Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Joe Hachem Wins 2005 WSOP Main Event ($7,500,000)
For the next 12 months, it will be Joe Hachem who will tour the world as poker's latest ambassador after he defeated a 5,619-player field to win the 2005 WSOP Main Event.
Hachem, a former chiropractor, takes home $7,500,000 ater a 14-hour final table, defeating Steve Dannenmann heads-up at Binion's Gambling Hall & Hotel in Las Vegas. He becomes the first Australian to win poker's biggest prize, and only the sixth non-American in the tournament's 35-year history.
Mike "The Mouth" Matusow was the only former bracelet-winner who made it to the final table, but he exited in ninth place for $1,000,000.
2005 WSOP Main Event Final Table Results
| Place | Name | Country | Payout (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Hachem | Australia | $7,500,000 |
| 2 | Steve Dannenmann | United States | $4,250,000 |
| 3 | Tex Barch | United States | $2,500,000 |
| 4 | Aaron Kanter | United States | $2,000,000 |
| 5 | Andy Black | Ireland | $1,750,000 |
| 6 | Scott Lazar | United States | $1,500,000 |
| 7 | Daniel Bergsdorf | Sweden | $1,300,000 |
| 8 | Brad Kondracki | United States | $1,150,000 |
| 9 | Mike Matusow | United States | $1,000,000 |
Final Table Action
The final table was fixed firmly in the middle of Benny's Bullpen. For years, Benny's Bullpen was the home to every event of the WSOP, not to mention the home of some of the best cash action, prop bets, and wildest scenes one can imagine.
Aaron Kanter held the chip lead ahead of Tex Barch in third and Irishman Andy Black, supported by a healthy rail of Irish supporters. The final nine players were all guaranteed $1,000,000, with $7.5 million awaiting the winner. There has never been an event in any sport where there has been this kind of money at stake.
On the first hand of play, short-stack Brad Kondracki got his shove through, and the 2005 WSOP Main Event final table was underway.
The action continued on the very next hand. Steve Dannenmann raised with J♠J♣. Scott Lazar picked up A♥A♦ and three-bet as Mike Matusow four-bet all in with K♥K♣.
It folded back to Dannenmann, who chucked before folding, and Lazar called, putting Matusow at risk. The flop came K♦Q♥6♥ with Matusow jumping around in celebration as Lazar nearly fell out of his chair.
The turn was the 2♥ giving Lazar a flush draw as the J♥ river completed his flush, with Matusow losing half of his chips on the second hand of the night.
Matusow took the double reverse suckout well, but looked keen to recoup some of his losses at the earliest opportunity. Less than an orbit later, he three-bet Andy Black’s open to 2,000,000 to roughly 4,000,000, but folded to a shove from Black.
Now down to about 2,000,000 himself, Matusow got involved in a pot that would spell his eventual elimination. On a 5♠3♠2♣ flop, Matusow bet and called a shove from Steve Dannenmann.
Mike Matusow: 10♠10♦
Steve Dannenmann: A♠J♣
The turn was the 4♥, completing a gutshot straight for Dannenman. Matusow was dead to a chop, and the river 9♣ saw Matusow - the biggest name at the 2005 WSOP Main Event final table - eliminated in ninth place.
Next to go was Brad Kondracki. He’d double once, with tens through the ace-queen of Dannenmann, before running A♠Q♣ into the 8♠8♣ of Andy Black. Having satellited into the Main Event for $160, the solitary payjump ensured a 7,200x return on his buy-in, finishing eighth for $1,150,000.
The elimination of Kondracki saw Black lead from Aaron Kanter at the dinner break.
After the Dinner Break
On the first hand back from dinner break, we had our next elimination. Daniel Bergsdorf was in good shape with J♠J♥ against the 10♦10♣ of Barch, but a ten on the Q♦10♠4♥ made Bergsdorf a candidate for bad beat of the night - although Matusow may still make his case after his earlier runner-runner flush.
The turn 8♦ and river Q♥ were no help and Bergsdorf was out. This elimination meant that since the dawn of online qualifying for poker’s biggest tournament, PokerStars would not have the World Champion qualify through their site.
Hachem had sat as the shortest of the seven remaining players on dinner break, and he would secure a vital double through Lazar.
Joe Hachem: A♠Q♠
Scott Lazar: K♠9♠
The A♥10♠4♠ flop sealed Lazar’s fate, as the 5♣J♣ board secured Hachem's double. And on the very next hand, Lazar was gone. He shoved Q♣10♦ into Black’s J♠J♣ receiving no help on the 8♠5♠3♣4♣K♥ board, and in two hands, Lazar had gone from 5,300,000 in chips to out the door in sixth for $1,500,000.
Now down to five, no competitor could do worse than $1,750,000. As a result, the play had become lightning-fast, rather than tight as a drum before dinner.
The chip counts down when we got down to five were as follows:
- Andy Black - 21,750,000
- Tex Barch - 12,560,000
- Aaron Kanter - 10,300,000
- Steve Dannenmann - 6,550,000
- Joe Hachem - 2,100,000
Kanter Back on Top, But Not For Long
Play began to slow for the next hour, until a pivotal hand for Aaron Kanter. Black had opened to 550,000 and Kanter three-bet from the small blind. Black called and the flop came K♦5♥3♣. Kanter bet 1,000,000 and Black raised to 3,000,000. Kanter called.
The turn was the 3♥ and both players checked. The river 8♣ saw Kanter bet. Black called, only for Kanter to turn over K♠K♣ for a full house. Black mucked and Kanter reemerged as the chip lead after winning a nearly 15,000,000 chip pot.
However, this had precipitated a run of hands that played themselves. Dannenmann shoved with A♠6♠ on a 9♠6♣5♣ board. Black called with 10♠9♥ looking to jump back on top. The turn was the 3♣ but an A♣ on the river saw Dannenmann double into the chip lead.
Black would double through Kanter on the next hand, before Barch took his turn atop the chip counts.
On a J♣10♠7♠ board with two spades, Hachem bet 450,000 with J♠9♣. Barch raised with K♦7♦ to 1,000,000. Kanter three-bet with K♥5♦ and Hachem folded. Barch re-raised and Kanter shoved. Barch took his time before calling. His two pair would hold on the Q♥J♦ runout to win in a 22,300,000 chip pot.
After a three-and-a-half hour adventure five-handed, during which four of the five players held the chip lead at one time or another, play finally was down to four-handed after Black and Dannenmann played a coin flip for all of Andy's stack.
Andy Black: 10♥10♦
Steve Dannenman: A♠K♦
The flop came 8♥3♠2♣, but the turn was a K♣ and Black’s 20-strong Irish rail was crushed as the river came the 9♣. Black finished 14th in the 1997 Main Event, but this time he exited in fifth place for $1,750,000.
Pace of Play Slows
Another three hours passed without elimination. However, it was during this period that Hachem finally went on a run. Hachem had been short, surviving most of the day, but once the clock hit midnight, he began to rally, putting together a nice little rush, and putting himself firmly in contention.
Next to hit the rail was Kanter. Kanter had already doubled up about an hour ago, on a three outer nonetheless, but when his time finally came, it came swiftly.
A couple of times during the evening, Kanter had his hand caught in the cookie jar, only to escape with some fancy card catching. Kanter's run of luck ran out when he ran into Barch’s J♠J♥. Aaron moved in with A♦9♠, and Barch’s Jacks held up.
Three-handed, Hachem sat with 23,200,000 ahead of opponents Barch (16,660,000) and Barch (16,420,000)
Over the next couple of hours, it was Barch who slipped down the counts. He shoved for his last 5,000,000 and was called by both opponents. The Qx10x8x5x4x board was checked all the way down.
Hachem showed J♠J♣ and Dannenmann showed 7♠7♦. Barch mucked his A♠6♦ and with the sun now rising, he exited $2,500,000 richer.
Heads-Up Play
Hachem had come all the way back from survival mode earlier on in the day to hold a 2:1 chip lead heads-up.
- Joe Hachem - 39,990,000
- Steve Dannenmann - 16,380,000
It is interesting to note that these two guys were the shortest stacks when five-handed play began, which at this point was over eight hours of play ago.
Only several hands into heads up, finally, mercifully at 6:45 am, it came to an end.
On a 6♥5♦4♦ flop, Hachem checked and Dannenmann bet 750,000. Hachem check-raised to 1,750,000 and Dannemann called.
The turn was the A♠ and Hachem bet out for 2,000,000. Dannenmann raised to 5,000,000 and Hachem shoved. Dannenmann called.
Steve Dannenmann: A♦3♣
Joe Hachem: 7♣3♠
Hachem had flopped a straight, while Dannemann held top pair and an open-ended straight draw. Dannenmann could only draw to a tie, but the board blanked out, and we have a new World Champion. Get used to the name Joseph Hachem....You'll be hearing it a lot.
With thanks to original reporting from John Caldwell. Pictures courtesy of The Hendon Mob and GGPoker
