When Joseph first touched the piles of money, it was because the media wanted him to hold it up in the air for some photos. As he grabbed two stacks and flipped through them, he looked out towards the crowd, tempted to throw the cash out there. While his finish proved that any two cards can win—Joseph had remarkable poise throughout the evening, and especially during the onslaught of media attention following. What impressed me the most about Joseph was his love and dedication to his family. He mentioned them several times, and when someone asked if this was going to be the most significant moment in his life, he quickly replied that having grandchildren would be even better. Joseph is from Australia, plays cards in Melbourne, and his friends are proudly standing behind him. When you see the ESPN coverage, you'll hear the support of his friends punctuating the night with enthusiastic cheers of, "Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie, Oi! Oi! Oi!"

Enjoy, Joseph!

Here is a photo essay of Joseph putting on his new bracelet....

Steve Dannenmann took second when he raised 700k preflop. The flop was 654, and Steve bet another 7k. Joseph raised 1.7 million and Steve said OK. The Turn was an A. Joseph bet 2 million, and Steve raised it up to 5 million. Joseph pushed all in, and Steve called, showing A3. Joseph showed 73o. River was a 4. All the focus was on Joseph, so I didn't see much of Steve. But I heard some talk of disappointment in him getting so far in the main event when he's just a home games kind of poker player. Did he even enjoy it? Who knows...maybe he was bored.

Tex went out at 6:45 in the morning to a family pot that was won by Joseph Hachem
s JJs. He had a lot of family support at the event in addition to his wife. Tex was grounded and well mannered at the press conference. When asked about celebrating, he was more interested in going home to see his kids. His play was steady, and I heard a few people in the audience admiring his style. Hold tight for the podcast of some pre-play commentary from his mom and aunt.

On the way back from my dinner break I found Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly on the edge of the poker room at Binion's. There were a bunch of people watching Phil play heads up against a poker bot. Did he win? You tell me. I was still itching to get back upstairs....

If this weren't during the WSOP final table, I would've been watching it myself. Apparently there was a Poker Robot battle going on right here in Las Vegas with contestants from around the world. I'll have to make sure I don't miss the one in Atlantic City this November.

Aaron Kanter started the final table as the chip leader with $10,700,000. A little more than 12 hours later, he was going home with $2,000,000 in real money. I haven't calculated the tax into that, but I'm sure what remains is large enough to change his life.

Aaron had a lot of friends ready to go celebrate with him. And I must say that I was impressed at his maturity and humility. He seemed well adjusted for someone who had just won $2 mil.

Kanter went out to Tex Barch when his A9 couldn't beat Tex's JJ. Still, at this level, it's all a great run.

It's 6:00 a.m. and they're still at it. Three players left just after a break.

Seat 1. Joseph Hachem with $25,500,000
Seat 2. Tex Barch with $7,150,000
Seat 3. Steve Dannenmann wotj $24,100,000

Antes are $50k, with blinds at $150k-$300k. This is the highest level ever played in a tourney.

Wow. Andy "The Monk" Black, impressed me. It's 4:00 a.m. PST and we've just finished a throughtful interview with him in the Press Room. At first, Andy declined the post table interview. Then he came back down and it was well worth the wait. His humility was admirable and his heart for poker, open and sincere.

When asked about his coming days, Andy said, "I'm not going to beat myself up too much.  I'm not the finished article yet. I've got a long way to go to improve my game. But I'm leaving with more confidence than when I came."

Not only is "The Monk" serious about his daily meditation, but he is also devoted to his son. Yesterday his six-year-old son called him  after he'd lost his chip lead.

"Daddy, I hear yo'ure not the master anymore."
"Son, I am the master," Andy related. Then he added to us, "I wouldn't say that to the general public, but I can say that to my son."

"I came into this World Series with a lot of abilities, but also the capability for impulsiveness. I've reduced it to a trickle as opposed to a gush." Andy said that he didn't think he'd be ready to win the WSOP until next year, claiming that he still has a lot more work to do on his game.

Though he won his seat through Party Poker, he was sporting support at the final table for Full Tilt. "I was quite clear with Party Poker  that they were poorly organized," he said of the online site that didn't come to see him until this morning.

Andrew Black came in 14th in the 1997 World Series of Poker. He's headed back to Ireland in just a few days with a 5th place title and $1,750,000.

Scott Lazar's family holds him up while he reflects on the hardship of the last few days. His post final table interview was the most moving of the night thus far. "I got down on my knees a few times this week and asked God to rid me of my obsession of self." Scott definitely gave us a window into the darker side of poker and the effect it can have on you off the table. In tears, he talked about the homes he wanted to buy for his children if he'd won the big prize. He had hoped to be able to spend more time with them. His family was there to assure him he's a top notch dad and friend.

Daniel Bergsdorf is a quiet Swede. It was hard to hear him in the interview, but here in the picture he's actually speaking Swedish to some reporters from back home. I was able to hear him say that he's been getting a bunch of press back in his homeland. Unfortunately, Daniel's pocket Jacks didn't hold up when Tex flopped a set of 10s. He needed a runner runner straight or another Jack, but no such luck. Still, he's taking home a million bucks.

I love how proud Brad's dad looks in this picture. The media was particularly interested in whether or not Brad was going to keep going with poker, or return to law school. He said that he's definitely going to continue on with law, but also keep playing poker. He was good natured about his loss, and had a large stable of friends to cheer him on. I liked how he candidly admitted to taking his friends out tonight and then waking up the next day to buy something overly expensive. Brad might be a young one, but he was the best eye candy at the table, for sure.

 

Before Mike went out, he got crippled when his KK went up against Scott Lazar's AA. The flop was Kd-Qh-6h. Everyone thought Mike had it, but the Turn was 2h, and the River was Jh to give Scott the flush. Mike finished 9th when his 10 10 couldn't hold up to Dannenmann's five high straight.

In his interview, Mike said he'd was 4 to 1 to win that hand. He went on to say that, "This was the six best days of poker in my life." Many were surprised at how calm he was. "Wait till you see the TV," Mike added, "I never had a card yesterday. There was a lot of unbelievable poker."

Nolan asked him if he could've ever believed going from rock bottom to Mt. Everest in six months. Mike said that he thought today was going to be his day, "I got a million bucks—what the hell."

He also admitted to struggling mentally with the game the past six weeks.

"Nobody realized I almost didn't play this tournament. Friends talked me into playing saying they had a good feeling....I told them, 'How can I win a tourney when I can't even win a pot?'"

But Mike did go on to play the Main Event. "I only made two mistakes. I've never played better than this," Mike said. He repeatedly said that we're going to be shocked when we see the TV.

Have a good rest, Mike. You've earned it.

 

Card Player is hosting streaming audio straight from the final table at the 2005 World Series of Poker. Daniel Negreanu and Jen Harman were doing most of the commentary with Phil Hellmuth stepping in now and again. Erik is scheduled to come in later on in the evening. I can't hear them from where I'm sitting, but I can't wait to play this tomorrow. It's a fantastic way to give the folks at home a window into the final table. Especially if they don't want to be staring at their computer screen and pushing the refresh button every other five minutes.

Here we are at Binion's for the final table of the 2005 World Series of Poker. You already know what a big mile stone in the history of poker this is....but you probably don't know who the players are.

Seat 1. Joseph Hachem. Originally from Lebanon, he has been living in Australia for several years and has a whole section of fans cheering, Ozzie Ozzie Ozzie, Oi! Oi! Oi! He is married and has four kids. $5,420,000 in chips.

Seat 2. Andrew Black from Dublin, Ireland. His nickname is "The Monk," as meditation and contemplation are some of his favorite past times. Andrew came in 14th in the 1997 WSOP Main Event. $8,140,000 in chips.

Seat 3. Tex Barch from McKinney, Texas near Dallas. He is a 34-year-old bar owner with a wife and two kids. At least nine relatives came out to see him at the final table. $5,330,000 in chips.

Seat 4. Daniel Bergsdorf hails from Sweden. He is only 27 and left a job as a truck driver to become a poker player. $5,270,000 in chips.

Seat 5. Mike Matusow is the most well known player at the table. He is known as "The Mouth" for his controversial banter at the table. He already has two gold bracelets. $7,410,000 in chips.

Seat 6. Aaron Kanter He is a California boy with a degree from Chico State. Aaron starts off as the chip leader with $10,700,000.

Seat 7. Brad Kondracki is a 24-year-old law student from Pennsylvania. He is apparently single and enjoys skiing and hiking. This is his first WSOP, and first final table. $1,180,000 in chips.

Seat 8. Steve Dannenmann is a CPA from Baltimore. This is his first final table. After this is over we'll find out if he likes it more than golf. $5,460,000 in chips.

Seat 9. Scott Lazar is from Studio City. He's been playing poker for 20 years, and 10 years as a professional. This is his fourth time at a final table in 9 WSOPs. When not playing poker, you can find him doing magic for celebrities in Hollywood. $3,370,000 in chips.