Marsha Waggoner has spent a lifetime of making headlines throughout Australia and Global poker news. This year alone Marsha has had two major accomplishments in poker and she has done these without even playing. In January Marsha was inducted into the Australian Poker Hall of Fame; she is the first female inductee. Just this month she was selected for the World Team Poker Australia Team line up.
High ranked poker officials, players and journalists know a lot about Marsha Waggoner. She is without a doubt the female goddess of Australian Poker (featured in the picture with the godfather of Australian Poker Maurie Peers during her induction to the Aussie Poker Hall of Fame). Marsha shows the ladies of Australian Poker that they too can make it. Just how much do you know about this brilliant lady? Let me tell you all about her.Marsha Waggoner was born on July 18th 1948 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. She is professional poker player who currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
In 1976 Marsha was a casino dealer in Sydney. She discovered she had a talent for stud poker, and in 1977, moved to Reno, Nevada to play poker professionally.
Marsha Waggoner stayed in Reno until the mid 1980s, at which point she moved to Las Vegas, quickly demonstrating her ability at tournament Texas Hold ‘em and Seven-Card Stud events.
In 1987 she moved to California while continuing to play professionally. It was around this time that Waggoner began to establish herself as “a solid and patient tournament player with great results”.
In 2008, she was one of four inaugural inductees into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame at Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel in Las Vegas. Of course following this her induction into the Poker Hall of Fame in Australia at Crown Casino in 2010 as noted above.
Marsha has finished in the money at 19 World Series of Poker (WSOP) events. Her highest WSOP finish was 2nd place in the 23rd Annual WSOP tournament in Limit 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo, for which she won $52,500.00. Marsha came a remarkable 59th in the 2010 Aussie Millions proving she still has what it takes. Marsha’s total career winnings exceed $845,000.00 in tournaments alone. Marsha is also an avid cash game player.
Joseph Hachem better known as Joe was born on the 11th of March 1966. Joe was born in Lebanon but moved to Australia when he was 6 years old. The Australian professional poker player is best known for winning the main event of the 2005 World Series of Poker. He was the first Aussie to win the main event. Joe Hachem earned a staggering $7.5 million dollars which then was a record for the all-time biggest tournament prize.
In 2006 Joe Hachem won his first World Poker Tour title at the Bellagio Casino's Five Diamonds Poker Classic, earning him $2.2 million. He is one of only five poker players to win both a World Series of Poker main event and a World Poker Tour championship. Including WSOP main event victory, Joe Hachem has finished in the money in 10 World Series events.
Hachem's tournament winnings to date (2009) exceed $10,850,000, making him the 5th highest ranked player in live tournament career earnings.
Joe Hacehm is also a producer and author. He has recently introduced to Australian television “The Poker Star” where 11 contestants live, sleep and breath poker together until they are eliminated 1 by 1. It is the first known poker reality television show being seen along the lines of Big Brother but in Hachem style and much more sophisticated. The winning contestant will travel the world with Joe to major tournaments as he mentors them. As Joe says – he is looking for someone who lives alike him, by his code. Joe has stated “I have to bloody like them, I am going to be spending a lot of time with the person”.
As an author Joe has written a book called Pass the Sugar. Pass the Sugar (Joes Autobiography) is co-authored by Peter Ralph. A life story in retrospect from his days in Lebanon and time in Australia. Pass The Sugar tells the triumphant story of Joe Hachems World Series of Poker Win as well as his life hardships and set backs he faced.
Joe Hachem was inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame in 2008 at the Aussie Millions players party. Joe was crowned the inaugural recipient being the leader of all who received an award based on the following stated by Maurie Pears (who was also inducted by surprise):
The hometown hero and World Champion is still feted for his triumph in the WSOP 2005 and the follow up prestigious WPT Five Diamond Classic in 2006. He remains one of the five players to have won both events. He has had a spectacular influence on the growth of the game in Australia and continues to this day.
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