Jean-Michel (John) Kabbaj (born 19 June 1973 in Birmingham, Warwickshire) is an English professional poker player, referred to by The Hendon Mob as their unofficial fifth member.
| John Kabbaj | |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Large |
| Residence | London, United Kingdom |
| World Series of Poker | |
| Bracelet(s) | 2 |
| Money finish(es) | 22 |
| Highest ITM Main Event finish | 281st, 2010 |
| European Poker Tour | |
| Title(s) | None |
| Final table(s) | 1 |
| Money finish(es) | 3 |
Before poker
editKabbaj quit school at the age of 16. He worked as a builder and was later employed at Heathrow Airport.[citation needed]
Poker career
editTournaments
editKabbaj became a professional poker player in 1995, after winning his first major tournament at the Main Event of the 1995 Christmas Cracker tournament in London. He defeated a field including Dave Gardner (father of Julian Gardner) and Ram Vaswani to take home the £14,750 first prize.[1]
Kabbaj made his first money finish in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) in 1999, finishing 9th in the $3,000 pot limit hold'em event won by Layne Flack.[2] He finished above several notable players, including Eli Elezra, Lucy Rokach, John Bonetti, and Paul Phillips.
In 2000, Kabbaj made his one and only appearance on the popular Late Night Poker television series. He finished 7th in a competitive heat including Charalambos Xanthos, Peter Evans and Victoria Coren. Kabbaj went on to win tournaments in London and Moscow during 2001.
At the 2004 WSOP, Kabbaj finished as the runner-up in the $3,000 no limit hold'em tournament. He won $260,520 for his finish, and was ahead of numerous players including Ram Vaswani, Paul Phillips, Amir Vahedi, John Juanda, Annie Duke, Martin de Knijff, Johnny Chan and Surinder Sunar.[3]
In late 2004, Kabbaj also made the final table of the first European Poker Tour event in Barcelona.[4]
During 2005 he made four money finishes in the WSOP.[5][6][7][8]
He won his first bracelet at the 2009 WSOP, although the achievement was overshadowed by a row involving the bracelet ceremony. Instead of playing the British national anthem God Save The Queen, the Sex Pistols song of the same name was played, much to Kabbaj's disgust.[9]
At the 2014 WSOP, Kabbaj won the $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event, defeating Thomas Keller heads-up to earn $267,327 and his second career bracelet.[10]
World Series of Poker bracelets
edit| Year | Tournament | Prize (US$) |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold'em | $633,335 |
| 2014 | $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo | $267,327 |
As of 2014, his total live tournament winnings exceed $2,700,000.[11] His 8 cashes at the WSOP account for $1,077,700 of those winnings.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Christmas Cracker 1995, Main Event – No Limit Hold'em: Hendon Mob Poker Database". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "30th World Series of Poker – WSOP 1999, Hold'em Pot Limit". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "35th World Series of Poker – WSOP 2004, No-Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "European Poker Tour – EPT Barcelona, No Limit Hold'em – Main Event". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- ^ "36th World Series of Poker – WSOP 2005, Short Handed No Limit Hold'em:". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "36th World Series of Poker – WSOP 2005, No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "36th World Series of Poker – WSOP 2005, No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "36th World Series of Poker – WSOP 2005, Short Handed No Limit Hold'em". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Laukkanen, Owen. "Anthem Antics at WSOP – WSOP Blog". PokerListings.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009.
- ^ "2014 WSOP Event #25 John Kabbaj Wins Mixed Event for the UK". PokerNewsReport.com. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "John Kabbaj's profile on The Hendon Mob". The Hendon Mob Poker Database. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
- ^ "John Kabbaj". WSOP.com. Retrieved 24 March 2024.