By Jack Sawyer
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Miscellaneous:
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Check out our Exclusive FTR Interview with Joe Cada!
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Residence:
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Shelby Township, Michigan
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Birthdate: |
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Nov. 18, 1987
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Career Highlights: |
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2009 WSOP Main Event, Winner ($8.5 million)
Youngest Ever WSOP ME Champion
Over $500,000 in Online Tournament Winnings
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Affiliated Poker Room(s): |
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Poker Stars
Read our
PokerStars.net review or pick up our exclusive
PokerStars Bonus Code. |
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Personal Website: |
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N/A
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Products: |
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N/A
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FTR Exclusive Joe Cada Interview 11/25/2009
FTR - cr4zybe4utifu1
First off, congratulations on making WSOP history! Obviously you were happy with the result, but if you could have done anything different, what would it have been?
Joe Cada:
I had no idea I was going to win, so one thing I would change is that I wish
I could have been more prepared and thanked more people when they stuck
that microphone in my hand. As far as poker is concerned: I am happy with
the way I played, and probably would have done everything the same way. I
definitely got lucky, but given the option to do it again, I would play the
same way.
FTR - Jack Sawyer
Can you describe the pressure and anticipation you felt during the delay leading to the start of the November 9 (ME FT)?
Joe Cada:
I tried to ignore most of the hype and the talk leading up to the
final table. Continue with my every day life. Keep playing cards.
Stay sharp. I was able to put the binders on for the most part, and by
the time I got to the final table I was surprisingly comfortable.
FTR - givememyleg
Were you coached or mentored by anyone during the final table break?
Joe Cada:
No. I wasn't coached. I mean, I'll talk over hands with my friends,
some of whom are great online players. Some of them played with
Akenhead and Saout in London and Schaffel in LA, so they talked to me a
little bit about how to face those guys. But, no, no official coaching.
FTR - givememyleg
What do you think of the final table break, both as a participant and an observer? Did it help you?
Joe Cada:
I feel like the break may have hurt me slightly because I had a good grasp
of my game and I understood the other players. But then everyone had all
this time to change their games up. I do think the break was needed
because allowing the media a chance to pay attention is really good for
poker.
FTR - JoeOE18, cr4zybe4utifu1
Did you expect to win going into the final table? What about when you were down to around 2 million chips?
Joe Cada:
I wanted to win. I didn't expect to win. I knew the odds we stacked against
me, and it didn't stop me from wanting it, but it did stop me from
expecting it. [When I was down to 2 million chips] I was looking down at my hands and started to get very disappointed. I
thought "I'm going to finish in 7th, for sure."
FTR - allabout
How is this win going to effect your poker career? Will you move right up to nosebleed stakes? Will your focus more on improving your cash game or tournament play?
Joe Cada:
I'll focus both on tournaments and cash games. I also want to play on
High Stakes Poker, so that's obviously higher than I'm used to, but I
won't be changing stakes online at all. I will make really careful
decisions about game selection when I do finally move up in levels.
FTR - Jack Sawyer
How's life as a PokerStars Pro? What will be the next event in which you'll be flying PokerStars colors?
Joe Cada:
PokerStars is the biggest, most reliable, and classiest online poker site.
That already makes me proud to be on the team. But then look at
my teammates! Amazing players like Elky, legends like Barry Greenstein.
Sign me up! I'm likely to play the Five Diamond in Las Vegas in December,
but I'll definitely be at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure in January,
without a doubt.
FTR - Jack Sawyer
How was the transition from online to live tables? How does live compare to online? Did you feel nervous having real chips in your hand, or have you already accrued live experience somewhere?
Joe Cada:
It was a slow transition for me. When you play live, you can only play one
table (at least so far) so it was easier to understand the game I was in,
but the drawback is that the game is slower paced. It took me some time to
adjust to that. The first time I ever played live was at my friend's
house, and I was definitely nervous. I know it sounds weird, but that was
the last time I was ever nervous playing live.
FTR - givememyleg
What was your first purchase with that $8.5 million paycheck?
Joe Cada:
I have yet to purchase anything that I wouldn't normally. I bought a whole
bunch of push pops at the gift shop in the Rio for my friends who had sore
throats from all the whooping and hollering. It was about$18. Honestly,
I haven't bought a single thing that I wouldn't have bought otherwise.
FTR
Again, congratulations on your win and thanks for your time!
Joe Cada Bio
Phil Hellmuth did it at 24 years old. Never mind that in the film replays he would look much older; he was just 24 back then. Then, exactly 24 years later, Peter Eastgate of Denmark did the same thing, but now at 22 years old. Many thought that it would be a very long time before Eastgate’s record would be broken, like Usain Bolt’s 100m time.
But just 1 year after Eastgate’s miraculous run (not to mention Tiffany Michelle’s step-in-the-trap that gave Eastgate all the chip ammunition he needed to enter the final table with a healthy stack AND take it down), Joe Cada did it again, and this time at 21 years old.
Just 21. He could barely have entered the casino at that age. Yet he did and left his name in the history books in the process. Joe Cada was crowned the 2009 WSOP Main Event Champion, after defeating 6,493 other hopefuls and pocketing just under $8,700,000 in the process.
The road to this ultimate payoff was anything but “easy” and “sweet” and “rosy”. He had to sweat blood and tears to get to there.
Joe Cada decided to drop out of school to try the life of a pro poker player. The 2009 WSOP was the first time he would participate, because of, you know, his age. And he did quite well; in event #13, $2,500 No Limit Hold’em, he would finish in 64th place for $6,681 and in event #34, $1,500 No Limit Hold’em, he would finish in 17th place for $21,533. Event #34 was marked by his conflict vs. ElkY, who two-outed Cada on the river to send him to the rail in 17th place.
In event #57, Cada would run a little bit better. Good enough, in fact, to finish day 1C as the overall chip leader. He would then proceed to masterfully bob and weave through the field which was full of a who’s-who of dangerous pro players, and even more dangerous and unpredictable amateur players. Yet Cada survived the whole minefield to arrive at the Final Table, and become a part of the November Nine.
Hardships? Here is one, just as example: on the 8th day, Cada’s pocket aces ran into Jamie Robbins’ pocket tens. Chips went in pre-flop, but a ten showed up on the board, hurting Cada's stack. Yet he remained cool and composed, and kept attacking his fellow tablemates relentlessly. At one point, he was considered to be even more active than Phil Ivey himself!
At the outset of the final table, Cada came in 5th in chips. He would continue his attacks and have a semi roller coaster-ish performance, but when his pocket trey’s defeated Jeff Shulman’s pocket jacks, he got some renewed life. When there were only three left - Cada, Antoine Saout and Darvin Moon - Cada knocked out Saout using a classic one two punch: his pocket ducks spiked a set on the board to defeat Saout’s ladies, and then his AKo outraced Saout’s pocket eights, spiking the beautiful king on the river. Cada went in to the final three as the shortstack: he took gambles and got lucky to then become the dominant chip leader entering heads-up versus Darvin Moon after a marathon-like 17 hours of play.
Heads-up started the next day. This proved to be quite a rollercoaster as well, with the chip lead going to both players during multiple points of the match. Both guys had compelling stories and reasons to win, Cada would become the youngest ever, ever, ever; and Moon would become yet another amateur who took down the biggest and most prestigious yearly poker tournament in the world, a typical rags to riches story.
In the end, Joe Cada prevailed. Pocket Nines won the race versus QJdd. The board was a 8c7s2cKh7c, and history was made. Cada just broke a record that many thought would never be broken, and he did so by showing all the qualities of a winner: tenacity, fearlessness, gamble, calmness and confidence.
Well deserved Joe. Now don’t go spend it all in one place! Use your money wisely and show the world you were not a one hit wonder, but a true champ.
Common Misspellings: Jo Cada, Joe Cadda, Joe Cata
Learn more about Joe Cada at PokerStars.
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