Joe Hachem, one of the biggest poker pros today, has always been known for making waves in the industry. Having experienced tremendous success on the felt, Hachem’s goal has transcended from just ‘winning a tournament’ to ‘winning the Triple Crown’. However, this goal has eluded him before and it has eluded him again this year as he failed to get the EPT title that would have solidified his record.

He could have been the third

As you may or may not know, the Triple Crown is a title that is very much sought out by the biggest poker pros. Gaining a triple crown means that you’ve gained a victory at the WSOP, the WPT, and the EPT. You might think that this could be easily attained by the biggest pros, but let me tell you, it’s not. Winning the Triple Crown can be extremely hard; so hard, in fact, that only two people in the world have achieved it. The first is Gavin Griffin, who managed to nab the victory by winning the WPT Borgata. That, added with his Pot Limit Hold’em WSOP Bracelet and EPT Grand Final title was enough to make him the first ever winner of the triple crown. The next one was Roland de Wolfe who already had a WPT Grand Prix de Paris and EPT Dublin victory tucked under his belt when he won the PLO 8-or-better WSOP title in 2009. Joe Hachem could have been the third winner.

He already has a WSOP title tucked under his belt for his win at the Main Event of 2005. He also won the WPT Doyle Brunson North American Classic the following year. All he needs now is an EPT victory. He came close back in 2009 at the European 8 Game championships, also last October, but didn’t win. This year his attempt once again came close but did not get far enough.

The EPT London

At first, it looked like Joe Hachem was well in control of his chip stack. He managed to make it through to Day 4 even as some of the biggest pros in the world, like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu, fell off the roster. In the end, however, Hachem could only make it to 11^th place. His chip stack started failing on the fourth day. By the middle, it had dwindled down to only half of what he started with. As it is, he not only fell short of making the final table, but he also fell short of winning the Triple Crown.