Joe Hachem is back in the winner's circle. The Australian poker icon won Event #9 of the Victorian Poker Championship, a A$1,250 Limit Omaha Hi-Lo tournament, taking down A$16,000 after beating Chi Troung heads-up. PokerNews describes it as only the seventh victory of his long career, and it came in a game that rarely makes headlines: a limit, split-pot variant that rewards patience, arithmetic and discipline over flashy plays.
Our earlier piece on the Victorian Poker Championship at Crown Melbourne set out the schedule. Now we can look at what a result like this tells us about mixed games and why they deserve more attention from online players.
The Result in Numbers
The event drew 48 players at A$1,250 each. The top eight finishers were paid as follows, according to PokerNews:
- Joe Hachem: A$16,000
- Chi Troung: A$10,300
- Perry Jeffs: A$6,700
- Michal Jalc: A$5,200
- Jim Chahoud: A$4,100
- Simon Chahine: A$3,600
- Billy "The Croc" Argyros: A$3,100
- Benjamin Pockett: A$2,600
With 48 runners and a A$1,250 buy-in, the field is small by modern tournament standards, which is typical for a non-Hold'em event. Eight paid places from 48 is a payout rate of roughly one in six, a fairly standard structure. Winning required navigating a field of enthusiasts who specifically seek out this format, not the casual players who fill a Hold'em Main Event. In other words, a small field here is not an easy field.
Hachem's Place in Australian Poker
PokerNews notes that Hachem ranks third on the Australian all-time money list, behind Kahle Burns and Michael Addamo. The report also refers to him as a "World Champ" and notes his Aussie Millions connection. The long-time Melbourne-based pro remains one of the most recognisable faces of Australian poker, and a victory at his home series, even in a modest-sized event, always generates attention.
What stands out is the type of event. At this stage of a long career, an A$16,000 score is not about the money. It is evidence that a veteran still has the skill set to beat a field of specialists. Limit Omaha Hi-Lo is a game where memory, pot-odds discipline and hand selection decide long-term results, and those are skills that do not fade with age the way fast reaction speed might.
Why Limit Omaha Hi-Lo Is Different
If you have only played No-Limit Hold'em, the structure of Limit Omaha Hi-Lo can feel strange. Players receive four hole cards and must use exactly two, together with three from the board. The pot is split between the best high hand and the best qualifying low hand, so a player can "scoop" by winning both halves. Because betting is limit, bet sizes are fixed and you cannot bluff opponents off the pot with a large shove. Edge comes from starting-hand selection, drawing to the nuts, and avoiding being "quartered", that is, winning only a quarter of the pot because you hold the second-best low and a weak high.
For readers interested in learning the game, our Omaha strategy page explains hand selection, and the Hold'em vs Omaha comparison shows how equities run closer together in four-card games. Equity runs closer in Omaha than in Hold'em, so premium hands do not dominate as heavily, and being the favourite after the flop is often only a 60 to 40 situation. That is why pot odds and equity are so central to winning at it.
What a Veteran Brings to a Mixed-Game Final Table
Hachem's victory is a good case study in why experienced mixed-game players do well in small fields. Several characteristics are worth noting:
- Patient hand selection. In limit games, calling too many hands is the number-one leak. A veteran can fold dozens of marginal starting hands in a row without tilt.
- Position awareness. In split-pot games, the last player to act has an informational advantage on whether the low is likely to be contested.
- Chip-denomination awareness. Final tables in limit tournaments can be won by outlasting opponents who run into blinds that escalate quickly, so stack preservation matters more than aggression.
None of these are exotic, but they are exactly the habits that separate winning mixed-game players from the field. Our beginner's guide to tilt is also relevant: a limit tournament can involve long stretches of folding, and players who cannot stay calm tend to spew chips.
The Wider Field
Other notable names appeared in the payouts. "The Croc" Billy Argyros, a familiar face on the Australian circuit, finished seventh for A$3,100. Jim Chahoud and Simon Chahine took fifth and sixth. The table was a blend of local veterans and tournament regulars, which is typical for the Victorian Poker Championship's secondary events.
The existence of events like this on a major festival calendar also matters for the health of poker as a whole. Mixed-game tournaments act as a proving ground where players hone skills that carry over into no-limit play, especially hand-reading and discipline with marginal holdings. Many of the best Hold'em pros of recent years trained in other games before specialising.
What This Means for Players
If you play online, there is a practical lesson here. Mixed games are less crowded and often less rake-heavy per hour than flagship No-Limit Hold'em tournaments. Some online rooms now offer Omaha and mixed-game rotations on regular schedules, and our tournaments guide shows where to find them. If you want to develop your Omaha skills before taking a shot at a live event, a few steps help:
- Start with low-stakes Omaha Hi-Lo cash games to learn the qualifying low rules (five unpaired cards eight or lower).
- Use an odds calculator between sessions to see how often your starting hands scoop versus split.
- Keep a strict bankroll plan, because swings in split-pot games are real.
You can also compare rooms that spread Omaha through our real money poker guide. Check for game availability before you deposit, as selection varies by site and jurisdiction.
The Takeaway
A seventh career title for Joe Hachem, in a game he did not make famous, is a pleasant reminder that poker skill transfers across formats and that veterans remain dangerous at any buy-in. For fans, it is a feel-good story at a festival that is still running through late October. For players, it is a reason to look beyond Hold'em: the mixed-game scene rewards study, patience and discipline, and the fields are often smaller than the headlines suggest. A A$16,000 prize for 48 entrants at A$1,250 is an attractive return for a player who knows what they are doing.