Hun Wei Lee Defeats Joe Hachem to Win Victorian Poker Championship

Joe Hachem, who sparked a poker craze in Australia by winning the World Series of Poker main event in 2005, came close to another title in his home country. He reached heads-up play in the AUD 2,500 main event of the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship, but lost the trophy to fellow Australian Hun Wei Lee.

Lee took home $245,000 for the win. Hachem finished second and earned $147,000. It was Lee's second major victory of the year. He had earlier won $469,922 in a AUD 25,000 high roller event at the reformatted Aussie Millions. His career earnings now exceed $2.3 million.

The result pushed Hachem's career earnings close to $12.9 million. The 60-year-old Melbourne-born player is now Australia's third-highest all-time money winner, behind only Michael Addamo and Kahle Burns.

The tournament drew 715 entrants at Crown Melbourne, with a prize pool of over $1.1 million. The top 89 finishers were paid. Nine players reached the final table. Lee entered the final table as the chip leader. Hachem trailed early on but took the lead during heads-up play. However, Lee held more than a 2-to-1 chip advantage going into the final hand.

In the final hand, Hachem raised from the button with A-5. Lee moved all-in from the big blind with J-J, and Hachem called. The flop came A-7-3, the turn was a queen, and a jack on the river did not eliminate Lee. Lee flopped a set with J-J and won the tournament.

With this win, Lee earned 1,368 Card Player Player of the Year points, bringing his total to 2,124 and placing him in the top 200 of the 2026 standings.