WATCH: Joe Hachem Folds Kings Near WPT World Championship Bubble

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Dec 17, 2023 3 min read Last updated Dec 20, 2023

The bubble phase is always tense in any poker tournament, especially when there's at least a five-figure sum waiting around the corner in one of the richest live poker tournaments of all time.

Whether you're an amateur on a fabled Cinderella run or a seasoned vet like, say, a WSOP Main Event champion, decisions can be difficult, definitely when you're on the shorter stack.

With players on the cusp of the hand-for-hand phase in the 2023 WPT World Championship, Joe Hachem was dealt pocket kings in second position and facing a raise from under the gun.

What happens next? Watch it below or keep reading to find out what transpired.

The Hand

From under the gun, chipleader at the table Ben Bianco came in with a raise to 40,000 holding A♠A♣. Hachem three-bet to 120,000 with the K♣K♥ to his left, keeping 385,000 behind, and action folded back to Bianco.

"Oh my goodness, oh no," commentators Henry Kilbane and Ashley Frank chimed in unison.

While the American was displaying his acting chops, Hachem playfully chirped to get him to fold, only to be met by a four-bet shove mere seconds after. Hachem's face quickly turned sour and after a minute, he decided to let it go.

"Are you kidding me?" Kilbane said in disbelief. Bianco indicated to Hachem he'd show if the Australian champ would show, and Hachem complied by flashing the cowboys.

"You are sick man," Bianco complimented him while tabling the blades. "You had more time chips, you should've waited!" he chuckled. The rest of the table just looked in stunned disbelief as Bianco raked in the pot.

Shortly after, the bubble burst — with cracked aces no less — to guarantee all remaining players, including Hachem, at least $18,700.

Who are the confirmed players for the $1,000,000 Big One for One Drop?

'Beriuzy' Man of his Word, Jumps in Pool

Poker players were glued to the action on the WPT live stream and needless to say, the hand caused waves among the poker fans. Popular poker streamer Rayan "Beriuzy" Chamas was among the thousands watching the action concurrently.

Confidently, while Hachem was in the tank, "Beriuzy" said he'd jump in a pool if Hachem would fold the hand.

True to his word, Chamas followed suit and, shortly after, jumped clothed and all into one of the lavish (and ice-cold) pools over in Sin City.

Follow along with live updates of the WPT World Championship over at WPT.com

A former professional poker player with a background in sports marketing and journalism. Yori has been a part of PokerNews since 2016 and manages the content team.

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