Online Poker

August 12, 2009

Tony Hachem, the younger brother of poker legend and PokerStars Pro Joe Hachem, has won the 2009 Australia New Zealand Poker Tour.

On Sunday, 9 August, Tony Hachem put his own mark on Australian poker by taking the ANZPT after finishing in the top 10 per cent of four consecutive tournaments in the tour, only coming up short in the fifth tourney. While he may have suffered in the Queensland tournament, held in the Treasury Casino in Brisbane and also in Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast, Tony Hachem had already scored enough points in the prior tournaments to claim victory for the overall ANZPT. This is despite finishing 43rd out of 249 players in the Queensland tournament, so his initial performances were impressive indeed.

For his efforts, Tony has taken away $50,000 in prize money as well as a sponsored tournament package for the Asia Pacific Poker Tour being held in August this year, worth $60,000.This could be a great way for Tony to catch up to his brother Joe’s achievements by racking up the money needed for buy-ins to the bigger international poker tournaments.

Despite his brother’s greater fame in the world of poker, Tony Hachem harbours no ill feeling for his sibling.

“A lot of people ask, 'What's it like being in your brother's shadow?' but when you've got a brother like my brother Joe, how can I complain?" said Tony.

"We're a bit like Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh,” he added, referring to the famous Australian professional cricket playing brothers.

Just like that pair, Tony and Joe can also be found playing for their country, as both are featured on the PokerStars Australia Team. Joe Hachem is also a member of the main PokerStars Pro Team, and with continued wins Tony may possibly join his brother there in the future.

Those interested in playing online poker against two of Australia’s top poker players should check out PokerStars. With big money tournaments and lots of pro players, PokerStars is one of the best places online to practice tournament poker. New players can earn a bonus of 100% up to $600 on first deposits made at PokerStars, so it is a good place for beginning poker players to hone their skills, and then branch out into high stakes poker games against the pros.