One of the most prestigious poker tournaments in the brick and mortar world in the 21st century (and previously as well) is the World Series of Poker. The event draws thousands of enthusiastic poker players from the world over each and every year. Indeed, the 2005 World Series of Poker features over 5,600 dedicated participants.

The winner of the World Series of Poker 2005 tournament was Joe Hachem. In winning in the World Series of Poker tournament in 2005, Hachen took home a record breaking prize of $7.5 million.

Brief Bio: Joe Hachem

Hachem is garnering the reputation as being one of the best poker players anywhere in the world. This perception of Hachem actually began to take hold even before his historic winnings in the 2005 World Series of Poker tournament. Many poker experts believe that Hachem will remain a force to be reckoned with on the tournament circuit for years to come.

Hachem was born in March, 1966, in Lebanon. As a boy, he moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia. (Australia remains his home today.)

Prior to taking up professional poker, Hachem was a practicing chiropractor in Australia. He saw patients until about a decade ago when he developed a rare blood disease that prevented him from effectively working with his patients. At that time, and in order to kill time, he took up playing poker as a hobby. According to a number of interviews he has given over the course of the past couple of years, he never envisioned the day that he would be playing poker professionally -- let along winning a large scale tournament like the World Series of Poker.

Hachem is married and has four children.

Joe Hachem and His Career as a Professional Poker Player

Prior to taking home the coveted World Series of Poker prize, Hachem played poker for a mere ten years. As mentioned, he took up poker at that time as a means of passing the time.

2005 actually marked Hachems first turn at play in the World Series of Poker. While it certainly is not heard of for a person to win such a large tournament his first time in the door, Hachem is marking territory as a very formidable player in the 21st century.

Hachem is the first Australian who has won the United States based World Series of Poker, although not the first non-U.S. citizen to take home the first place prize.

Joe Hachem and Online Poker Playing

Although Hachem is making his mark in the poker tournaments of the brick and mortar world, he has set his sites on the world of online gaming and poker playing. According to Hachem himself: "I started in casinos (in the brick and mortar world). But, in the past two years, Ive been playing online a lot."

Hachem made his remarks following his victory in the 2005 World Series of Poker competition. Hachem joins a growing number of poker professionals who have cut their card playing teeth in casinos the world over who are becoming more heavily involved in online poker playing and Internet based poker tournaments. At this point in time, Hachem spends at least some time each week playing poker online.

Hachem and other well known professional poker players are joining the literally thousands of men and women who are taking up poker playing online each and every year. With the tremendous rise in the number of people taking part in online poker, even large casino operators like Harrahs are getting into the game. (Harrahs has announced its intention to play a large role in the online casino market -- including poker -- on into the future.)

A growing number of poker enthusiasts (both professional and amateur) envision the day when online poker tournaments will in fact carry with them hefty prizes like the multi-million dollar purse offered in the World Series of Poker in 2005. Indeed, some insiders from the world of professional poker suggest that the day when Internet based tournaments will match the prizes found in the brick and mortar world is not all that far off.

At the present time, Hachem intends to continue playing poker professionally. (When not at the table, Hachem owns and operates a brokerage firm in Australia. He has no immediate plans to end that particular business despite his great success in poker in 2005.)

Hachem intends to continue to play in high profile tournaments -- both in the brick and mortar world and online.

According to interviews with Hachem his family remains the focus of his life. When asked what he sees himself doing down the road, he has replied simply (in multiple interviews):

"Look after my family, my mum, my kids."

Certainly, it goes without saying that a bright future is in the cards for Joe Hachem.