Poker Legend Joe Hachem - Chiropractor Turned WSOP Poker Champion

Poker dreams have turned many common men into world champions practically overnight. Australian Joe Hachem is just one example of how dreams can become a reality and change someone from being a chiropractor into the winner of the richest sporting prize in history within a short span of time.

Joe Hachem was born in Lebanon in 1966 and immigrated with his family to Melbourne, Australia at the age of eight. After a successful career as a chiropractor, this family man and father-of-four was forced to drop his practice after developing a rare blood disorder that affected his hands and thus his ability to work. Looking for a new way to make money, Hachem decided to turn his love of poker from a hobby into something a little more serious and started playing in tournaments and at online sites. 

Hachem's lucky break came after winning $28,000 in a small World Series of Poker event in 2005. Taking a third of his prize money, Joe decided to buy into the main event of the WSOP tournament and finally take a shot at the top prize. 

Joe Hachem played out a gruelling 12-hours-a-day one-week marathon alongside 5,600 players who were all after the multi-million-dollar prize money. The event reached its peak when it was finally down to Hachem against newcomer, Steve Dannenmann. In a dramatic finale, Joe Hachem pushed in his chips and was declared the winner of a whopping $7.5-million – the biggest sporting prize in history – and crowned the 2005 WSOP champion. 

Since the win, Hachem's life has practically been turned around overnight. He has clocked over a million travelling miles as he journeys the world, giving interviews and endorsing the Online Poker site where he acquired most of his poker practice. In addition, Hachem has been hailed a national hero in his home country of Australia. His win has definitely affected the image of poker Down Under and many more Australians represented their country in the 2006 WSOP event than in years before. 

Unfortunately, Hachem did not do as well in this year's WSOP event. He finished 2nd in the $2,500 short handled no-limit Hold'em event, and fourth in the $2,500 pot limit Hold'em event. He also finished in the money of the main event – although his placing (238th) was far from his previous year's success. 

Nevertheless, Joe Hachem continues to court the poker world with his Mr-Nice-Guy attitude and his continued devotion to his family and home, despite his dazzling success. Hachem has certainly not let the fact that he is a multi-millionaire get to his head and remains a down-to-earth, typical Aussie whose enthusiasm and passion for poker is evident every time he sits down to play.