Poker player wins $7.5m
2005-07-17 09:04
Sydney - Many wives might object to their husbands playing poker all night, but not Jeannie Hachem of Melbourne in Australia.
Joseph 'Hash' Hachem phoned her from Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning to tell her he had won the 36th World Series of Poker - and $7.5m.
"He was against the best and he is the best," Jeannie told the Australian Associated Press news agency. "No-one deserves it more than my husband does."
In what has been described as history's largest and most lucrative poker event, Hachem won the 13-hour, 56-minute final at Binion's Gambling Hall and Hotel against Steven Dannenmann, an accountant from Maryland.
They were the last survivors among the 5,619 who entered the 10,000 dollar buy-in "No Limit Texas Hold 'em" tournament last week.
Lebanon-born Hachem, 39, started taking poker seriously after developing a blood disorder in his hands four years ago, forcing him to give up his work as a chiropractor.
The father of four now works as a financial broker, but his wife said she was unsure whether her husband of 16 years would stay in his job or stick to poker.
"I spoke to him at 03:00 am today (17:00 GMT Saturday) - he's over the moon," she said. "He's coming back in two or three weeks.
"He'll go to greater heights, but I don't know what heights."
Jeannie, 34, already has some ideas on where the winnings should go: "Children, education, to be debt free" are at the top of her list.
- AFP