Joe Cada On The Atmosphere At The WSOP Final Table: “It was super loud in there the whole time. It was like a football game almost.”
November 20, 2009 – 12:15 am by Michael Bean
What a remarkable story. Joseph ‘Joe’ Cada is your 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event champion. By taking down a field of 6,494 players, Cada earned a payday of $8,546,435. Cada, who just turned 22 years of age on Wednesday, becomes the youngest champion in the event’s history. Cada has primarily been an online tournament player but will certainly become more visible in the real tournament circuit following his huge win. Cada joined The Hardcore Poker Show on Sirius to talk about the historic win, how it really hasn’t sunk in yet that he just won $8.5 million dollars, how he wishes the ESPN broadcast showed more of his good plays and fewer of his more lucky suckouts during the 17.5 hour final table, how rowdy the atmosphere was during the final table, and what he plans to do with all the new opportunities in front of him in and out of the world of poker.
On if he’s still on cloud nine following his historic win or if it has even really sunk in yet:
“It’s all been surreal. It still hasn’t hit me yet. I mean, it’s hit me in different stages. When I made the final table I was so worn out from playing and everything like that, so it took time for it to really hit me. And I don’t know, I’ve been really busy lately and I haven’t really had time to enjoy it.”
On if he had seen the ESPN telecast and if so, on if he wish they had shown more of his solid play rather than so many of his lucky moments:
“Yeah, there were a few times I made some big…there were a few flops where I got raised, someone re-raised me and you know, I re-raised back just because I was opening so many hands. And then there were a lot of all-ins, I moved all-in and nobody called so they don’t show. They don’t show you chipping off like 20% every time you move all-in. So, they show the hands that are interesting for T.V. But I don’t blame them. I mean, I got really lucky in those situations, but people don’t realize that the final table was 17.5 hours long.”
On the atmosphere during the final table:
“It was awesome. It was awesome for the sport. There were like 100 people out there who flew out to root me on and missed time from school and work which I was very grateful for. And even when I had no chips and I had $2 million chips, they were louder than anyone in that building. And Doyle [Brunson] said he was upset ESPN didn’t show the audience at all or the reaction. They cut all that out. But it was super loud in there the whole time. It was like a football game almost.”
On how many interviews he’s had to do since winning:
“These next two days I have 30 combined. So that just tells you a little bit about how many interviews I’ve had to do. And I haven’t had too much time to enjoy it, but it’s alright you know it comes with the territory. I can’t complain about winning $8.5 mil.”
On some of the new doors and opportunities that are open to him now that he’s won:
“Yeah, I’m going to be playing on High Stakes Poker next season, and I’ll be doing Letterman in a few hours here. And then a bunch of things – I’m going to the Michigan/Ohio State game and be up in the press box and down on the sidelines for a little while. So I mean, there’s endless opportunities and I’m very grateful for that. It’s pretty insane.”
Listen here to WSOP Champion Joe Ceda on Hardcore Poker Show on Sirius Radio
Tags: Hardcore Poker Show on Sirius, Joe Ceda, Phil Ivey, World Series of Poker 2009
