Champion of Poker

Joe Awada was born in Lebanon and learned to play poker at an early age by learning Five Card Stud. He was forced to leave Lebanon in 1971 due to the rising tensions in the country. He was left in the U.S. to try and make a living to send money home to his family. Awada never had an option for a formal education and was forced to work. He started off as a concession worker with Ringling Brothers and then over the years learned the skills to become a juggler. This was his career of choice for many years until a car accident cut that short. Awada then turned to dealing at casinos and eventually took up being a professional poker player. Awada did not like the lifestyle and eventually left playing professionally and started a digital gaming company, Gaming Entertainment, Inc.

Awada would return to tournament poker in 2004 and would immediately have success at the World Series of Poker. He first finished in 2nd in the $1,500 No Limit Event after suffering a bad beat at the hands of Scott Fischman that left him crippled in chips. Then a couple of weeks later, Awada was able to win his first WSOP bracelet after outlasting a final table that included Nick Fragos, Marcel Luske, Dewey Tomko, John Juanda, and Jeffrey Lisandro.

A couple of months after his first bracelet win, Awada would have his only WPT final table to date when he finished 5th at the Legends of Poker event. A month later he would take down the $2,500 NL Event at the Fiesta al Lago.

After 2007, Awada would have many strong tournament finishes and final table appearances, including a 5th place finish in the $5,000 Stud Event at the 2005 WSOP. While he is still a regular player on the circuit, he splits his time between his business, his poker playing, and his family. Of the three, he says that his family is most important. For his career, Joe Awada has just over $1 Million in live tournament earnings.

Joe Awada’s story is a story of a man that has taken on many challenges and succeeded at all of them. Poker and business are secondary in Awada’s life. While this may not put him near any all time great lists, he will be considered an all time great by his family and in the end that may be the only list that matters.