Event 46 of the 2008 World Series of Poker was a remarkable tournament.

Boasting the second-largest single cash prize of the 2008 Series and culminating in the longest final-table heads-up match of the year, it also happened to be won by a man who doesn't like live tournaments - at all.

"I pretty much detest tournaments," he admitted to PokerListings.com after his big win. "I don't know if I ever want to play one again. I just hate live poker."

And who can blame him? After grinding through an 804-player field over two very long and grueling days, Joe sat down for a nine-and-a-half hour televised final table - with too little sleep - that ended with a four-hour heads-up match.

Not exactly the glamorous life young guns dream of when they quit their day jobs in search of poker glory. Although being a practical sort of guy, Joe likely knew what he was committing himself to when he took up poker full time.

It was 2005 and Joe was living in his home state of New Jersey, day-trading his own accounts with his own money. Sick of the grind and burnt out after seven years of full-time work, he was looking for something new to occupy his time.

Enter poker. He swapped careers and hasn't looked back since.

Primarily an online cash-game player - he specializes in mid-stakes games, including a lot of heads-up and six-max SNGs - Joe never really got into live tournaments. They just aren't his thing.

So much so that prior to his win at the 2008 WSOP he had only entered four live tournaments, and, though he cashed in one (a WSOP Circuit event), he certainly didn't develop any lasting love of live tournament play.

"I see like 600 hands online and I see like 25 here," he says. "Then I have to look at people's faces and they tilt me and everybody's talking. It's terrible.

"I just want to, like, get my laptop and play online."

As for future plans, it's probably no surprise he's considering early retirement from the live tournament world.

"I might just retire on top. I've got my bracelet; I might not play anymore or ever again."

And perhaps he never will; only time will tell. In the meantime, you can bet he'll continue to play poker out of the comfort of his own home, and trade stocks and invest on the side.

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