Joe Cada -- 2009 WSOP Champ, Poker's Newest Ambassador21-Year-Old Pro Wants to Give Back to the Game |
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After a rollercoaster final table and a nerve-wracking heads-up battle wherein Joe Cada lost a big chip lead and then had to sweat out a massive coin-flip for the title, the young pro was awarded the World Series of Poker main-event bracelet in the early hours of Tuesday morning. WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack congratulated Cada and handed him the microphone to address the crowd inside the Rio’s Penn and Teller Theater.
The 21-year-old Michigan native, known as “Joey” or “The Kid” by his throngs of Midwestern-accented supporters, did not throw his arms into the air to celebrate his accomplishment. He didn’t give a fist-pump or do anything that would accentuate his own remarkable feat.
Instead, he congratulated and commended runner-up Darvin Moon and acknowledged the great play of the other competitors at the 2009 final table. Then he thanked his supporters for coming out to Las Vegas and cheering him on, saying simply but caringly, “It really means a lot to me.”
It was a notable show of maturity for the now youngest-ever World Series of Poker main-event champion. In his first moment in the spotlight, he saluted his peers and thanked his friends and family.
The term “ambassador” has been thrown around quite a bit in the poker community. For a game that has grown so much in the past decade, players have felt like the game needed leaders to represent them admirably to the general public.
Mike Sexton, World Poker Tour announcer and the newest inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame, has famously held such a role in the community. Card Player crowned him “Poker’s Best Ambassador” in 2006 for all of the work he has done to promote the game, and several WSOP champions have joined him in that kind of a role — specifically the ’03-’05 WSOP champions, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, and Joe Hachem.
But the most recent WSOP champions have been a little more reserved in their public appearances. Although 2006 champ Jamie Gold has now raised a considerable amount of money for various charities, he took a backseat in the year immediately following his win to spend time with his ailing father. And the 2007 and 2008 champs, Jerry Yang and Peter Eastgate, never had a flashy personality to really sell themselves or the game to the public.
But Cada seems ready to take on such a role.
“Whatever they want me to do, I’m there to do it,” said Cada, who was one of four players to sport a Poker Players Alliance patch at the final table. “I hope to help poker grow and represent it well…I welcome being pushed in the poker spotlight.”
Although he’s just 21, he has been playing the game since his teens. While a kid who dropped out of college to pursue a career of card-playing may not seem like an ideal spokesperson for a game that struggles with critics who cry out about the potential negative effects poker brings to the country’s youth, Cada brings a unique voice to the conversation. And while he did run remarkably well at the final table, it’s hard to argue that the young pro doesn’t have some abilities.
In what turned out to be the pivotal hand of heads-up play, Cada made a tough call for all of his chips holding J
9
on a 10
9 5 10 board after Moon made a huge check-raise to put him all in on the turn. When asked by an incredulous reporter about his call, Cada downplayed it, saying, “Once you break down the hand and think about it, it’s not that tough of a call.”
Sure enough, Cada’s read was right. Moon was just on a straight draw and a blank river sent him a monstrous, game-changing pot.
While Cada is humble about his own abilities and fully admits that he got lucky at the final table numerous times, he says that it is undeniable that poker is a game of skill and it is clear that he will do whatever it takes to help the industry fight back against the UIGEA, the 2006 law that severely hampered online poker sites.
“The Poker Players Alliance is something I really believe in,” Cada remarked. “Poker is not gambling. There is decision-making, there’s logic, there’s math, and I think that taking away online poker takes away peoples’ rights.”
While Moon and others said they would go into the shadows after the WSOP even if they won, Cada says he’ll be out in the public eye, playing tournaments and going on any interviews that media outlets want.
“I’m very excited to take on this role,” said Cada.
Comments
bmpek
over 2 years ago
hmm poker not gambling. lets see 22 33 vs over pairs and moves in on a raise in front of him. what is that called . what do you think texasroadgambler as the self proclaimed expert on all things poker and life
pl2000
over 2 years ago
Cada is the worse thing that has happened to poker since the poker boom. He is proof that poker is gambling. Pokers players alliance is turning in their grave. He must have put in his money bad at least 10 times in the tournament and won every coin flip. One of the worse players I've seen. All in with 22, calling all his chips with two 10's on the board against a plsyer who's image was tight and not a professional (hardly bluffs, so what if he was right)
He'll be broke in about 2 years. Horrible player. No reading skills, puts his money all in when he's dominated consistently. A disgrace to the professional players. Poker is gambling folks. Ivey loses by going all in with a dominating hand and losing "That's poker" is equivalent to meaning. "Its gambling"
nick1edwards
over 2 years ago
The words grapes and sour immediately spring to mind!
WD Joe
donbhai
over 2 years ago
@pl2000.
I am trying hard not to guess your poker skills. I will try to be respectful.
There were quite a few moments during the entire tourney where he impressed me with his folds. I remember him folding a TT and a JJ at the least when any other 'bad' player would have called. He correctly read the table in those scenarios.
You apparently are commenting on cada's 22/33/44 All In during the final table. If one is intelligent enough to understand the math of decreasing chip stack with having to put in the antes and the blinds and coupled with the motivation to not worry about finishing 8th or 7th instead aiming high and not to mention the odds of getting a pair in hand, Joe Cadas play makes perfect sense.
Above all, if you think a bad poker player can make it to the final table then be my guest and make it to the table every year because you are apparently a very good poker 'gambler'.
PositiveRiver
over 2 years ago
Poker is a game of skill and luck - with skill being first. Cada did the right thing at the final table given being a very short stake and not fearing to lose.
pl2000
over 2 years ago
No sour grapes here. I'm a sliglty above avg player at best. My point is, he put his money in bad consistently while winning every coin flip. And the best player in the world lost when he had a dominating hand. Yes that's poker, but believe me when those who want to ban poker make their points to the judges they will use this as an example that poker is coin flip gambling. Poker players alliance, the pros, full tilt were praying Ivey or shuman would win. Instead you get a 22 year bad player, playing against a log cutter who admitingly knew he was a novice. It just showed that anyone can get lucky. Moneymaker was good for poker because he showed that a bad player can win so in his time he was important to get new players to think they can win. With the legal cases going on now. Poker needs to prove that it is a game of skill to those who don't really like or know poker. Cada is a perfect example of Donkey. Put your money all in and close your eyes. Everyone knows the worse player you are, the more you should go all in so you can't be outplayed. The 22 play was horrible, he wasn't that short. When he lost his stack to 2 million it was because of bad play also. Just lucky, just poker, just gambling.
tasteslikebacon
over 2 years ago
Really? You think cada is terrible? That's how he racked up half a million in 1 year of legal online play? Not to mention whatever he won previous to that as an under-aged. With the 33 and 22 he was clearly just trying to steal and got caught. He does read quite well from what I saw but no one is right on their reads everytime. He'll continue to cash regularly and win a few the exact same as he's done in the past.
dannydeacons
over 2 years ago
Cada was nothing but a suckout artist. They had a degree of skill to make the final table, but he had more luck than anyone at the final table and it propelled him to the win. If you all think he is so good, I'll take Phil Ivey and back him any time against Captain Suckout. Wouldn't take long for Ivey to break him.
agehv6
over 2 years ago
I love how you idiots have seen 15 recapped hands on ESPN and you know exactly how the guy plays. Clearly known of you have played poker for more than nickels and dimes, dont even post comments on these pages or in the forums. You probably arent smart enough to walk and chew gum at the same time...I'm talking to bmpek and PL2000 and danny