Doyle Brunson North American Poker Champion

By Owen Laukkanen Dec 19, 2006 | 3 years ago

Joseph Hachem is the 2006 WPT Doyle Brunson North American Poker Champion!

It must have been a World Poker Tour organizer's dream come true to see Daniel Negreanu and Joseph Hachem at the final table of one of the WPT's flagship events, the $15,000 Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship. Throughout the tournament, Negreanu and Hachem played at the same table for nearly four days, and as the final table began, many (myself included) harbored hopes that Kid Poker and the 2005 World Series of Poker Champion would meet heads-up for one final star-studded showdown.

It wasn't to be. Hachem made it there, but Negreanu did not - probably much to Hachem's delight. Instead, Hachem faced down former pro-football player Jim Hanna, and the Melbourne, Australia, pro and PokerStars.com ambassador played his opponent like a fiddle, getting all of Hanna's chips after just eight hands of heads-up play. I talked to Hachem, who now joins only Carlos Mortensen, Doyle Brunson and Scotty Nguyen as players who have won the WSOP Main Event and a WPT title, shortly after his thrilling victory.

Congratulations, Joseph. How do you feel now that you've won?

I'm really buzzing, man. I'm on cloud nine. I'm more excited than [...] I was when I won the World Series. It's just - I've come so close over the last eight months to winning another title and to finally get home, it's fantastic. I'm really buzzing.

Can you talk a little bit about how the final table went down from your point of view?

Yeah, I mean, the final table went to plan. [Laughs.] Except that I thought I'd be facing Daniel heads-up. That was what I'd thought would happen. Unfortunately Daniel got involved with Jim in a few hands, and he got the worst of it, but really I was biding my time, playing small pots and waiting to get three-handed, and when it got to three-handed I changed gears and started trying to win the tournament.

You and Daniel played at the same table for the majority of the tournament but never really got involved in any big showdowns.

Joseph Hachem, Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic - Day 5

We played a few pots together, but our styles are so similar that if we're going to get all the money in there, we're both going to have monster hands. I'm not getting in there with ace-six against his ace-jack; it's not going to happen. You know? Unless we're both short-stacked. And we played quite a few pots, but because we both play small ball the pots stayed really modest.

What can you say about Jim Hanna?

Look, he played really snug. I played with him yesterday and today, and he played really tight, but I felt that I had the right read on him. I felt that I knew where I was with him, which is obviously to my advantage, and when I realized that it was going to be him and [me] heads-up, I'd already planned how I was going to play him. And it worked out. (Laughs.)

The hand where you got most of Jim's stack by pushing all-in after he'd bet $3 million after the flop seemed like the turning point. Can you talk about that hand?

The Last Thing Steven Dannenmann Ever Saw.

I knew that he was going to come over the top on me sooner or later, because he was going to get sick of me re-raising or raising before the flop. So when that happened, I thought about it for a while, and it was worth calling to see a flop, and if I hit the right flop, or I get a piece of it that I like, I can put him to a test. And then he made the mistake of betting so much into it. I knew he wasn't strong at that point. I knew what he had; he had a small pocket pair, or maybe just two overcards. And I pushed him. I won't tell you the hand though.

Not even if we ask really nicely?

(Laughs.) No.

How does this differ from your win in the 2005 WSOP Main Event?

This could be you

I mean, look, getting through 5,700 people and playing for seven days straight is exhausting. I think the difference here is the validation aspect. To have a World Series Championship and a WPT title - I'm in a group of four people who have [that]. It feels incredible.

Well, you earned it. Congratulations again.

Thank you.

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In our interview, Hachem talked about seeking validation, and with this WPT title, he's earned it. It's hard to believe there is anything left in the poker world for Joseph Hachem to accomplish, and while the $2.18 million in prize money must be nice, it's obvious that the respect and admiration Hachem will now get from his peers and the public at large is what he really values. With this victory, Hachem has forever rid himself of the stigma that follows Main Event winners in the Moneymaker-era; no longer just an S.O.B. who got lucky, now Joseph Hachem has proven himself a bona-fide superstar.