An Interview With Joe Hachem

Just who is this Joseph Hachem, anyway? Before the last hand of the 2005 World Series of Poker main event, Joe was virtually unknown in the world of professional poker. Above the equator, anyway. Sure, he had cashed out in many events "down under" but, when he made his winning debut in Las Vegas he took the world of professional poker by storm.

Joe was not only the first Australian to take down the coveted title of "World Champion" by topping a record field of 5,619 players, he took 10th in event #37, the $1000 NLHE event, on July 4th. Of course his $25,000 payday from that smaller event pales in comparison to the $7,500,000 he scooped up in the championship, but it did allow him the opportunity to buy-in to that granddaddy event on a free roll... and with change left over.

So, again we ask, who is Joe Hachem? I can tell you from experience that he is a kind and generous man, represents the ultimate idea of who we would like to symbolize who we are as poker enthusiasts. Of course, the main difference between Joe and the rest of us is that he now has the championship bracelet... and a ton of money. Has it changed the man? Not in the least. Before the mammoth win, Joe was a family man. After the win, Joe is a family man.

Joe was raised in Lebanon and early in life his family made the trek to Melbourne in the early 1970's, began to call it home. He trained to be a Doctor of Chiropractics, married, and produced four beautiful children. As fate would have it, Joe developed a disorder that stopped him dead in his tracks. He quit doing what he did best, became a mortgage broker, and took up the game we call poker.

Joe admits that he has a typical Lebanese temper, his biggest bane while at the table. Keeping that temper in check and learning to overcome it has really honed his competitive nature. He has taken to heart that if he can give bad beats, he should be man enough to take them in turn. Huge step for him.

He doesn't squander his winnings, instead pays his bills and looks out for his family. This man has a lot to teach some of the youth who are just starting their "professional" careers in poker. Joe believes that poker should be treated as a business. Keep records, track your play, recognize your strengths and weaknesses and capitalize on them. Strive to get better all the time. Joe stays away from any other form of gambling, playing poker because he truly believes he has an edge that no other form of gambling provides him.

"I go in knowing I have an edge," he says. "It is the only way to be a consistent winner."

I asked Joe if he considered poker to be a sport. He replied that he believed it to be very much a psychological sport, not just a game.

"It is grueling to put in so many hours and be able to sustain for that period of time. Primarily, it is a sport of the mind. [It's important] not only to outwit your opponent and play better than he or she, but to be able to take the downswings and upswings that happen naturally in the game. Because it is a card game there is that element of the unknown, an element of luck involved."

He said his biggest asset in playing poker is absolute patience. Through years of playing live and online poker he has relied on patience as his ace in the hole. When he first started playing, Joe quickly discovered that being impatient just got him into trouble. Patience means two things: the ability to wait for a good hand in the right spot, and the wisdom to toss your cards when you know they cannot win.

Outside of continuing to work on the patience aspect of the game, Joe has a strong desire to bring the dignity level of poker up a few notches.

"I want to eradicate the view that poker players are degenerates, an idea that has been the popular opinion for a very long time," Joe says. "[But] it has gotten better over the past few years. I am just an ordinary guy who happens to have chosen poker as his profession. I am not a degenerate."

Joe has sharpened his game by reading numerous instructional books. He found some to be a bore, but said he particularly enjoyed TJ Cloutier and Tom McEvoy's book, Championship No Limit and Pot Limit Hold'em. Having read the book about 12 times, it is quite simple to read and easy to grasp. Joe says it gave him him a sturdy foundation to build upon, formed the basis for honing his skills. The book may have given him the knowledge, but the rest has come from experience.

"You can read books forever," Joe says. "But I have never seen a champion come out of just reading books."

When discussing the ability to read other players, he said: "I like to sit for a half hour to forty five minutes and just watch how people are playing. I don't get involved in a hand straight away unless I absolutely have to. That gives me a chance to see what their betting patterns are like.

"For instance, what hands are they playing from what position? What do they do with their chips when they have a good hand, and what do they do with them when they have nothing?

"I think to be a good poker player you have to have a good memory. If you don't have a good memory, you are not going to make it. What happens is that you don't consciously, actually memorize. It is all subconscious. Say I see someone at a table make a bet who has not gotten involved in a hand in over an hour. My subconscious will tell me if he has it or not. It isn't a conscious thing that I am working to do, it is because of all the hours of practice. It becomes what we call a 'gut feeling'. If you listen to that, it will work for you 99% of the time."

Culminating with the essence of who Joe Hachem is, it has to do with "paying it forward." His kindness and generosity start at home. He brought home a huge amount of money from his championship win in 2005 and he says he will take care of his immediate and extended family first. The next step is to see how he can give back to the world, particularly within an area that truly touches his heart, "children who don't have dads." As soon as his reign as defending champion ends - assuming he doesn't make it back to back wins - he would like to put more time into that. While winning the World Championship meant everything to Joseph Hachem, he contends that if it ever had a negative affect on his family he would give it back in a heartbeat.

"I have raised my children to value money, to respect money, and to always be appreciative. We were living a comfortable life before I won the $7.5 Million, so my children were not wanting for anything. While school is out, my family travels with me from casino to casino as I play the circuit. But they will never hear me say, 'I just lost hundreds on the craps table!' It will just never happen.

"I want them to know how to invest in something with a positive expectation, whether it be in something they are good enough to play, real estate, or finance. I take that part of my responsibility very seriously. I get a lot of flack from people saying I am 'exposing' my children to poker. As far as I am concerned there is nothing for my kids not to know about. I want them to know about everything. I am a good parent, and my wife is a good parent as well. As a gambler, they see me practice what I preach all the time."

Joe finished with his advice to young and/or new players of poker: "Take your time. There is plenty of time. I think a lot of [new players] jump in too deep, too quickly. We all have bad runs and we have all had things go up against us for long periods of time. If your bankroll isn't correct and you find yourself playing in games that are over your head, it will break you. Build your bankroll, slowly, in the smaller games, and concentrate on maintaining it."

The World Series of Poker is just about to start. It will assuredly beat any record for attendance, even as we sit in awe of the 5,619 who contended in 2005. Here is to Joesph Hachem, as I toss out my own rendition of "Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oi Oi Oi !!!" What a pleasure to have met such a great poker player, husband and father.

A true gentleman and scholar.

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Sharla Lehrmann