Joe Hachem forgot his ID when he turned up to play Day 2B today, but as the dealer and players and everyone watching could vouch for his identity it was no big deal.

An all-in raise by the button took the first pot and that's when Joe made an announcement.

"Here's the plan boys" he said looking at the short stacks around him.

"One of you has to volunteer to bust out, ok? Then we'll just keep re-filling the empty seat and let them dump all their chips on us, and we'll make it through the night."

Whether he meant it literally or not, that's what happened in the very next hand.

It was an all-in showdown between the blinds.

The small blind had QQ and the big blind A2o, and when the board came K 5 Q 5 7 the big blind was going home after playing just one hand.

"There you go", said Joe, "that's the power of suggestion."

Joe has $86 500, and not $56 500 as was incorrectly reported at the end of his first day.

How did he build such a monster stack (and how did it slip past us)?

"It was the last hand of the night" Joe told me this morning "three minutes before the end of play."


"I was under the gun with 2 4 offsuit."

Joe bet out $1 200. "I wasn't expecting anyone to play!"

But to his astonishment he got two callers.

"I gave them a lecture about wasting their money".

At that moment, applause erupted around the tournament floor as officially time was up and players were celebrating their survival.

"Don't you two clap" he said to his callers " you haven't made it through yet!"

The flop came 9 2 2 giving Joe a set.

He checked..The big blind went for his chips, then changed his mind and checked, and so did the third player.

The turn card comes....the fourth 2.

Joe checks his quads and the big blind bets out $5 000. The other guy folds and Joe calls.

The river comes a 3.

"I gave the guy another lecture" said Joe. "I checked. I said look at the dilemna you are in, if you bet I might raise you, and if you check I might bet and you won't know where you are".

He decides to bet, making it $8 000 which leaves him only $13 000 behind.

Joe said no, make it $16 000 and got called.

"He had black Queens" said Joe. "The poor guy".