Joe Awada
Encyclopedia
Joe Awada is a professional poker
player, based in Las Vegas
, Nevada
.
Awada moved from Lebanon to the United States
in his early teenage years, working as a juggler
, eventually touring with the Harlem Globetrotters
. After a car accident, he began working as a casino dealer and eventually became a regular on the poker tournament
circuit.
At the 2004 World Series of Poker
(WSOP), Awada finished second to Scott Fischman
in the $1,500 no limit
hold'em event. Awada would have won the gold bracelet in that tournament were it not for a bad beat
on the river that kept Fischman alive—Fischman won the tournament on the very next hand. Later in the same WSOP, Awada won a gold bracelet in the $5,000 seven-card stud
event, defeating Marcel Lüske
. Three months later, he also made the final table of the World Poker Tour
(WPT) third season
event won by Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson
. Awada nearly went back to back, finishing fifth in the seven card stud championship the following year. The final table included John Phan, Chip Jett
, Keith Sexton and eventual champion Jan Sorenson.
Awada has also won an event on the Ultimate Poker Challenge
and made the final table of a World Series of Poker circuit event
.
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,000,000. His 9 cashes as the WSOP account for $572,513 of those winnings.
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player, based in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
Awada moved from Lebanon to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in his early teenage years, working as a juggler
Juggling
Juggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
, eventually touring with the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
. After a car accident, he began working as a casino dealer and eventually became a regular on the poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
circuit.
At the 2004 World Series of Poker
2004 World Series of Poker
The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January...
(WSOP), Awada finished second to Scott Fischman
Scott Fischman
Scott Fischman is an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada.Fischman grew up in South Jersey and moved to Las Vegas at the age of 12. He was introduced to poker by a schoolfriend and went on to become a poker dealer at the Sahara and the Mirage...
in the $1,500 no limit
Betting (poker)
In the game of poker, the play largely centers on the act of betting, and as such, a protocol has been developed to speed up play, lessen confusion, and increase security while playing...
hold'em event. Awada would have won the gold bracelet in that tournament were it not for a bad beat
Bad beat
In poker, bad beat is a subjective term for a hand in which a player with what appear to be strong cards nevertheless loses. It most often occurs where one player bets the clearly stronger hand and their opponent makes a poor call that eventually "hits" and wins...
on the river that kept Fischman alive—Fischman won the tournament on the very next hand. Later in the same WSOP, Awada won a gold bracelet in the $5,000 seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
event, defeating Marcel Lüske
Marcel Lüske
Marcel Lüske is a Dutch professional poker player. He finished 10th in the 2004 WSOP main event and as of 2009, his total live tournament winnings exceed $3,700,000 USD...
. Three months later, he also made the final table of the World Poker Tour
World Poker Tour
The World Poker Tour is a series of international poker tournaments and associated television series broadcasting the final table of each tournament. It was started in the United States by attorney/television producer Steven Lipscomb, who served as CEO of WPT Enterprises , the firm that...
(WPT) third season
World Poker Tour season 3 results
- Grand Prix de Paris:* Casino: Aviation Club de France, Paris * Buy-in: €10,000* 5-Day Event: July 17, 2004 to July 21, 2004* Number of Entries: 205* Total Prize Pool: €1,957,750* Number of Payouts: 27...
event won by Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson
Doyle Brunson
Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to...
. Awada nearly went back to back, finishing fifth in the seven card stud championship the following year. The final table included John Phan, Chip Jett
Chip Jett
Charles McRae "Chip" Jett is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada. He is one of the most popular players on the World Poker Tour....
, Keith Sexton and eventual champion Jan Sorenson.
Awada has also won an event on the Ultimate Poker Challenge
Ultimate Poker Challenge
The Ultimate Poker Challenge was a series of weekly poker tournaments acting as super-satellites into the series semi-finals.The first and second seasons are available on NTSC DVD...
and made the final table of a World Series of Poker circuit event
World Series of Poker circuit events
The World Series of Poker Circuit is a series of poker tournaments held annually at a variety of casinos since 2005 as a build-up to the World Series of Poker ....
.
As of 2008, his total live tournament winnings exceed $1,000,000. His 9 cashes as the WSOP account for $572,513 of those winnings.