Hun Wei Lee Triumphs Over Joe Hachem in Victorian Poker Championship

Hun Wei Lee emerged victorious in the 2026 Victorian Poker Championship, defeating Joe Hachem in a thrilling final showdown. Lee took home $245,000 USD as the champion, while Hachem settled for $147,000 USD as the runner-up. This win marks Lee's second major victory of the year, having previously won a $25,000 AUD high roller at the reborn Aussie Millions for $469,922 USD.

Hachem, known for igniting a poker boom in Australia with his 2005 World Series of Poker main event victory, came close to adding another title to his resume. His career earnings now stand at just shy of $12.9 million, including $7.5 million from his 2005 WSOP win and $2.2 million from the 2006 World Poker Tour Doyle Brunson Five Diamond main event. Hachem is the third-highest earner from Australia, trailing only Michael Addamo ($29.9 million) and Kahle Burns ($16.4 million).

The 2026 Victorian Poker Championship drew 715 entries, creating a prize pool worth over $1.1 million USD. Notable players like Martin Finger, Jarred Graham, and Joe’s brother Tony Hachem also made deep runs in the tournament. Lee held the chip lead going into the final table, while Hachem was nearer the bottom of the leaderboard but managed to survive to heads-up play. Lee secured 1,368 Card Player Player of the Year points with this triumph, bringing his total to 2,124 points across his two title runs.