Joe Hachem Wins A$16,000 at Victorian Poker Championship

Joe Hachem earned A$16,000 by winning the A$1,250 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo event at the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship at Crown Melbourne.

The 2005 world champion topped a 48-player field in Event 9, according to PokerNews’ October 19 report. The result gives the festival an established Australian champion among its early winners.

A split-pot title in Melbourne

Crown’s official tournament schedule placed Event 9 on October 18. The A$1,250 entry cost comprised A$1,075 for the prize pool and an A$175 administration fee.

The schedule specified a 100,000-chip starting stack and 30/40-minute levels. All entry costs and prizes in the festival schedule are denominated in Australian dollars.

A different format from his world championship

Hachem’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) breakthrough came in no-limit hold’em. The official 2005 Main Event results list him as the winner of US$7.5 million from a field of 5,619.

The Melbourne result came in Limit Omaha Hi-Lo, a separate discipline, and adds an Omaha title to a career best known for that hold’em championship.

The festival continues through October 27

Crown’s Victorian Poker Championship runs October 12–27. Its A$2,500 Main Event has four starting flights scheduled for October 21–24, while the wider programme includes H.O.R.S.E., 8-Game, 2-7 Triple Draw and pot-limit Omaha.

Players considering the remaining events can consult Crown Melbourne’s festival page for the current schedule and structures. Crown notes that the schedule is subject to change.

Artwork: AI-generated editorial illustration using a verified Joe Hachem photograph as a likeness reference; it does not depict the winning moment.

Sources

PokerNews — October 19 event report; Crown Melbourne — official 2026 festival page and tournament schedule; World Series of Poker — official 2005 Main Event results.